This paper discusses the two-phase publication of the Proslogion and its significance for understanding the nature of Anselm’s endeavour in the treatise. The introduction highlights the importance of making sense of the peculiar combination of argument and devotion in the treatise. It also pays attention to an important recent article by R. Sharpe (2009), which effectively shatters the authoritativeness of the editorial matter in F. S. Schmitt’s edition of Anselm’s works. The second part offers a critical discussion of Schmitt’s and Sharpe’s views concerning the early versions of the Monologion and Proslogion. The third part investigates the evidence related to the publication history of the Proslogion, arguing that Anselm incorporated all the additional features, including the exchange with Gaunilo, at the same time. To elucidate why the publication history of the Proslogion is vital for the interpretation of the treatise, the last part of the paper offers an outline explaining Anselm’s objectives in the two-phase publication. It is proposed that the Proslogion should be read as Anselm’s subtle attempt to defend and justify the kind of rational method that he had been using in the Monologion.
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Vol. 47 No. 1 (2014)
Published: 2021-01-30
English
Język Polski