Anslem’s Prayers and Meditations Summary

The prayers of Anselm are long intentionally crafted poems for the most part. The majority of

the prayers are addressed to the members of the Holy Trinity and the saints, Biblical and otherwise.

Southern suggests that the form of the individual prayers and the manner of their collection is an

elaboration on a Carolingian practice of providing short meditations on the saints within collections of

the Psalms (). The prayers are lengthy, but generally are a succession of self-contained paragraphs

around a theme wherein each paragraph could be read alone or with the rest of the prayer. These

prayers are meant for the practice of personal prayer and meditation with the main purpose that “the

mind be stirred up either to the love or fear of God, or to a consideration of both” (Anselm, 90). After

the love or fear of God is kindled, the next movement of the prayers is toward the recognition of

sinfulness. For example, the prayers to the saints offer vivid images that force the one praying to

recognize their sinfulness. The final movement is an attempt to find hope in an aspect of the life of the

saint that suggests the possibility of mercy and forgiveness for the one praying.

Two features of which one can find glaring examples in each of the prayers and meditations are

those classified by Ward as ‘excita mentem’ and ‘compuctio cordis’ (52-53). The first of these involves

the attempt to stir up the mind mentioned above. This theme is often developed through an emphasis

on how the sinner is normally in a state of torpor. Anselm laments this inertia with language of “a huge

dullness,” “weight,” “senses unfeeling,” “shadows of the torpor” and “lethargy.” The prayers also cry

out for or speak of coming out of the torpor as being “enkindled” or “stirred up” or “illuminated.” The

inevitable result of this stirring up is a clear sense of the sinfulness of the one praying. This leads to the

second aspect of compunction. Anselm’s most visceral and surprising turns of phrase express his

acknowledgement and remorse over his sinfulness. Sin often is another character addressed in the

prayer. Anselm speaks of being “putrid with the ulcers of sin” and “foul smelling” to the point of

smelling worse than “the corpse of a dead dog” when speaking of the presence of sin in his soul. At the
point of compunction the prayers move to find some mercy that will bring the sinner back into the

presence of God.

The formula found in the prayers to the saints of the Bible is interesting and typical of the

others. Faced with the depths of sinfulness, Anslem focuses on one or more phrases from the Biblical

account of the saint that offers hope of mercy. St. Stephen is asked to pray for the one praying as he

prayed for those stoning him. Paul who says that he is the nursemaid to the believers in ___ is implored

to offer prayers as a mother to the one praying. The prayers are certainly examples of the Medieval

practice of seeking intercession from saints before the Lord. At the same time, each of the prayers to

the saints has at least one paragraph addressed to Jesus.