Video and Podcast Resources on Anselm of Canterbury's Works

I first started studying the works of the great Benedictine thinker, Anselm of Canterbury, in a systematic and scholarly way back in 1999. It wasn’t long before I found myself teaching some of his texts in my own college classes. Over the years, I developed resources to help students, lifelong learners, and even my fellow instructors productively make their way through several of his works.

In addition to the videos and podcast episodes that I’m providing here, I also have a number of publications, conference presentations, videorecordings of class sessions, podcast interviews, and other resources available. Here I’m confining myself to listing two sets of resources:

• short (10–25 minute) core concept videos, each of which

• podcast episode versions produced from those same core concept videos

The podcast episodes and core concept videos cover the same ideas, distinctions, arguments — they just differ by being in sound or visual format. The podcasts are listenable and downloadable. The videos can be viewed or listened to, but not downloaded (except for YouTube Premium users)

So far, I have produced video and podcast content on just four of Anselm’s works — the Monologion, Proslogion, On Truth, and On Freedom of Choice. I hope to get to other Anselmian texts as well down the line, starting with his On The Fall of the Devil.

Anselm’s Monologion

Here are 23 core concept videos covering the entire book — quite a lot of work went into this sequence!

• The Doctrine of Participation

• Degrees of Being

• Arguing to the Supreme Good

• Arguing to the Supreme Being

• The Supreme Being’s Existence Per Se

• Creation Ex Nihilo

• Things Existing in the Divine Word

• Three Kinds of Expression

• What Can Be Affirmed of the Divine

• Divine Simplicity

• Divine Eternity

• Divine Ubiquity

• Divine Substance and Other Substances

• Divine Word as Utterance and Essence

• The Word’s Expression of Created Being

• The Unity of the Father and Son

• Father and Son as Essence of Eachother

• The Trinity of the Divine Substance

• Grasping The Divine Through Images

• The Human Mind as Mirror of The Divine

• Rational Creature’s Love of the Divine

• Love, Hope, and Faith

• Eternal Happiness or Misery

Here are the corresponding podcast episodes:

• The Doctrine Of Participation

• Degrees Of Being

• Arguing To The Supreme Good

• Arguing To The Supreme Being

• The Supreme Beings Existence Per Se

• Creation Ex Nihilo

• Three Kinds Of Expression

• Things Existing In The Divine Word

• What Can Be Affirmed Of The Divine

• Divine Simplicity

• Divine Eternity

• Divine Ubiquity

• Divine Substance And Other Substances

• The Word’s Expression of Created Being

• Divine Word As Utterance And Essence

• The Unity of the Father and Son

• Father and Son as Essence of Eachother

• The Trinity of the Divine Substance

• Grasping The Divine Through Images

• The Human Mind as Mirror of The Divine

• Rational Creature’s Love of the Divine

• Love, Hope, and Faith

• Eternal Happiness or Misery

Anselm’s Proslogion

Originally, I shot only five core concept videos on this work, but I recently finished producing videos on the rest of it. So the full set of eleven, covering the entire work, is now available.

• The “One Argument”

• Ontological Argument for God’s Existence

• The Ontological Argument Continued

• Divine Attributes and God's Being

• Divine Omnipotence

• Divine Mercy and Justice

• Divine Attributes and Simplicity

• Seeing and Not Seeing God

• Divine Limitlessness And Eternity

• Time, Eternal Things, and Divine Eternity

• The Highest Good and Human Joy

Here are the corresponding podcast episodes

• The “Single Argument”

• The Ontological Argument

• The Ontological Argument Continued

• Divine Attributes and God's Being

• Divine Omnipotence and What God Can’t Do

• Divine Mercy and Justice

• Divine Attributes and Simplicity

• Seeing And Not Seeing God

• Divine Limitlessness And Eternity

• Time, Eternal Things, and Divine Eternity

• The Highest Good and Human Joy

Anselm’s On Truth

Here are eight core concept videos discussing each of the key topics set out in this dialogue between Anselm and his student.

• Multiple Modes of Truth

• Truth In Signification and Thought

• Truth In The Will and Action

• Truth In The Senses and Judgement

• Truth in the Being of Things and the Supreme Truth

• Actions as Significative Of Truth

• Defining Justice In The Will

• The Unity of Truth

Here are those eight lectures in podcast format

• Multiple Modes Of Truth

• Truth In Signification And Thought

• Truth In The Will And Action

• Truth In The Senses And Judgement

• Truth In The Being Of Things And Supreme Truth

• Actions As Significative Of Truth

• Defining Justice In The Will

• The Unity Of Truth

Anselm’s On Freedom of Choice

Here is a set of eight core concept videos covering the whole dialogue.

• What Freedom of Choice Is

• Freedom of Choice and Rectitude of Will

• Willing To Abandon Rectitude of Will

• Choosing Willingly and Unwillingly

• Slavery to Sin and the Will

• Why God Cannot Take Away Rectitude of Will

• Will As Instrument And Use

• Five Kinds of Freedom of Choice

And here are those same lectures in podcast format

• What Freedom Of Choice Is

• Freedom Of Choice And Rectitude Of Will

• Choosing Willingly and Unwillingly

• Willing To Abandon Rectitude Of Will

• Slavery To Sin And The Will

• Why God Cannot Take Away Freedom Of Choice

• Will As Instrument And Use

• Five Kinds Of Freedom Of Choice

I hope that you find all of these video and podcast lectures useful and enjoyable. Keep in mind, of course, that they are no substitute for actually reading Anselm’s works, which is a pleasure you should not deprive yourself of!