Today in Lent Madness, we will finally answer that age old question: Theologian or Nurse? Okay, there's a lot more to Anselm of Canterbury and Florence Nightingale than these two labels, so you'll just have to read on.
In yesterday's action, Henry Budd left Cecilia singing the blues as the patron saint of music lost in a close battle 53% to 47%.
Shockingly (or not so shockingly if you're a longtime Lent Madness participant), we encountered our first case of voter fraud as 546 votes for Cecilia were removed after the ever-vigilant SEC noticed a discrepancy. It was a youthful prank and said youth has since confessed and been absolved. Frankly, there are worse ways for teens to get into trouble on the internet than voting too many times for a saint in Lent Madness.
However, this will not be tolerated and perpetrators face being cast into the outer darkness of Lent Madness where there will be weeping and gnashing of brackets. Do everyone a favor: vote once. If you're particularly enthusiastic, get all your friends, neighbors, and even your enemies (the ones we're supposed to love anyway) to cast a vote for your favorite saint. Big Lent is watching...
Anselm of Canterbury
Anselm of Canterbury was a Benedictine monk and theologian of the medieval Church. Born in the eleventh century in a region of France that is now part of Italy, he entered the Abbey of Bec as a novice at the age of 27. Later, he became abbot and was known for his skillful leadership and his kind, loving discipline toward the monks. He was also known for his very public squabbles with the monarchs of England during his time as the Archbishop of Canterbury, defending the Church’s authority to appoint leaders and manage its own wealth. For his resistance to the English kings, he was exiled twice.
Marrying his Neoplatonic worldview with Aristotelian logic, Anselm is considered one of the greatest thinkers of the Middle Ages. He espoused a philosophy of “faith seeking understanding,” by which he meant people’s love of God inspired them to pursue deeper knowledge of God. Anselm is especially known for two highly influential theological arguments. The first argument—Proslogion—explores the existence of God. Secondly, his treatise Cur Deus Homo irrevocably shaped the development of Christian theology by arguing that Jesus’ crucifixion was necessary to atone for humankind’s sin. Anselm argues that through sin, humans offended God, and God is owed restitution for this offense—but we have nothing with which to make such a payment. Personal acts of atonement will not suffice. Only God can pay off such massive, crushing debt. As God is merciful, atonement is made with the self-sacrifice of the sinless, human, and divine figure of Jesus. Anselm’s theory was criticized by his contemporaries and continues to trouble some theologians, even as it has formed the backbone of much of Christian
theology for a millennium.
Anselm died in 1109 on Spy Wednesday (the Wednesday in Holy Week) and was laid to rest at Canterbury Cathedral. The exact location of his relics today is uncertain—they were removed after a cataclysmic fire in the 1170s. Anselm’s feast day is April 21.
Collect for Anselm of Canterbury
Almighty God, you raised up your servant Anselm to teach the Church of his day to understand its faith in your eternal Being, perfect justice, and saving mercy: Provide your Church in every age with devout and learned scholars and teachers, that we may be able to give a reason for the hope that is in us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Florence Nightingale
Known as “The Lady with the Lamp” for her work as a nurse during the Crimean War, Florence Nightingale was born in Florence, Italy, in 1820 to a well-connected British family. Despite her upper-class background, Nightingale heard a call from God in 1837 to serve and care for others. Nightingale was expected to marry well, produce children, and carry on the family legacy. Instead, she boldly answered the call she heard from God and became the founder of modern nursing practice.
Born out of her experiences of tending the wounded during the Crimean War, Nightingale began documenting the effects of sanitary conditions on wartime injuries. Nightingale is said to have reduced the mortality rate during the war from 42 percent to 2 percent by addressing hand washing, water contamination, and sterilization of surgical materials. These ideals of sanitary care continue to this day in modern healthcare practice.
Nightingale documented her theories on nursing care in numerous publications—the most famous is her treatise, Notes on Nursing. These theories led her to establish the Nightingale School for Nurses at St. Thomas’s Hospital in London (now part of King’s College, London). This began a process of social reform that opened the door for women, providing them with skills that led to careers outside of domestic service work or factory positions. By providing a skilled nursing force, Nightingale improved healthcare disparities in London and implemented workforce healthcare (now occupational and public health nursing practice); she also advocated for hunger relief in India and worked to abolish prostitution laws that targeted women.
Nightingale was raised in the Church of England and was greatly influenced by Wesleyan ideals. Nightingale believed that her faith was best expressed through the care and love of others. A believer in universal reconciliation, Nightingale is said to have comforted one prostitute who was concerned about going to hell. Nightingale said, “Oh, my girl, are you not now more merciful than the God you think you are going to? Yet the real God is far more merciful than any human creature ever was or can ever imagine.”
Collect for Florence Nightingale
Life-giving God, you alone have power over life and death, over health and sickness: Give power, wisdom, and gentleness to those who follow the lead of your servant Florence Nightingale, that they, bearing with them your presence, may not only heal but bless, and shine as lanterns of hope in the darkest hours of pain and fear; through Jesus Christ, the healer of body and soul, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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337 comments on “Anselm of Canterbury vs. Florence Nightingale”
In honor of International Women's Day, my vote goes to Florence. Plus, she shares a name with a great woman in my life, my maternal grandmother, Florence - known as Flossy to her friends:).
Despite the fact that Anselm was a brilliant theologian, I have trouble with the concept of substitutionary atonement, especially as propounded by theologians who came after him: rather grim and frequently gory. But Florence put her faith into action and saved countless lives by insisting on sanitary conditions in hospitals, which were even more grim and gory than Anselm's theology. My vote goes to Florence.
Thanks, Christianne. Well said. Glad to see you here.
Glad to see you hear, Chris! I would argue that Anselm isn't the problem (in his time). It's what others made of it.
(Your friend from UD),
Lisa
I truly thought I would cast my vote for Anselm. His faith and understanding theology makes so much sense. However, the quote about mercy from Florence won me over! I remember being fascinated by her story when I was a young girl.
I voted for Florence. Not all saints have to be scholars and theologians. I love that she lived out her faith through her vocation. She impacted everyone for all the ages.
Saving souls vs earthly lives, what a contrast. Florence believed and began proving she could save more patients from death by caring for their basic needs—keeping them warm, clean, rested, and well-fed. Her teaching on sanitation has saved millions of lives. Hard to say how many souls Anselm saved but I am sure more than a few. Florence gets my vote with a certainty beyond certainty.
Such a tough match-up. I am probably going to go with the flawed mother of nursing and germ theory on International Women's Day, even as I am the eternal student of Creation (and things more definable) at heart. Wishing I had more time today to treat myself by informing myself better on these two. For those also wanting to sample some of the writing on and by these two, archive.org has lots of full-text literature FOR FREE, including:
The full text of Lytton Strachey's mocking? but grudgingly respectful? essay on Florence:
https://www.archive.org/stream/florencenighting00stra/florencenighting00stra_djvu.txt
and the full text of "Cur Deus Homo", plus lots of letters from Anselm to his contemporaries:
https://www.archive.org/stream/curdeushomo00anse/curdeushomo00anse_djvu.txt
I am only beginning to learn how to search archives online. If anyone can send a link to the essay "Cassandra", I would appreciate it. I cannot pinpoint it in archive.org.
Anselm... brilliant theology that has shaped us all
Florence...brilliant applied theology as a model for us all
Which comes first, the chicken or the egg..... wish I could vote for two!
I admire Anselm's attempt to prove the existence of Godde with the kind of logic which I admire but only trust to some extent. I'm less excited about his theory of the atonement which represents a picture of Godde which I find unfortunate (I might even say abhorrent). At any rate, Nightengale's embodied spirituality & the lives she saved encouraged me to vote for her.
I voted for Anselm out of a sense of loyalty and with great thanksgiving. I got a paper a year out of his "Ontological Argument for the Existence of God" three years in a row in college and my first two in seminary. Two or three times during that process, I actually understood it.
Was it the same paper each time? As a teacher, I must say I would frown on that!
I voted the person that had the coolest last name, it happened to be Nightingale.
I love Nightingale, but it's crazy that it was this much of a blowout!
Despite my respect and admiration for Anselm, how can I not vote for Florence Nightingale on International Women's Day? So, I voted for Florence, a worthy candidate for the Golden Halo this year!
Ha ha! Finally, the landslide vote is landsliding in *my* favor! (Cecilia and Henry Budd was a lot closer a match... but I was still on the losing side.)
Voted for her for what she did to advance the cause of women's rights, btw
Well said, Gretchen. I admire Anselm for his deep thoughts and his obvious faith. However, as a nurse, I must vote for my hero, Florence!!
This sure was a tough choice! I finally decided Anselm gave us the insight to accept God's truths on faith, and from that, Good Works such as Florence's followed.
Who would have thought that fresh air, clean water, good nutrition and careful hand washing would do so much to prevent disease and help patients get well. Proud to call myself a Nurse along with the hundreds of thousands women and men around the world. Here's to our Lady with the Lamp!
(First time doing Lent Madness, first post - woo hoo)
I was named Florence for my mother, who was named for her great-aunt. How could I vote for anyone but Florence Nightingale?? I once read that almost all women named Florence today have a similar pedigree, and though it's not exactly a common name, there are enough of us to keep her memory alive. I feel privileged to be part of this blessed company and hope that she may continue all the way to a much deserved Golden Halo! (Of course, to make it to this august level, she has already succeeded beyond her wildest dreams.)
I was a nurse, and was ordained on the Feast of Florence Nightingale, proposed, in 1996. So, it's Florence for me!
I am conflicted over the question of St. Anselm's theology and it's use in possible justification for the start of the Crusades; the history and research seem to be all over the board. But I have a niece who is a nurse, and a niece who is a doctor. Florence gets my vote.
Florence has long been my mortal model. The nurse in me could cast only a vote for her. The woman in me, as well. I so value her response to the prostitute.
I was all ready to vote St. Anselm since his feast day is on my birthday--but then you had to match him up against Nightingale? When I'm a total Crimean War nerd?
Ugh. Reading through all the comments to help me decide.
This one's for the girl! Practical Christianity that redeems through loving kindness.
Yes! Love in action.
It is very fitting that Florence Nightengale leads in this mainly because this day is celebrated "Women's Day". I also have family members that are nurses.
I was going to go for Anselm just because Florence Nightingale gets loads of accolades anyway - and she spent the last part of her life in bed which doesn't seem to saintly to me - but when I read that Anselm was the person who came up with the idea that God is such a stickler for the rules that not only does he insist on punishment for all sin (when Jesus told us to forgive 70 times 7) but when he (lovingly certainly) decides he doesn't want to punish us he has to offer his own son up for punishment instead. Ie that God is in thrall to some complicated celestial formula which he cannot get out of without doing something monstrously punitive and unloving. (Ducks)
So I will be voting for the lady of the inkstained sheets and long Inquiry reports. Florrie.
I go with the "Flo"
My Great Uncle Anselm remained in Sweden when my grandparents emigrated to Canada in 1909. One of their 2 small daughters was my Auntie Selma, named after her Uncle Anselm; however, in spite of my brief nod to Anselm of Canterbury's name, I am more grateful for the nursing profession that Florence Nightingale organized through her school of nursing and perfected by instituting sanitary practices, so she gets my vote.
Anselm defined theology for us. Florence taught us to wash our hands. I voted for Anselm.
In honor of international women's day I voted for Florence. I did a report on her in grammar school
I also voted for Ms. Nightingale, for many of the reasons listed above by others.
She was a pioneer in health care reform and "put her money where her mouth was" by going to the Crimea. Her beliefs in universal reconciliation is a definite "plus", particularly in relation to Anselm.
For all Anselm's other virtues, I cannot vote for him in conscience because of his theology of substitutionary atonement. The fact that this particular view has become dominant over all other views of the Atonement over the years is tragic and, in my observation, has turned more Christians into former Christians in our own day than any other single factor (even including child sexual abuse). While Anselm's view may be expressed sensitively by conservatives within mainstream churches, in the hands of some extreme evangelicals it can be obscene, turning a loving God into a monster.
Anyway, despite my difficulties with Anselm, my vote was cast in terms of Ms. N's virtues. I predict now that she may still be in the running come Spy Wednesday.
Florence for me; universal reconciliation wins over penal substitutionary atonement every time!
Alas, the poor Archbishop who received a halo on Spy Wednesday 1109 will apparently not be receiving a Golden Halo 1,008 years later on Spy Wednesday 2017.
The Archbishop may have greatly impacted our theology of the Atonement, but countless lives have been saved because of Nurse Nightingale and those who follow in her occupational footsteps.
For Anna, Emily, Christine & all the other nurses I have known and those who have nursed me when ill or injured, I voted for Saint Florence of the Nurses Station.