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Essay / Comparison of Salvation Theories of Anselm of Canterbury and Peter Abelard
Christianity has gone through many salvation theories and religions have diversified purely due to differences in salvation theories. Different theories debate the most important aspect of what Jesus Christ did to redeem and therefore save humanity. Some focus on the crucifixion, resurrection or life of Jesus Christ, etc. Abelard and Anselm are two authors completely opposed to each other; one focusing on death and the other on the life of Jesus Christ. Abelard proposed that Moral-Exemplar theory focuses on the life of Jesus, highlighting God's mercies while completely neglecting Jesus' death. The theory proposed by Anselm is oriented towards a transactional relationship between humanity and God. The theory of satisfaction proposed by Anselm describes Jesus Christ as the transaction necessary to pay the debt owed to God, without taking into account the life of Jesus Christ. These two authors have two divergent views on salvation that have been greatly influenced by each person's distinct experiences. They have opposing views on salvation, but what could possibly connect the two is their agreement on the effect of the death of Jesus Christ on humanity. Say no to plagiarism. Get Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get Original Essay Anselm proposed the satisfaction theory that humanity owes a debt to God for its sins and only Jesus Christ could pay this debt in order to save humanity. . Anselm's main problem was that God could not be satisfied only by showing mercy to humanity, he needed something to match his divinity. Anselm titled his work “Why God Became Man” to emphasize his view that the debt could only be paid by someone or something that corresponded to God himself. Jesus Christ was therefore necessary because he was sufficient to satisfy the debt. Humanity is not worthy enough to simply receive and accept God's mercy. Jesus Christ was worthy enough to “balance the books” and satisfy God. Abelard proposed the moral theory that salvation is achieved by living according to the actions of Jesus Christ in one's life and God will show you mercy and forgiveness. Abelard rejected Anselm's reason, based primarily on the ideology that two bad deeds do not make a good thing. This means that the evil deed of sin should not be atoned for by the death of an innocent man, Jesus Christ. Abelard departed from Anselm's theory by believing that Jesus' death was not necessary for salvation or forgiveness. Abelard shifts the focus to a more loving relationship between God and humanity rather than a transactional relationship. This change in perspective can be explained by Abelard and Anselm's different experiences of being raised differently in the world. Abelard was raised in a lower class than Anselm allowed him to be free from worldly possessions, without thinking that God required a debt from you. Anselm grew up in a wealthier world and this privilege allowed him to direct his theory of salvation toward a more transactional aspect between God and humanity. These two authors have completely opposite experiences of the world that have strongly influenced their divergent views on salvation. The different experiences they have had have created this divergence of points of view. Although the divergences of the paths can be linked to each other by the effect they both attempt to convey to humanity through the death of Jesus. Anselm describes the death of Jesus as.