Cur Deus Homo

Book by St Anselm of Canterbury in the 1090s, proposing the satisfaction view of the atonement

Scholasticism
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Schools Thomism Scotism Occamism
Major works Summa Theologica Cur Deus Homo Summa Grammatica Summa logicae Opus Oxoniense Libri Quattuor Sententiarum
Precursors Augustine of Hippo Boethius Pope Gregory I Alcuin of York John Scotus Eriugena
Philosophers Thomas Aquinas ("Doctor Angelicus") Duns Scotus ("Doctor Subtilis") William of Ockham ("Doctor Invincibilis") Francisco Suárez ("Doctor Eximius") Averroes ("The Commentator") Albertus Magnus ("Doctor Universalis") Peter Lombard ("The Master") Bonaventure ("Doctor Seraphicus") Anselm of Canterbury ("Doctor Marianus") Peter Abelard ("Doctor Scholasticus")
Related Philosophy Aristotelianism Dominican Order Franciscan Order Catholic theology Islamic philosophy Empiricism Neoplatonism Neo-scholasticism Problem of universals Protoscholastic writing
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Cur Deus Homo? (Latin for "Why God Human?"), usually translated Why God Became a Man, is a book written by Anselm of Canterbury in the period of 1094–1098. In this work he proposes the satisfaction view of the atonement.

Anselm says his reason for writing the book is:

I have been often and most earnestly requested by many, both personally and by letter, that I would hand down in writing the proofs of a certain doctrine of our faith, which I am accustomed to give to inquirers; for they say that these proofs gratify them, and are considered sufficient. This they ask, not for the sake of attaining to faith by means of reason, but that they may be gladdened by understanding and meditating on those things which they believe; and that, as far as possible, they may be always ready to convince any one who demands of them a reason of that hope which is in us.^[1]