On April 21, the Church celebrates the feast of the Confessor, Doctor of the Church, Bishop, and Benedictine Monk, St. Anselm of Canterbury. Born into a noble family in Lombardy, a region in northwest Italy, in 1033, Anselm received an elite education and followed his mother’s pious example. He petitioned entry to a monastery at the age of 15, but the abbot rejected him for fear of his father’s disapproval. Following his mother’s death, Anselm wandered far from both his father’s home and his faith.
Eventually, Anselm revived his devotion and fulfilled his prior desire, entering the Benedictine Abbey of Bec in 1060 to study under its prior, the renowned teacher Lanfranc. In 1063, Lanfranc was appointed abbot of Caen, and Anselm took his place as Bec’s prior. Anselm held that position until 1078 when he was made abbot of Bec, despite his profound resistance. Under Anselm’s leadership, Bec flourished as a theological and philosophical school.
Nevertheless, Anselm’s preference for contemplative monastic life further evaded him. Lanfranc, now the archbishop of Canterbury, died in 1089. King William II of England kept the archbishopric vacant for four years as he ravaged the diocese’s land and revenue. Rumors named Anselm as Lanfranc’s successor, and these eventually became fact. The pastoral staff was thrust into his hands against his will, and Anselm became archbishop of Canterbury in 1093.
Tension with England’s crown marked Anselm’s entire reign as archbishop. William once said of Anselm, “I hated him before, I hate him now, and shall hate him still more hereafter.” English and European history reveal that these tensions ran far deeper than Anselm and his kings; they resulted from profound disagreements regarding royal and ecclesiastical authority.
First, William requested Church funds for his military expeditions. He rejected Anselm’s offer of £500 and demanded it doubled, which Anselm refused. Further, William demanded nobody in England recognize Urban II as the rightful pope (rather than the antipope Clement III) until he acknowledged a pope himself. Yet, Anselm upheld Pope Urban II’s authority regardless. Even after eventually acknowledging the rightful pope, William sought Anselm’s removal and ordered the English bishops to refuse Anselm’s claim to the archbishopric.
Amidst further disputes with William regarding his own authority and charges levied against him, Anselm withdrew in voluntary exile in 1097. He went to Rome and attended the Council of Bari in 1098 where he defended the doctrines of both the Filioque, which states that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son, and the use of unleavened bread as the sacramental matter of the Eucharist, in addition to wine. During his exile, William seized the diocese and plundered its resources once again.
Upon William’s death in 1100, Anselm returned to England at King Henry I’s invitation. Yet, his kingly conflicts recommenced almost immediately regarding investiture. The Catholic Encyclopedia explains, “Investiture at this period meant that on the death of a bishop or abbot, the king was accustomed to select a successor and to bestow on him the ring and staff with the words: Accipe ecclesiam (accept this church).”
Henry demanded Anselm’s reappointment at his behest, although Anselm was already the rightful archbishop following his installment under William. Anselm refused as such would violate canon law, and Pope Paschal II backed Anselm. The dispute extended to other bishop appointments in England, and eventually the pope excommunicated many of Henry’s advisors on account of their recommending Henry demand investiture authority. The pope also excommunicated all bishops who accepted Henry’s investment, but the king himself was spared. In the midst of this, Anselm underwent a second exile from 1103-1106. Ultimately, the issue was resolved by the Concordat of London in 1107 and Anselm endured no other major controversies till his death in 1109.
Beyond his episcopal vigor, Anselm maintains a profound theological and philosophical legacy. As a Doctor of the Church, he possesses the particular honorary title Doctor Magnificus, and he has been called the “Father of Scholasticism.” His phrase “fides quaerens intellectum” (translated literally as “faith seeking understanding”) from his Proslogion permeated the entirety of his thought. He is particularly famous for his ontological argument for the existence of God, and his notable works include Cur Deus Homo (translated “Why God Became Man”), Proslogion, Monologion, and numerous others.
St. Anselm of Canterbury provides a particularly beautiful example of bold and steadfast defense of Christ’s Church on earth, as well as contemplation of the Divine. St. Anselm, pray for us.
O my God, teach my heart where and how to seek You,
where and how to find You.
You are my God and You are my all and I have never seen You.
You have made me and remade me,
You have bestowed on me all the good things I possess,
Still I do not know You.
I have not yet done that for which I was made.
Teach me to seek You.
I cannot seek You unless You teach me
or find You unless You show Yourself to me.
Let me seek You in my desire,
let me desire You in my seeking.
Let me find You by loving You,
let me love You when I find You.
Amen
Featured image courtesy of Bulo78 via Wiki
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