Fides quaerens intellectum, means "faith seeking understanding" or "faith seeking intelligence", is a Latin sentence by Anselm of Canterbury.

Anselm uses this expression for the first time in his Proslogion (I). It articulates the close relationship between faith and human reason. Anselm of Canterbury states : "Neque enim quaero intelligere ut credam, sed credo ut intelligam"[1] ("I do not seek to understand in order that I may believe, but rather, I believe in order that I may understand").

The sentence represents the theological method stressed by Augustine (354–430) and Anselm of Canterbury (c. 1033 – 1109) in which one begins with faith in God and on the basis of that faith moves on to further understanding of Christian truth.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ "ANSELMUS CANTUARIENSIS | PROSLOGION". www.thelatinlibrary.com (in Latin). Retrieved 2023-05-16.
  2. ^ Donald K. McKim, Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1996), 104

Further reading

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