The Proslogion of Anselm of Canterbury as a Story and an Explanation of the Way(s) to Know God: An Examination of a Classical Medieval Text in Dialogue with Its Modern Interpreters

Anselm of Canterbury’s Proslogion and its basic theological theses have frequently been viewed as a proof of God’s existence or the ontological argument for it. However, there exists another approach, searching for a more religious or mystical reading of the work. A middle way, which combines the two approaches, helps to reconsider this work and its author’s ideas. This third approach views Proslogion as both a narrative and a rational explanation of a complex process of gaining the knowledge of God per se. The article aims at offering such a balanced re-reading, by means of the conceptual exegesis of some selected chapters of the Proslogion in dialogue with such scholars as G. R. Evans, R. McMahon, J. Sire, and others.