Hugh of Saint Victor facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hugh of Saint Victor
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Hugh of Saint Victor
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| Born | c. 1096 Probably the Duchy of Saxony
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| Died | 11 February 1141 Abbey of Saint-Victor, Paris
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| Era | Medieval philosophy |
| Region | Western philosophy |
| School | Scholasticism |
Hugh of Saint Victor (around 1096 – February 11, 1141) was an important thinker from Saxony. He was a canon regular, which means he was a priest living by a set of rules. He was also a leading expert in theology (the study of God) and mystical theology (the study of spiritual experiences).
Contents
Hugh's Early Life
Not much is known about Hugh's early life, like many people from the Middle Ages. He was likely born in the 1090s. His home might have been in Lorraine, Flanders, or the Duchy of Saxony. Some stories say he was the oldest son of Baron Conrad of Blankenburg.
Against his family's wishes, Hugh joined a priory (a type of monastery) called St. Pancras. This was a community of canons regular where he had studied. It was located near Halberstadt.
Moving to Paris
Because of fighting in the area, Hugh's uncle, Reinhard of Blankenburg, who was a bishop, told him to move. His uncle suggested the Abbey of Saint Victor in Paris, where he himself had studied.
Hugh followed his uncle's advice and moved to Paris. The exact year he moved is not clear, but it was likely around 1115-1120. He stayed there for the rest of his life and eventually became the head of the school.
Hugh's Writings
Hugh wrote many books and papers from the 1120s until he died. He wrote about theology, which is the study of God and religious beliefs. He also wrote commentaries on the Bible and other important texts.
His works covered mysticism (spiritual experiences), philosophy (the study of knowledge and existence), and the arts. He also wrote many letters and sermons. Hugh was greatly influenced by Saint Augustine, who taught that art and philosophy could help people understand theology.
Important Works
Hugh's most famous works include:
- De sacramentis christianae fidei (On the Mysteries of the Christian Faith). This is Hugh's most celebrated book. It shares most of his ideas about theology and mystical thoughts. It covers topics from God and angels to natural laws.
- Didascalicon de studio legendi (Didascalicon, or, On the Study of Reading). This book was written for students at the school of Saint Victor. It was an introduction to theological and Bible studies. These were taught at the Parisian schools, which were top learning centers in Europe. Hugh used many old and medieval sources. He used Augustine as his main guide. He explained how to study rhetoric, philosophy, and how to understand the Bible. This book helped students prepare for advanced religious studies.
- Noah's Ark Treatises. Between 1125 and 1130, Hugh wrote three books about Noah's ark. These were De arca Noe morali (Noah's Moral Ark), De arca Noe mystica (Noah's Mystical Ark), and De vanitate mundi (The World's Vanity). The ark books show Hugh's interest in both mysticism and the Bible's book of Genesis.
- Commentary on the Celestial Hierarchy. This was a commentary on a work by pseudo-Dionysius. It was likely started around 1125. Hugh's commentary helped bring new interest to Dionysius's ideas in the 12th and 13th centuries.
Other Writings
Hugh also wrote other works, such as:
- Commentary on Ecclesiastes (In Salomonis Ecclesiasten).
- On the Three Days (De tribus diebus).
- The Union of the Body and the Spirit (De unione corporis et spiritus).
- The Practice of Geometry (Practica Geometriae).
- On Grammar (De Grammatica).
- The Soliloquy on the Earnest Money of the Soul (Soliloquium de Arrha Animae).
- On Contemplation and its Forms (De contemplatione et ejus speciebus). This book might have been written by one of his students from his lectures.
- On Sacred Scripture and its Authors.
- De anima, a book about the soul.
Some works were wrongly thought to be by Hugh later on. One important example is the Exposition of the Rule of St Augustine. It is now known to be from the Victorine school but not by Hugh himself.
Hugh's Ideas: Philosophy and Theology
In his early work, the Didascalicon, Hugh wrote about God and Christ in a simple way. He avoided difficult topics. He focused on common beliefs in Christianity. He described three types of philosophy, or "science," that help people improve themselves and get closer to God:
- Theoretical philosophy (like theology, math, and physics) helps people find truth.
- Practical philosophy (like ethics, economics, and politics) helps people become good and wise.
- Mechanical or illiberal philosophy (like carpentry, farming, and medicine) provides physical benefits.
A fourth type, logic, prepares people for the others. It makes sure that conclusions are clear and correct. Hugh was very spiritual, but he still saw philosophy as a useful tool. He believed it could help understand God and support faith.
Understanding Creation
Hugh was greatly influenced by Augustine's ideas about the Book of Genesis. He believed that God's wisdom was the perfect plan for creation. The creation of the world in six days was a mystery for people to think about. It was like a special sign from God.
God bringing order from chaos to make the world was a message to humans. It taught them to rise from their own confusion and become wise and beautiful. Hugh often found moral lessons in Genesis. He was more interested in what it taught about how to live than in it being a literal story.
God's Gifts and Redemption
Hugh believed that Jesus and the sacraments (holy rituals) were special gifts from God. These gifts helped people find their way back to God. He divided everything into two parts: opus creationis and opus restaurationis.
- Opus Creationis refers to God's creative work. This includes the good nature of things and humanity's original state.
- Opus Restaurationis deals with why God sent Jesus and what happened because of it.
Hugh thought that God did not have to send Jesus. He believed God had other ways to help humanity. Why God chose to send Jesus is a mystery. We are meant to think about it and learn through divine messages, with philosophy helping us understand.
Hugh's Influence
Many scholars at the Abbey of St Victor followed Hugh's teachings. They are known as the 'School of St Victor'. Andrew of St Victor studied with Hugh. Others, like Richard of Saint Victor, probably joined the community too late to be taught directly by him.
However, one of Hugh's ideas did not fully take hold at St Victor. This was his belief in using science and philosophy to understand God.
Hugh's writings are found in many libraries across Europe. He is often quoted in other books written after his death. The famous scholar Bonaventure praised him in his work, De reductione artium ad theologiam.
Hugh also influenced the critic Erich Auerbach. Auerbach quoted Hugh in his essay "Philology and World Literature":
It is therefore, a source of great virtue for the practiced mind to learn, bit by bit, first to change about in visible and transitory things, so that afterwards it may be able to leave them behind altogether. The person who finds his homeland sweet is a tender beginner; he to whom every soil is as his native one is already strong; but he is perfect to whom the entire world is as a foreign place. The tender soul has fixed his love on one spot in the world; the strong person has extended his love to all places; the perfect man has extinguished his.
Images for kids
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De claustro anime, a 14th-century manuscript.
See also
- Art of memory#Principles, where Hugh's Didascalicon and Chronica are mentioned.
- Hendrik Mande
- The Mystic Ark, a painting by Hugh
