"Cur Deus Homo"

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how Anselm proposed a series of Christological doctrines in his most famous work, "Cur Deus Homo" or, "Why The God-Man." The principle theory is known as the Satisfaction Theory and it was the predominant contention of the Church for almost a millennium. This paper explores the theory, as well as the history and circumstances that led to Anselm's development of what later became Church doctrine.

From the Paper:

"Before Anselm's Satisfaction Theory, the commonly accepted theory of many Church Fathers was the Ransom Theory. This was a presumption that held the contention of God's conquest over enslavement, and it was the predominant church belief for a millennium.2 This theory was adapted from the passage in Mark 10:45, in which Christ is said to have, "Give[n] his life as a ransom for many." The theory contended that Christ's humanity was taken by Satan, but so too was his veiled divinity, and it was Christ's divinity that Satan allegedly took without having the appropriate authority. In taking what he was not allowed to take, Satan forfeited all of his rights over humanity, and humanity was thus saved from the power of evil."

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