Book Series Cursor Mundi, vol. 39

Victorine Restoration

Essays on Hugh of St Victor, Richard of St Victor, and Thomas Gallus

Robert Porwoll, David Orsbon (eds)

  • Pages: 376 p.
  • Size:156 x 234 mm
  • Illustrations:15 b/w, 2 col., 4 tables b/w.
  • Language(s):English
  • Publication Year:2021

  • € 110,00 EXCL. VAT RETAIL PRICE
  • ISBN: 978-2-503-58513-0
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  • ISBN: 978-2-503-58514-7
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Gathering the fruits of a recent renaissance in scholarship, this volume will serve an important function for readers interested in Victorine studies

Review(s)

“This publication, in the Brepols Cursor Mundi series, offers a valuable introduction to Victorine thought.” (Constant J. Mews dans Francia-Recensio, 4, 2021)

“Anhand des hier besprochenen Bandes ist zu sehen, wie weit die Erforschung des Zentrums Paris und seiner Autoren und Werke vorangeschritten ist und doch weiterhin kritischer Grundlagenarbeit bedarf - und zwar nicht nur der eingehenden Interpretationen der Werke und ihrer kritischen Edition, sondern generell der Aufarbeitung des umfassenden geistigen Kosmos der in großen Teilen erhaltenen Bibliothek von Saint-Victor.“ (Matthias M. Tischler, in Sehepunkte, 22.10, 2022)

“(…) the essays together form a coherent introduction to Victorine contemplative mysticism. The essays have much to offer, and although its selection of Victorine authors is limited, the book serves as a good introduction to Victorine thought in general. This volume, and the rich recent harvest of editions, translations, and studies dedicated to the Victorine scholarship, all attest to the growing appreciation that the Abbey of Saint Victor has enjoyed in just the last decade.” (Frans van Liere, in Church History, December 2022, p. 916)

“As a concluding note, several authors to this volume contribute their chapters on the heels of recent monographs. Thus, Victorine Restoration serves as a useful introduction not only to three important Victorine thinkers, but also to cutting-edge scholarship on Victorine studies. Coupled with the clarity of each of the contributions (not always present in medieval scholarship, but certainly in line with Victorine values), the presentbut certain volume is a useful and attractive addition to students of Hugh, Richard, and Thomas of St Victor.” (Dennis P. Bray, in Archa Verbi, 18, 2021, p. 182-183)

Summary

The Victorines were scholars and teachers of philosophy, liberal arts, sacred scripture, music, and contemplation at the Abbey of Saint-Victor in Paris. This collection focuses on the three greatest Victorines: Hugh (d. 1141), who established the direction of the school; Richard (d. 1173), who developed Victorine contemplation; and Thomas Gallus (d. 1246), who culminated Victorine contemplative thought and transmitted it to other schools, especially the Franciscans. They offer an innovative revival of the Christian spiritual and intellectual tradition for their reforming pastoral mission in their urban setting and for the Church.

Their contemporaries saw the Victorines as beacons of spiritual love and intellectual richness. Later reformers and thinkers held their writings as touchstones of contemplative love, including, for example, Bonaventure, Thomas Aquinas, Jean Gerson, Thomas à Kempis, the Devotio Moderna, and many others. The writings of the Victorines found broad appeal among later medieval readers, as well as praise among early modern reformers, Protestant and Catholic alike. In recent decades, the Victorines have returned to scholarly attention and renewed appreciation. Scholarly studies, critical editions, and translation projects reveal the treasures of Victorine thought and spirituality.

This volume showcases the findings of recent research and scholarly advances in Victorine studies, offering new readers a status quaestionis of the field. It also features new research by eminent experts in Victorine thought that points out promising directions for future research, thus offering important new findings for established specialists.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgements, List of Illustrations, List of Abbreviations

Introduction: Regular Canons, Restoration, and Reform — ROBERT J PORWOLL

Hugh

A Trinitarian Introduction to Hugh of St Victor’s Exegesis: Texts, Purpose, Reception— ANDREW BENJAMIN SALZMANN

The Sacraments of Christian Faith: A Key Concept within Hugh of St Victor’s Doctrine — RAINER BERNDT (TRANSLATED BY JONATHAN S KING)

‘In Its Extraordinary Arrangement’: Hugh of Saint Victor, the History of Salvation, and the World Map of The Mystic Ark— CONRAD RUDOLPH

Hugh’s Commentary on the Celestial Hierarchy— DOMINIQUE POIREL (TRANSLATED BY DAVID ALLISON ORSBON)

Richard

‘After the Manner of a Contemplative, According to the Nature of Contemplation': Richard of Saint-Victor’s De contemplatione— INEKE VAN’T SPIJKER

Restoration Through Experiential Exegesis: A Study of Richard of Saint-Victor’s Benjamin Minor— DAVID ALLISON ORSBON

From Triad to Trinity: Richard of St Victor and the Renaissance of Trinitarian Theology in the Twelfth and Twentieth Century— NICO DEN BOK

Free and Abundant Love: Constructive Considerations on the Four Degrees of Violent Love— KYLE RADER

Thomas Gallus

Thomas Gallus: Dionysian Commentator and Spiritual Author— CSABA NÉMETH

Thomas Gallus’ Explanatio and Dionysian Thought— KATHERINE WRISLEY SHELBY

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Bibliography

Index