Cur Deus Homo: Why God Became a Man | Navigating the Classics

A few times a year we want to visit a classic work of Christendom. Rather than spending a long series walking through the work, we try to discuss it all in one long-form discussion. For this episode of Navigating the Classics, we are taking a look at Anselm’s Cur Deus Homo, which translates to “Why God Human.”

Anselm, who was a church leader eleventh century and sought to answer two criticisms of the Christian faith. The first was a claim that God is too holy to have become a human. The other claim was that if Jesus was the God-man, His death on the cross was not essential to our salvation.

The approach of the book was not unique for Anselm’s time, but he utilizes a device not often seen today. It is written in the form of a conversation between Anselm and a pupil. He sets up questions from his pupil that he wants to answer and then begins the conversation.

Throughout the work, Anselm shows that he is very gifted in both logic and communication. While Cur Deus Homo is a work of philosophy, it is also a treasure trove for the Christian.

Perhaps you have never heard of this book, but if you have and you have put off reading to it, let us encourage you to take on the task and reap the rewards it contains.

 

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The Whole CounselSarah Snyder