“The first really speculative thinker after Scotus is St. Anselmus, the disciple of Lanfranc. He was born at Aosta (1033), entered the monastery of Bec in Normandy (1060), succeeded Lanfranc as Abbot (1078), and as Archbishop of Canterbury (1093). He died in 1109. He left a great number of writings, the most important of which are: the Dialogus de grammatico, the Monologium de divinitatis essentia sive Exemplum de ratione fidei, the Proslogium sive Fides quœrens intellectum, the De veritate, the De fide trinitatis, and the Cur Deus Homo? Aeterna Press

Thomas Williams' edition offers an Introduction well suited for use in an introductory philosophy course, as well as his own preeminent translation of the text.

When we approach such men as St. Bernard of Clairvaux and John Calvin, we are approaching two men who were not only significant figures of their time but figures standing on opposite shorelines of the influence and impact of Scholasticism, as well as a tumultuous decline in orthodoxy. Despite this reality, what is most compelling about these two men is the continuity of their developed thought, even though they were worlds apart, separated by time. This continuity is most assuredly grounded in their historical sources, and, more importantly, their faithful handling of God’s word. That continuity, although not point for point, was rather for the significant part of the structure and content—sum and substance—of the twofold knowledge of God and self. For both of these men, this doctrine was fundamental, permeating the whole of their world and life philosophy. Bernard and Calvin clearly saw the implications of this twofold knowledge. These implications manifest in the realm of various doctrines and the network of their system of thought. This book seeks to explore those various components of their twofold knowledge of God and self, as well as the implications in the realm of experiential Christianity.