Hugh of Saint Victor: Difference between revisions

As with many medieval figures, little is known about Hugh's early life. He was probably born in the 1090s. His homeland may have been [[Lorraine]], [[Ypres]] in [[Flanders]], or the [[Duchy of Saxony]].<ref>B McGinn, ''The Growth of Mysticism'', (1994), p365</ref> Some sources say that his birth occurred in the [[Harz (district)|Harz district]], being the eldest son of [[House of Regenstein|Baron Conrad]] of [[Blankenburg (Harz)|Blankenburg]]. Over the protests of his family, he entered the [[Priory]] of [[Pancras of Rome|St. Pancras]], a community of [[canons regular]], where he had studied, located at ''Hamerleve'' or ''Hamersleben'', near [[Halberstadt]].<ref name="CE">[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07521c.htm ''Catholic Encyclopedia:Hugh of St. Victor'']</ref>

* ''Didascalicon de studio legendi'' (''DidascalionDidascalicon, or, On the Study of Reading'').<ref>The Latin text is in Henry Buttimer, ''Hugonis de Sancto Victore. Didascalicon. De Studio Legendi'', (Washington, DC: Catholic University Press, 1939). An older English translation is in Jerome Taylor, ''The Didascalicon of Hugh of St Victor'', (New York: Columbia University Press, 1961). A more recent translation is Franklin T. Harkins and Frans van Liere, eds, ''Interpretation of scripture: theory. A selection of works of Hugh, Andrew, Richard and Godfrey of St Victor, and of Robert of Melun'', (Turnhout, Belgium: Brepols, 2012), pp61-202.</ref> The subtitle to the ''Didascalicon,"'' De Studio Legendi, makes the purpose of Hugh's tract clear. Written for the students at the school of Saint Victor, the work is ana preliminary introduction to the theological and exegetical studies taught at the Parisian schools, the most advanced centers of learning in Europe in the 12th century. Citing a wide range classical and medieval sources, and with Augustine as his principal authority, Hugh sets forth a comprehensive synthesis of rhetoric, philosophy, and exegesis, designed to serve as a foundation for advanced theological study. The Didascalicon is primarily pedagogical, and not speculative, in nature. It provides the modern reader with a clear sense of the intellectual equipment expected of, if not always fully possessed by, high medieval theologians.

* ''In Hierarchiam celestem commentaria'' (''Commentary on the Celestial Hierarchy''), a commentary on the work by pseudo-Dionysius, perhaps begun around 1125.<ref>An older edition of the Latin text is in PL 175:928A. The modern edition is ''Hugonis de Sancto Victore Opera III: Super Ierarchiam Dionysii'', (Turnhout: Brepols), CCCM, vol. 178.</ref> After [[John Scotus Eriugena|Eriugena]]'s translation of Dionysius in the ninth century, there is almost no interest shown in Dionysius until Hugh's commentary.<ref>David Luscombe, "The Commentary of Hugh of Saint-Victor on the Celestial Hierarchy", in T. Boiadjiev, G. Kapriev and A. Speer, eds, ''Die Dionysius-Rezeption im Mittelalter'', (Turnholt:Brepols, 2000), pp160-164; D. Poirel, "Le 'chant dionysien' du IXe au XIIe siècle", in M. Goullet and M. Parisse (eds), ''Les historiens et le latin medieval'', (Paris: Publications de la Sorbonne, 2001), pp151–176.</ref> It is possible that Hugh may have decided to produce the commentary (which perhaps originated in lectures to students) because of the continuing (incorrect) belief that the patron saint of the Abbey of Saint Denis, Saint [[Saint Denis of Paris|Saint Denis]], was to be identified with pseudo-Dionysius. Dionysian thought did not form an important influence on the rest of Hugh's work. Hugh's commentary, however, became a major part of the twelfth and thirteenth-century surge in interest in Dionysius; his and Eriugena's commentaries were often attached to the Dionysian corpus in manuscripts, such that his thought had great influence on later interpretation of Dionysius by [[Richard of St Victor]], [[Thomas Gallus]], [[Hugh of Balma]], [[Bonaventure]] and others.<ref>For further commentary on this work, see {{cite journal |first=Paul |last=Rorem |title=The Early Latin Dionysius: Eriugena and Hugh of St. Victor |journal=Modern Theology |volume=24 |issue=4 |year=2008 |pages=601–614 |doi=10.1111/j.1468-0025.2008.00488.x }}</ref>

*''De anima'' is a treatise of the soul: the text will be found in the edition of Hugh's works in the ''[[Patrologia Latina]]'' of [[J. P. Migne]]. Part of it was paraphrased in the West Mercian dialect of Middle English by the author of the [[Katherine Group]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aeggebroten.com/pdf/SawlesWarde.pdf|title="Sawles Warde": a retelling of "De Anima" for a female audience|last=Eggebroten|first=Anne|accessdateaccess-date=23 December 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811044853/http://aeggebroten.com/pdf/SawlesWarde.pdf|archive-date=11 August 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Within the Abbey of St Victor, many scholars who followed him are often known as the 'School of St Victor'. Both Achard and [[Andrew of St Victor]] appearstudied tounder haveHugh.<ref>Berndt, beenRainer direct(2002). disciples"Andrew of HughSaint-Victor".{{Citation needed|dateIn =André NovemberVauchez 2015}}(ed.). ''Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages''. James Clarke & Co.</ref> Others, who probably entered the community too late to be directly educated by Hugh, include [[Richard of Saint Victor]] and Godfrey.<ref>B McGinn, ''The Growth of Mysticism'', (1994), p366</ref> One of Hugh's ideals that did not take root in St Victor, however, was his embracing of science and philosophy as tools for approaching God.{{Citation needed|date = November 2015}}

He was also an influence on the critic [[Erich Auerbach]], who cited this passage from Hugh of St Victor in his essay "Philology and World Literature":<ref>{{cite book|author1=Erich Auerbach|authorlink1author-link1=Erich Auerbach|editor1-last=Damrosch|editor1-first=David|editor2-last=Melas|editor2-first=Natalie|editor3-last=Buthelezi|editor3-first=Mbongiseni|title=The Princeton Sourcebook in Comparative Literature|date=2009|publisher=Princeton University Press|location=Princeton|page=124}}</ref>

* ''The Didascalicon of Hugh of St. Victor'', translated by Jerome Taylor (New York and London: Columbia U. P., 1961) [reprinted 1991] [translation of the ''DidascalionDidascalicon'']

* [[{{section link|Art of memory#|Principles]]}}, where Hugh's ''Didascalicon'' and ''Chronica'' are referred to.

==Further reading=Bibliography===

* {{cite EB1911|wstitle=Hugh of St Victor|volume=13|page=859|first=Paul Daniel|last=Alphandéry}}

{{philosophyPhilosophy of science}}

[[Category:10961090s births]]

[[Category:12th-century German Roman Catholic priests]]

[[Category:12th-century RomanGerman Catholic prieststheologians]]