The Fear of Damnation, the Compunction of Love: Saint Anselm’s first Prayer to Saint John the Evangelist

The Fear of Damnation, the Compunction of Love: Saint Anselm's first Prayer to Saint John the Evangelist John Fortin O.S.B. (bio) With the exception of three prayers addressed to Saint Mary, the Mother of Jesus,1 Anselm addressed more than one prayer to only one other saint, Saint John the Evangelist.2 Why Anselm wrote two prayers to Saint John is a matter of conjecture, for there is no indication in any of his other writings that Anselm had a particular devotion to the Evangelist. He does not mention the Evangelist in any of his major writings or in any of his letters.3 Benedicta Ward argues that there are different emphases in the two prayers to the Evangelist and this may account for there being more than one: "The two prayers to St John the Evangelist form a diptych, one showing the compunction that comes [End Page 211] from fear, the other the compunction of love."4 This view is based, it would seem, on the extensions of the titles of each prayer. The first prayer is offered by someone who is fearful of damnation. The second prayer is offered by someone who is motivated by his love for God and those close to him.5 That the Latin term for damnation occurs in the title and then is repeated in the final stanza of the first prayer forms an inclusion, which gives credence to Ward's view.6 At the same time, though, one should exercise caution in taking this distinction between the first and second prayers too strictly. As this exposition will show, there are in the first prayer multiple references to love which indicate that love more than the fear of damnation may have motivated Anselm in this first prayer to the Evangelist as much as in the second prayer. The two prayers are significantly different in form and content. It has been shown elsewhere that in the second prayer Anselm imaginatively adapts four scriptural images in his appeal to the beloved disciple for his intercession on Anselm's behalf before the throne of God.7 First, there is the image of a thirsty soul at the fount of one who can provide the abundant waters of sustenance and life. This image is loosely based on the encounter of Jesus with the Samaritan woman at the well, as recounted in John 4:4–42. Second, there is the image of a poor beggar seeking alms and relief from one who is fabulously rich [End Page 212] and wealthy. This is based on the parable of the beggar Lazarus in Luke 16:19–31. Third, there is the image of a debtor seeking help from one who can, with a word, remit his debt. This is based on the parable of the wily manager in Luke 16:1–8. Finally, there is the image of one mortally wounded from having fallen among thieves and in desperate need of mercy and ministrations. This is based on the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25–37. Anselm uses these four images to make his urgent appeal to John for help.8 There are certainly references to Scripture in the first prayer, especially in regard to John in his status as the beloved disciple. However, the prayer does not appeal to any of the elaborate scriptural imagery of the second prayer and, in fact, offers only one direct citation of Scripture and that in the final stanza. This first prayer employs a different form of appeal, that of juxtaposing the concepts of a beloved friend familiar with the Lord and a hated and hateful enemy who has distanced himself from the Lord because of his sins. Certainly, Anselm's ready admission that he is the enemy of the Lord leads to an apprehensive pleading and an anxious supplication for a wholly undeserved mercy and redemption through the intercession of the Evangelist. Nonetheless, as the prayer moves to the two final and climactic stanzas, Stanza VI addressed to Saint John and Stanza VII addressed to Jesus, the pulse of the prayer presents a vibrant and radiant love that Anselm not only admires and celebrates in the...