St. Anselm: Basic Writings Chapter Summary & Analysis - Cur Deus Homo, Book I, Chapters I - XXV Summary

Cur Deus Homo, Book I, Chapters I - XXV Summary and Analysis

Anselm's task of defending the Christian faith is not complete, for we must understand how God became man, why He did it and why He had to die and be resurrected. Cur Deus Homo was written to answer these various questions. In fact, "Cur Deus Homo" translates as "Why God Became Man". The book is divided up into two, the first of which addresses the problem which of why atonement needs to occur, and how it could occur if it were to occur. The second book shows how Jesus could make satisfaction for the sins of humanity. The summary begins with the first book.

Cur Deus Homo is not written as an extended argument. Instead, Anselm represents his argument in dialogue form. Thus, Boso plays the challenger to Anselm's theory of the atonement. Boso is a Christian but he is worried that the doctrine of Christ's atonement for sins...
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