Why did the monks at Bec ask St. Anselm of Canterbury to write the Monologion?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Luca della Robbia: St. Anselm of Canterbury — St. Anselm of Canterbury St. Anselm of Canterbury (center), terra-cotta altarpiece by Luca della Robbia; in the Museo Diocesano, Empoli, Italy.

The monks at the Benedictine monastery at Bec requested that St. Anselm of Canterbury write the Monologion to provide a theological treatise that demonstrated the existence and attributes of God through the use of reason alone.1

Unlike many medieval thinkers of the time who relied primarily on traditional authorities, the monks sought a work that utilized logical analysis. Anselm responded by moving from an examination of various perfections—such as wisdom, justice, and power—to argue for an absolute, ultimate standard of perfection that exists beyond time and space, which he identified as God.1