Cur Deus Homo? (Latin for "Why [Was] God a Human?"), usually translated Why God Became Man, is a book written by Anselm of Canterbury in the period of 1094âÂÂ1098. In this work he proposes the satisfaction view of the atonement.
The work contrasted with earlier redemptive thought in arguing against the notion of the devil's rights of possession over humanity. Anselm's argument in Cur Deus Homo was that the death of Christ was a 'payment' made by God to himself on behalf of man through the person of Christ.
The arguments Anselm pursued in Cur Deus Homo were to demonstrate the logical necessity of the incarnation and passion. This was not, however, to 'prove' Christian doctrine to allow for faith, but to confirm through logic what was held in faith: fides quaerens intellectum. As Anselm explained: