Anselm's Pursuit of Joy

I don’t know how many times I have read chapters 2 and 3 of the Proslogion since my time in college, but the number is large. I had to read those chapters in philosophy classes and in theology classes. I had to read them several times during my time in seminary, and I’ve read them numerous times since then. Never was I assigned the entirety of the Proslogion, but eventually I read it on my own. I don't think I was ever completely sure how to fit all of the pieces together, but I knew I loved the last few chapters.

Gavin Ortlund, in his book Anselm’s Pursuit of Joy, puts all of the pieces together. He notes the numerous problems that have resulted from treating chapters 2 and 3 in isolation from the rest of the book. Not only does this create problems for interpreting the Proslogion as a whole, it also creates problems in the understanding of Anselm’s so-called ontological argument in chapters 2 and 3. Ortlund argues convincingly that those chapters can be properly understood only in light of the purpose of the entire book. It is not about simply proving God’s existence. As Ortlund explains, it is “a spiritual pursuit of what his existence entails for the one who strives after him in faith” (p. 8).

After a chapter that clearly shows the error of those who claim that Anselm was a rationalist, Ortlund takes another chapter to explore the history of the interpretation of the Proslogion. The remaining three chapters are a running commentary on the Proslogion itself. In these three chapters, Ortlund explores the nature of Anselm's quest. According to Ortlund, Anselm is seeking the ultimate happiness of the beatific vision. All of the chapters of the Proslogion contribute toward Anselm’s pursuit of the joy that can only be found in the highest good, the Holy Trinity. Anselm considers the existence of God in chapters 2–4 and the nature of God in chapters 5–23, but all of this is in order to attain unto the joy of the beatific vision (chapters 24–26).

Anselm’s Pursuit of Joy is one of those books that is filled with “A ha!” moments that help the reader understand what Anselm is doing so much more clearly. I only wich I had read it when it was first published five years ago. Highly, highly recommend.