Transcendent and Immanent Eternity in Anselm’s Monologion

Resumen

This article argues that the signifi cance of Anselm’s contribution to the concept of Eternity as a divine attribute is his well-articulated conception of it as “Maximum”, connecting it to the logic of simplicity. The beginning of this article reviews the ongoing debates over Anselm’s idea of timeless Eternity, including the work of Pike, Leftow, and Rogers. By contextualizing Anselm’s work in light of his textual sources, including Augustine, Boethius, and possibly Hilary of Poitier, it clarifi es the exact ways Anselm moved the conversation of his time forward. It then analyzes the role Eternity plays in the structure of the Monologion, suggesting that Anselm saw that the metaphor of “containment” was enfolded within notions of “presence.” In order to preserve God’s transcendence and immanence, Anselm argues for a kind of presence that does not imply containment based upon ideas of divine Maximum.

Key words: Anselm, Boethius, Augustine, De Trinitate, Hilary of Poitier, Eternity, timeless, time, transcendence, immanence, Monologion