BOOK 1. 11. What it is to sin, and to make satisfaction for sin.
Anselm.We must ask how God gets rid of men’s sins, but first what is sin itself means.
Boso. You explain and I will listen.
Anselm. If a man or angel always gave to God what is due to him, he would never sin.
Boso. I cannot deny that.
Anselm. So sin is simply not giving God what we owe.
Boso. What debt do we owe to God?
Anselm. To subject every wish to his will.
Boso. That’s perfectly true.
Anselm. No one who pays this debt commits sin. Everyone who does not pay it does sin. This is the righteousness of the heart, of the will, and it is the sole and complete debt which we owe to God, and which God requires of us. If someone sins, he has to restore what he has taken away, before he can be clear of fault . So then, every one who sins ought to pay back the honor of which he has robbed God. This is the satisfaction which every sinner owes to God.
Boso. This is somewhat alarming, but I cannot make any rational objection to it.
Today is the feast of St Anselm, who died in Canterbury on 21 April 1109, as dawn was breaking on the Wednesday before Easter. An eyewitness recorded his last days, when he hoped to live 'at least until I can settle a question about the origin of the soul' https://t.co/mYxGvNcoK2 pic.twitter.com/VcRASHPSqu
— Eleanor Parker (@ClerkofOxford) April 21, 2026
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