Victor Hugues

Lore & Background

Hugh was probably born in the 1090s, possibly in the Duchy of Saxony. Some sources say his birth occurred in the Harz district, being the eldest son of Baron Conrad of Blankenburg. Over the protests of his family, he entered the Priory of St. Pancras, a community of canons regular, at Hamerleve or Hamersleben, near Halberstadt. Due to civil unrest shortly after his entry, his uncle, Bishop Reinhard of Blankenburg, advised him to transfer to the Abbey of Saint Victor in Paris, where he himself had studied theology. Hugh accepted and made the move at a date which is unclear, possibly 1115–18 or around 1120. He spent the rest of his life there, advancing to head the school. Hugh wrote many works from the 1120s until his death; Migne's *Patrologia Latina* contains 46 works by Hugh, and this is not a full collection. His works include theology, commentaries (mostly on the Bible but also on pseudo-Dionysius' *Celestial Hierarchies*), mysticism, philosophy, the arts, letters, and sermons. Hugh was influenced chiefly by Saint Augustine, especially in holding that the arts and philosophy can serve theology. In 1125–30, Hugh wrote three treatises structured around Noah's ark: *De arca Noe morali*, *De arca Noe mystica*, and *De vanitate mundi*. His description of the ark—a ship's hull with a sloped roof and a side door—became the 'standard description' of the ark, whose shape is not clearly described in Genesis. Hugh's commentary on pseudo-Dionysius, *In Hierarchiam celestem commentaria*, perhaps begun around 1125, 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.

Reader's Guide

Hugh's *Didascalicon de studio legendi* (Didascalicon, or, On the Study of Reading) was written for students at the school of Saint Victor. It is a preliminary introduction to 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 of 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, not speculative, in nature. In it, Hugh outlined three types of philosophy or 'science' [scientia] that can help mortals improve themselves and advance toward God: theoretical philosophy (theology, mathematics, physics) provides them with truth, practical philosophy (ethics, economics, politics) aids them in becoming virtuous and prudent, and 'mechanical' or 'illiberal' philosophy (e.g., carpentry, agriculture, medicine) yields physical benefits. A fourth philosophy, logic, is preparatory to the others. Hugh's deeply mystical bent did not prevent him from seeing philosophy as a useful tool for understanding the divine. Hugh separated everything along the lines of *opus creationis* and *opus restaurationis*. *Opus Creationis* refers to God's creative activity, the true good natures of things, and the original state and destiny of humanity. The *opus restaurationis* deals with the reasons for God sending Jesus and the consequences of that. Hugh believed that God did not have to send Jesus and that He had other options open to Him. Within the Abbey of St Victor, many scholars who followed him are often known as the 'School of St Victor'. Andrew of St Victor studied under Hugh. Others, who probably entered the community too late to be directly educated by Hugh, include Richard of Saint Victor and Godfrey. Hugh was also an influence on the critic Erich Auerbach, who cited a passage from 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.'

Did You Know?

• Hugh's description of Noah's ark—a ship's hull with a sloped roof and a side door—became the 'standard description' of the ark, whose shape is not clearly described in Genesis.
• Migne's *Patrologia Latina* contains 46 works by Hugh, and this is not a full collection.
• Hugh's commentary on pseudo-Dionysius, *In Hierarchiam celestem commentaria*, perhaps begun around 1125, helped spark a twelfth and thirteenth-century surge in interest in Dionysius.
• One of Hugh's works, *De contemplatione et ejus speciebus*, appears not to have been written by Hugh himself, but composed by one of his students, possibly from classnotes from his lectures.
• Hugh was an influence on the critic Erich Auerbach, who cited a passage from Hugh in his essay 'Philology and World Literature'.