ABSTRACT
The overarching impression Anselm leaves on the reader of the Cur Deus Homo is that God is a God of order, harmony and beauty, and he must and will act in accordance with those aspects of his nature. Apart from Anselm's more obvious references to beauty and order in the Monologion and the Cur Deus Homo, the student of his works will undoubtedly also gravitate towards the Prayers and Meditations. This chapter examines the Prayers and Meditations which were written throughout Anselm's life and so provide a good place to start since they evince an aesthetic model of reality throughout his writing career. It shows how suffusive aesthetic categories are in Anselm's years as Abbot of the monastery at Bec. The chapter assesses the Cur Deus Homo as one of the chief examples of how deeply Anselm's model of reality was rooted in an aesthetic ideal. Anselm extended his thoughts on harmony and beauty to include a discussion on will.
