Anselm’s Theory of the Atonement

Today’s free book is a very helpful and detailed examination Today’s free book is a very helpful and detailed examination of Anselm of Canterbury’s doctrine of the atonement by G.C. Foley. Foley places Anselm’s theory in the context of medieval thought and looks at both precursors of Anselm’s theory of the atonement and his influence on later writers.

This public domain title was digitised from a copy held in Spurgeon’s College library.

George Cadwalader Foley [1851-1935], Anselm’s Theory of the Atonement. The Bampton lectures 1908. London: Longmans, Green and Co., 1909. Hbk. pp.327. [Click here to visit the download page for this title]

Contents

• Preface

1. Introduction
2. The Patristic Teaching
   1. General Characteristics
   2. The Apostolic Fathers
   3. The Post-Apostolic Fathers
      1. Justin Martyr
      2. Irenaeus
      3. Clement of Alexandria
      4. Origen
   4. Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers
      1. Eusebius of Caesarea
      2. Athanasius
      3. Later Greek Fathers
         • Gregory of Nyssa
         • Gregory of Nazianzus
         • Chrysostom
         • Cyril of Alexandria
   5. The Latin Fathers
      1. Tertullian
      2. Cyprian
      3. Augustin
3. The Anselmic Theory
   1. Patristic and Medeival Antecedents
      1. Antecedents afferting the substance of the theory
         1. A racial Characteristic
         2. Eccesiastical ideas and discipline
         3. German criminal law
         4. Feudalism
      2. Antecedents affecting the form of the theory
   2. “Cur Deus Homo?”
      1. Preliminary to the argument
      2. The argument
      3. Some valuable features of the theory
      4. Defects of the theory
         Criticism in Detail
         1. the idea of Honour
         2. The idea of Satisfaction
         3. The forensic form of the theory
         4. The latent Dualism
         5. The Nestorian element
         6. Satisfaction considered as Substitution
         7. The purpose of the Incarnation
         8. The purely objective character of the theory
         9. A pernicious effect of the theory
   3. Anselm’s Contemporaries and Successors
      1. His adherents
         • Hugh of St Victor
         • Alexander of Hales
         • Bonadventura
         • Thomas Aquinas
      2. His opponents
         • Abelard
         • Bernard
         • Peter Lombard
         • Duns Scotus
   4. Anselm’s Relation to reformation Theology
      1. Basis of Protestant Soteriology
      2. Antithesis of Protestant Soteriology
         1. Passive satisfaction
         2. Penal satisfaction
         3. Endurance equivilent to eternal death
         4. Imputation
      3. The modern development and reaction
4. Estimate of the Value of the Treatise

• Appendix
• Index