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Poetic/Dialectic: The Confluence of Poetry and Philosophy in St. Anselm’s Theology by Cyril Guérette A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of St. Michael’s College and the Theological Department of the Toronto School of Theology In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Theology awarded by the University of St. Michael’s College. © Copyright by Cyril Guérette 2013 Poetic/Dialectic: The Confluence of Poetry and Philosophy in St. Anselm’s Theology Cyril Guérette Doctor of Philosophy in Theology University of St. Michael’s College 2013 ABSTRACT St. Anselm of Canterbury is an important figure in the history of both theology and philosophy. However, his distinction as a writer of poetry in his era remains hitherto under-appreciated. The thesis of this work argues that we find in St. Anselm’s body of work a confluence of poetry and philosophy that models a mode of theology valuable to the contemporary context. Utilizing a new Poetic/Dialectic Analytic methodology, it researches the literature that was most influential in Anselm’s monastic culture including the trivium curriculum, Boethius, Augustine, and the Psalmic liturgical tradition. After demonstrating a Medieval confluence of poetry and philosophy, the body of Anselm’s own work is likewise investigated, followed by an in depth poetic/dialectic analysis of his greatest work, the Proslogion. Finally, a discussion of the theontic semiotics of Anselm’s Neo-platonic participatory ontology connects his understanding of God’s nature as the source of all being with a doxological account of language that both articulates and demonstrates a form of theology that is simultaneously poetry and philosophy. ii P(R)OEM I sing of the King in simplicity. Tripping out on the triple singularity; Tripped up by the singular triplicity. The glimmer of glamorous Grammar Shimmers through my amorous stammers: Beautiful Truth is inviolable, Undeniable, unpliable, Vitally viable, reliable, Intelligible though rarely legible, We’re barely eligible to receive it And our ability to conceive it incredibly negligible. iii To My mother, Deborah Guérette for her intuitive sense of the Beauty of God, and her poetic ingenuity and My father, Frank Guérette for his intensive search for the Truth of God, and his philosophic acuity iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I must first thank Dr. David Neelands, Dean of Trinity Divinity College, for his gracious and spacious approach in allowing this student room to develop my personal perspective, but also for his detailed eye for errors both technical and substantive. It is fitting that although he was the President of the Toronto School of Theology, and I a first year doctoral student there, we actually meant at St. Anselm’s College in New Hampshire for a conference on the most excellent Beccian. I could not have imagined a better hand to guide, advise, and supervise this enterprise as it was comprised and revised. Another professor who has been on this journey since I came to Toronto, is Dr. T. Allan Smith, whose course on Western Monasticism remains the best class I have ever had the pleasure to take. His gentle yet fastidious hand has been a great support throughout the many years this dissertation has developed. When I think of Anselm the monk as a person, it is he who guides my imagination. Likewise, Dr. Robert Sweetman has been a considerable shaping influence on this project, as his early critique turned me quickly to immersing myself in the ancient eleventh century time period. I am certain there is still much he would add to my presentation, yet I am truly grateful to have had a medieval scholar of such breadth speak into its formation. This journey of exploring the relationship between poetry and philosophy began in my Master’s work at the University of Cambridge, and I must therefore thank Catherine Pickstock for her suggestion that I delve into Anselm in order to explore the topic. That her work on the ontology of participation and the doxology of language would actually develop into the key theme of the work seems more than fortuitous. Outside of academia I must first thank my amazing wife Maegan, who allowed me the time to leave our household and three young children in order to bunker down and complete this work. Both her beauty, and her eye for beauty, best inspire my understanding of participating in the Nature of God. I also thank Dr. William J. Webb and his entire family, for his DDD work in pushing me to finish this project, including the use of their basement for a summer. v Furthermore, David McGhee served as a constant sounding board for the ideas in this thesis since we first began to see the poetic nature of the theological project together as undergrads. Also, I thank the Elders and congregation of FreeChurch Toronto for allowing me a few weeks extra sabbatical, and the administration, faculty, and students at Heritage Baptist College for giving me the physical place to write, as well as an intellectual space to work out my ideas practically in the classroom. The work is dedicated to my loving parents Frank and Deborah who together taught me the beauty of Truth and the truth of Beauty as they unite in the Supreme Essence. I also want to thank my brother Jeremy and his family, as well as my Westdorp in-laws, for their constant support. And to all the rest of my family and friends, your love participates in this writing. With Thanksgiving, Cyril Guérette Toronto, September 2013 vi TABLE OF CONTENTS P(R)OEM ........................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................. v TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................. vii 1. INTRODUCTION: PHILOSOPHY, POETRY, AND THEOLOGY ........................... 1 2. ANSELM’S REALM................................................................................................... 18 2.1 POETRY AND PHILOSOPHY IN ELEVENTH CENTURY LIBERAL ARTS . 19 2.1.1 Poetic Analytics ............................................................................................... 22 2.1.2 Dialectic Analytics ........................................................................................... 41 2.1.3 Poetic/Dialectic Synthetics ............................................................................. 54 2.2 BOETHIAN NEO-PLATONIC ARISTOTELIANISM ......................................... 73 2.2.1 Poetic Analytics ............................................................................................... 73 2.2.2 Dialectic Analytics ........................................................................................... 83 2.2.3 Poetic/Dialectic Synthetics ............................................................................. 94 2.3 AUGUSTINIAN CHRISTIAN RHETORIC ........................................................ 104 2.3.1 Poetic Analytics ............................................................................................. 104 2.3.2 Dialectic Analytics ......................................................................................... 109 2.3.3 Poetic/Dialectic Synthetics ........................................................................... 114 2.4 ANSELM AND PSALMS: HOLY SCRIPTURE AND LITURGY .................... 122 2.4.1 Poetic Analytics ............................................................................................. 123 2.4.2 Dialectic Analytics ......................................................................................... 130 2.4.3 Poetic/Dialectic Synthetics ........................................................................... 134 3. ANSELM’S ENSEMBLE ......................................................................................... 137 3.1 Orationem Componerem: Poetic Analytics .......................................................... 137 3.2 Sola Ratione: Dialectic Analytics ......................................................................... 150 3.3 Mentis Pulchritudo: Poetic/Dialectic Synthetics .................................................. 164 4. TOWARDS A WORD ON THE PROSLOGION ..................................................... 179 4.1 Proslogion Poetics ................................................................................................ 179 4.2 Proslogion Logic .................................................................................................. 204 4.3 Proslogion Liturgics ............................................................................................. 224 5. SEMI(ONT)OLOGY: THE TRUTH OF BEAUTY AND THE BEAUTY OF TRUTH ........................................................................................................................... 260 5.1 Ordine pulchritudinem: The Beautiful Order of Words ...................................... 261 vii 5.2 Veritas Enunciatione: The Truthful Word ............................................................ 274 5.3 Summa Veritas, Summa Pulchritudo, Summa Unitas: Theontic Semiotics .......... 281 6. CONCLUSION: ANSELM’S EMBLEMS ............................................................... 295 APPENDIX ONE: .......................................................................................................... 299 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................... 305 Primary Literature ......................................................................................................
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