Anselm lived from 1033 to 1109. Having decided to enter a monastery, he was attracted to Bec in Normandy by the reputation of the great teacher, Lanfranc. Anselm became a monk at 27. A student and close friend of Lanfranc, he eventually succeeded him as prior and abbot of Bec, and became a still more famous teacher.
After the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, William I replaced the English hierarchy with Normans, and Lanfranc was sent as Archbishop of Canterbury. Three years after Lanfranc’s death, Anselm was in England (1093) and was forcibly made archbishop. He was not be nature either an administrator or a politician, but persevered in difficult times and, through his encouragement of English devotions, helped heal the wounds of the Conquest on the English.
Anselm’s fame lies in his role as theologian and philosopher; his argument for the existence of God still holds strong appeal for many. His spirituality greatly influenced the Church and in his concern for the oppressed, he was one of the first opponents of the slave trade. Never formally canonized, he was made a Doctor of the Church in 1720.
From: Living with Christ, April 2013, pages 171-172
Other reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anselm_of_Canterbury
Saint Anselm; one of the first opponents of the slave trade
Anselm lived from 1033 to 1109. Having decided to enter a monastery, he was attracted to Bec in Normandy by the reputation of the great teacher, Lanfranc. Anselm became a monk at 27. A student and close friend of Lanfranc, he eventually succeeded him as prior and abbot of Bec, and became a still more famous teacher.
After the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, William I replaced the English hierarchy with Normans, and Lanfranc was sent as Archbishop of Canterbury. Three years after Lanfranc’s death, Anselm was in England (1093) and was forcibly made archbishop. He was not be nature either an administrator or a politician, but persevered in difficult times and, through his encouragement of English devotions, helped heal the wounds of the Conquest on the English.
Anselm’s fame lies in his role as theologian and philosopher; his argument for the existence of God still holds strong appeal for many. His spirituality greatly influenced the Church and in his concern for the oppressed, he was one of the first opponents of the slave trade. Never formally canonized, he was made a Doctor of the Church in 1720.
From: Living with Christ, April 2013, pages 171-172
Other reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anselm_of_Canterbury
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