Affectio in Anselm of Aosta

Abstract

Thinking about God’s grace and man’s freedom at the same time has always been essential, though difficult for Christian reflection. Anselm often considered this difficulty, which is similar to that arising from the use of sola ragione in a prayer posture. In his work De Concordia, third part, ch. 11, Anselm constructs a representation of the will that takes on the maximum demands of Christian reflection. This chapter distinguishes three aspects in the will: instumentum, aptitudo, and usus; the aptitudo is called affectio. In his De libero arbitrio, Anselm distinguished instead between the instrument and the use, without considering the affectio. With special attention to contemporary phenomenology, this paper highlights both why the theme of affectio should be introduced and the significance of this late introduction in Anselm’s work.