“You have not yet considered how great is the weight of sin.”
— Anselm of Canterbury[verifiable: Cur Deus Homo, book 1, chapter 21; translated by Davies and Evans (1998)]
Commentary
This sentence, from Cur Deus Homo, rebukes an interlocutor who underestimates the seriousness of sin, and it grounds the argument for atonement in the infinite offence that sin offers to God. Anselm's claim is that the honour of God has been violated, and that restoring it requires satisfaction greater than any finite creature can give. R. W. Southern discusses this account of satisfaction as one of the most influential ideas of the medieval church, shaping later doctrines of penance and redemption. Brian Davies and Gillian Evans's translation (1998) preserves the dialogue form, in which the speaker Boso raises objections that Anselm answers in turn. Jasper Hopkins's companion (1972) examines the logic of satisfaction and the question of why God must become human. The rebuke marks the point at which the dialogue turns from objection to demonstration.
Commentary
This sentence, from Cur Deus Homo, rebukes an interlocutor who underestimates the seriousness of sin, and it grounds the argument for atonement in the infinite offence that sin offers to God. Anselm's claim is that the honour of God has been violated, and that restoring it requires satisfaction greater than any finite creature can give. R. W. Southern discusses this account of satisfaction as one of the most influential ideas of the medieval church, shaping later doctrines of penance and redemption. Brian Davies and Gillian Evans's translation (1998) preserves the dialogue form, in which the speaker Boso raises objections that Anselm answers in turn. Jasper Hopkins's companion (1972) examines the logic of satisfaction and the question of why God must become human. The rebuke marks the point at which the dialogue turns from objection to demonstration.