How Did Robert Grosseteste and Thomas Aquinas Read Anselm’s Definition of Truth?

Abstract

In the first chapter of his De veritate (ca. 1080-1086), Anselm suggests he has a place in the history of the concept of truth. The task to find a definition for truth didn’t seem to have been done before. 1 Anselm’s definition may not only be an event in the philosophical history of truth, but it became also an authority for many thinkers in the following times. In this paper, I will examine two stages of its use by two famous thinkers, both of them of great historical importance. Robert Grosseteste (ca. 1168-1253) is renowned for his many scientific tracts, his commentaries of Aristotle (among the first ones ever) and some very original positions about light. He is contemporary of the beginnings of Franciscan tradition which he influenced. On the other hand, it is not necessary to stress the importance of Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) in medieval thought in general, and especially in Dominican tradition. Both authors read Anselm’s definition in different ways and contexts, testifying to its role as revealing thought orientations.