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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 Gaunilo believe Anselm's Ontological Argument to be correct?

2. The rational mind is the "mirror and image" of what?

3. God is greater than what?

4. Why does God do what He does in the answer to number 99?

5. How is Cur Deus Homo written?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the Appendix of Anselm: Basic Writings contain?

2. What is the purpose of Cur Deus Homo? How do you know this? Describe this book.

3. For what have Christians been ridiculed? What is Anselm's response to this?

4. Was the God-man born with original sin? How does this affect Him?

5. What do Chapters 3 through 8 discuss?

6. How will souls be rewarded?

7. What do Chapters 6 and 7 argue?

8. How is the Greatest Conceivable Island compared to God?

9. What happens when the soul loves God? What happens when a soul hates God?

10. What does Gaunilo submit?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

God exists necessarily.

Part 1) What does Anselm mean by this? How does this support Anselm's belief in one God?

Part 2) How does this aspect of God make him, in a sense, unapproachable? Is this good or bad? Why?

Part 3) How is God's existence also in need of unity? Why?

Essay Topic 2

God is perfectly just, yet He forgives sinners and has mercy on them.

Part 1) How does Anselm prove that God is perfectly just? Do you agree? Why or why not?

Part 2) Why does Anselm see a contradiction between being just and showing mercy? What does this reveal about him and his culture?

Part 3) How might this contradiction in God compare to gods of other cultures? How does this support Anselm's love of God?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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