Synopses & Reviews
'In this magisterial study of the life and work of St. Anselm, Sir Richard Southern provides the definitive study of one of the most complex and fascinating philosophical minds in Christian history. St Anselm brings together all the elements of a man whose intensely concentrated search for God filled all the phases and aspects of his life and work. Nothing in Anselm\'s thinking was simply ordinary or typical of his age. As Southern says: \"He touched the thought, the piety and the politics of the time at every important point; and whatever he touched looked different afterwards.\"'
Review
"This is a magisterial work by a master of medieval history who has reflected many years on the life and work of Anselm; it is based on the solidest kind of scholarship and yet is eminently readable; the book will stand henceforth as the best and indispensable portrait of Anselm." Adris
Review
"Southern's brilliant and thorough treatment...is a landmark in the scholarly literature on the lives of saints." Choice
Synopsis
In this magisterial study of the life and work of St. Anselm, Sir Richard Southern provides the definitive study of one of the most complex and fascinating philosophical minds in Christian history. St. Anselm brings together all the elements of a man whose intensely concentrated search for God filled all the phases and aspects of his life and work. Nothing in Anselm's thinking was simply ordinary or typical of his age.
Synopsis
In this magisterial account of the life and work of St Anselm, now in paperback, Sir Richard Southern provides a study in depth of one of the most fascinating minds in Christian history.
Synopsis
The qualities of a man whose life was devoted to an intensely concentrated search for God are defined in this authoritative study of one of the most complex and fascinating philosophical minds in Christian history.
Table of Contents
Preface; Part I. From Birth to Rebirth 1033-1070: 1. Escape from confinement; 2. The year of decision; 3. Anselm and Lanfranc; 4. The years of silence; Part II. The Radiant Years 1070-1093: 5. Anselm's new start; 6. The great 'meditations'; 7. The nature and importance of friendship; 8. An unwelcome but enlarging world; Part III. A Monastic Viewin a Developing World 1093-1109: 9. Anselm and the human condition; 10. 'Release my soul from this slavery'; 11. A new archbishop's problems of obedience; 12. The liberty of the church; 13. The liberty of a monastic community; 14. An old liberty: the primacy of Canterbury; Part IV. The Harvest of Friends and Disciples: 15. Anselm's earliest theological disciples; 16. The collectors of Anselm's words and letters; 17. Eadmer and Anselm; 18. A backward glance; Appendix; Index.