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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Does God derive His existence through nothing?

2. How does God exist?

3. Anselm's arguments will be consistent with what?

4. This being is the best of all beings for what reason?

5. Why is the answer to number 33 this type of goodness?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Anselm explain that God creates from nothing but that everything, in a sense, already exists?

2. How does Jesus derive existence from God? Why?

3. What does Anselm say about God's eternality and omnipresence?

4. How are Chapters 1 and 2 prefigure the ontological argument and also are importantly different?

5. What set of problems does Chapter 9 of the Proslogium introduced? How does Chapter 10 add to this?

6. What does Anselm say in Chapter 1?

7. What challenge is raised in Chapter 16 of the Monologium?

8. What do Chapters 3 and 4 argue?

9. Why does Anselm say that only a fool would not believe in God?

10. To what is God identical?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

St. Anselm defines God as the being "than which nothing greater can be conceived."

Part 1) How does he support this definition? Could there be other, better, definitions of God? Why or why not?

Part 2) How does this definition support Anselm's other beliefs and claims?

Part 3) What is your own definition of God? How have you come to this definition? What might Anselm think of your definition? Why?

Essay Topic 2

St. Anselm's project of proving God's existence is a case of "faith seeking understanding."

Part 1) What is meant by this? How does St. Anselm go about seeking this understanding? Is he successful? Why or why not?

Part 2) Might these writings effectively convince a non-believer to believe, or are these writings purely for believers? Why?

Part 3) How important is understanding to having faith in something? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

Man was initially made holy so that he could enjoy God.

Part 1) What else could not take place if man had remained sinless? Why? Is it possible for a man to be born and to remain sinless? Why or why not?

Part 2) What does Anselm say about God's original plan? Does he still continue along this plan? Why or why not? How does Jesus play into this original plan?

Part 3) What is the connection between this discussion of God's original plan the end of the plan, and the Trinity? What does all this reveal and clarify about the Christian faith?

(see the answer keys)

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