T. The apostate angel [Satan] and the first man
[Adam] sinned by free choice, for [each] sinned by his own choice, which was so
free that it could not be compelled by any other thing to sin. Therefore, [each
of them] is justly blamed because in spite of having this freedom of choice,
each sinned freely and out of no necessity and without being compelled by
anything else. However, each sinned by his own choice, which was free; but
neither sinned by means of that in virtue of which his choice was free. That
is, [neither sinned] by means of the ability in virtue of which he was able not
to sin and not to serve sin; but [each sinned] by means of his ability to sin;
and by means of this ability he was neither helped towards the freedom not to
sin nor compelled into the service of sin.
But as for its seeming to you to
follow that if either one were able to be a servant of sin, sin was able to
master him and, thus, that neither he nor his choice was free: it is not true
[that if follows. Consider.] for example, someone who has it in his power not
to serve and whom no other power can force to serve, even though he can serve
by his own power. As long as he uses not his power-to-serve but rather his
power-not-to-serve, nothing can force him to serve. For example, even if a free
rich man were able to make himself the servant of a poor man, nonetheless as
long as he does not do this he is properly described as free, and the poor man
is not said to be able to be his master (or if it is said, it is said improperly,
because to master is not in the poor man’s power but in the rich man’s).
Accordingly, nothing prevents the [apostate] angel and the [first] man, prior
to sin, from having been free or from having had free choice. (Anselm of
Canterbury, Freedom of Choice 2, in Anselm of Canterbury: Complete
Philosophical and Theological Treatises [trans. Jasper Hopkins and Herbert
Richardson; N.P.: Ex Fontibus Co., 2016], 194-95)
S. You have convinced me that, before sin,
nothing indeed prevented this [i.e., prevented Satan’s and Adam’s having had
free choice]. But after they made themselves servants of sin, how is it that
they were able to keep free choice?
T. Although they had subjected themselves to
sin, they were not able to destroy their natural freedom of choice. However,
they were able to cause themselves no longer to be able to use this freedom
without a grace different from the grace they had originally possessed.
(Freedom of Choice 3, in ibid., 195)