Cur Deus Homo

by Saint Anselm

Contents

Book First

• Chapter I: The question on which the whole work rests.
• Chapter II: How those things which are to be said should be received.
• Chapter III: Objections of infidels and replies of believers.
• Chapter IV: How these things appear not decisive to infidels, and merely like so many pictures.
• Chapter V: How the redemption of man could not be effected by any other being but God.
• Chapter VI: How infidels find fault with us for saying that God has redeemed us by his death, and thus has shown his love towards us, and that he came to overcome the devil for us.
• Chapter VII: How the devil had no justice on his side against man; and why it was, that he seemed to have had it, and why God could have freed man in this way.
• Chapter VIII: How, although the acts of Christ's condescension which we speak of do not belong to his divinity, it yet seems improper to infidels that these things should be said of him even as a man; and why it appears to them that this man did not suffer death of his own will.
• Chapter IX: How it was of his own accord that he died, and what this means: "he was made obedient even unto death;" and: "for which cause God hath highly exalted him;" and: "I came not to do my own will;" and: "he spared not his own Son;" and: "not as I will, but as thou wilt."
• Chapter X: Likewise on the same topics; and how otherwise they can be correctly explained.
• Chapter XI: What it is to sin, and to make satisfaction for sin.
• Chapter XII: Whether it were proper for God to put away sins by compassion alone, without any payment of debt.
• Chapter XIII: How nothing less was to be endured, in the order of things, than that the creature should take away the honor due the Creator and not restore what he takes away.
• Chapter XIV: How the honor of God exists in the punishment of the wicked.
• Chapter XV: Whether God suffers his honor to be violated even in the least degree.
• Chapter XVI: The reason why the number of angels who fell must be made up from men.
• Chapter XVII: How other angels cannot take the place of those who fell.
• Chapter XVIII: Whether there will be more holy men than evil angels.
• Chapter XIX: How man cannot be saved without satisfaction for sin.
• Chapter XX: That satisfaction ought to be proportionate to guilt; and that man is of himself unable to accomplish this.
• Chapter XXI: How great a burden sin is.
• Chapter XXII: What contempt man brought upon God, when he allowed himself to be conquered by the devil; for which he can make no satisfaction.
• Chapter XXIII: What man took from God by his sin, which he has no power to repay.
• Chapter XXIV: How, as long as man does not restore what he owes God, he cannot be happy, nor is he excused by want of power.
• Chapter XXV: How man's salvation by Christ is necessarily possible.

Book Second

• Chapter I: How man was made holy by God, so as to be happy in the enjoyment of God.
• Chapter II: How man would never have died, unless he had sinned.
• Chapter III: How man will rise with the same body which he has in the world.
• Chapter IV: How God will complete, in respect to human nature, what he has begun.
• Chapter V: How, although the thing may be necessary, God may not do it by a compulsory necessity; and what is the nature of that necessity which removes or lessons gratitude, and what necessity increases it.
• Chapter VI: How no being, except the God-man, can make the atonement by which man is saved.
• Chapter VII: How necessary it is for the same being to be perfect God and perfect man.
• Chapter VIII: How it behooved God to take a man of the race of Adam, and born of a woman.
• Chapter IX: How of necessity the Word only can unite in one person with man.
• Chapter X: How this man dies not of debt; and in what sense he can or cannot sin; and how neither he nor an angel deserves praise for their holiness, if it is impossible for them to sin.
• Chapter XI: How Christ dies of his own power, and how mortality does not inhere in the essential nature of man.
• Chapter XII: How, though he shares in our weakness, he is not therefore miserable.
• Chapter XIII: How, along with our other weaknesses, he does not partake of our ignorance.
• Chapter XIV: How his death outweighs the number and greatness of our sins.
• Chapter XV: How this death removes even the sins of his murderers.
• Chapter XVI: How God took that man from a sinful substance, and yet without sin; and of the salvation of Adam and Eve.
• Chapter XVII: How he did not die of necessity, though he could not be born, except as destined to suffer death.
• Chapter XVIII (a): How, with God there is neither necessity nor impossibility, and what is a coercive necessity, and what one that is not so.
• Chapter XVIII (b): How Christ's life is paid to God for the sins of men, and in what sense Christ ought, and in what sense he ought not, or was not bound, to suffer.
• Chapter XIX: How human salvation follows upon his death.
• Chapter XX: How great and how just is God's compassion.
• Chapter XXI: How it is impossible for the devil to be reconciled.
• Chapter XXII: How the truth of the Old and New Testament is shown in the things which have been said.