Many volumes of collected essays originate as a Festschrift or a collection of conference papers. This volume is neither; it seems to have stemmed from the initiative of its editors, to invite some of the most prominent scholars in the field to contribute to a volume about Victorine spirituality. The result is a volume of high-quality essays, both by senior and junior scholars, on the contemplative tradition at the twelfth-century abbey of Saint Victor in Paris. The title is taken from Hugh of Saint Victor's central concept of redemption: the restoration of humankind in the image of God, which was lost through Adam's disobedience. This is key to understanding the theology of all Victorine scholars. Although the editors were mutually unaware of each other's projects, this collection of essays finds a worthwhile companion in volume 5 of Victorine Texts in Translation (hereafter VTT), which offers the translation of many of the texts by Hugh and Richard of Saint Victor and Thomas Gallus that are discussed here in this volume.
After the general introduction by Robert Porwoll, which offers an excellent concise rendering of the early history of the abbey of Saint Victor, the book is divided into three parts, each centered on one Victorine author: Hugh of Saint Victor, Richard of Saint Victor, and Thomas Gallus, respectively. Andrew Salzmann starts out with giving an analysis of the trinitarian foundation of Hugh of Saint Victor's scriptural hermeneutics. In Hugh's theology, all good things come in threes; certainly this is true for his exegetical model, which distinguishes three senses of Scripture (historical, allegorical, and moral) and three stages of interpretation (littera, sensus, and sententia); this exegesis finds it root in Hugh's trinitarian thought, Salzmann points out. Rainer Berndt argues in his contribution for the interpretation of Hugh of Saint Victor's writings in a sacramental context. At the basis of Hugh's educational program, Berndt argues, is the “ur-Sakrament” of Christ's engagement with the world, in the act of universal redemption. Conrad Rudolph's essay examines the Libellus of Hugh of Saint Victor on the Ark of Noah. Rudolph argues that this symbolic map of the Ark as vehicle of Christ's salvation of mankind is actually a raportatio of a series of lectures that Hugh held at the Abbey; he contends that the intrinsic and detailed description of this salvific vessel was not a mere mental exercise but must have been an actual work of art displayed on one of the walls of the abbey. Rudolph's article and Grover Zinn's translation of this same treatise in Victorine Texts in Translation deserve to be read conjointly. The final essay in the Hugh section is by Dominique Poirel, who examines one of Hugh's later and least appreciated works: his commentary on the celestial hierarchy.
The second part is focused on Richard of Saint Victor. Ineke van't Spijker's essay on Richard's De contemplatione, also known as the Benjamin maior, or De arca mystica, deserves to be read alongside the new translation of this work by Van't Spijker and Hugh Feiss, in VTT 5. Van't Spijker explores the delicate balance between the rational and the affective which we find in the work of this Victorine mystic. David Orsbon's essay discusses Richard's Benjamin minor, or Twelve Patriarchs, which he argues has been undeservedly underappreciated among Richard's works as an original contribution to mystical exegesis, in this case of the figures of the twelve sons of Jacob. The essay includes a long bibliographic essay that somewhat belies this thesis. Nico Den Bok contributes an essay on Richard's De Trinitate, recapturing the author's extensive analysis of Richard's social conception of the Trinity, published in the series Bibliotheca Victorina. Richard is credited with the concept of social trinitarianism, which combined the Augustinian-Anselmian idea of the triune God, possessing one intellect and one free will, with the Boethian idea of personhood. Richard's theology redefines God's personhood in light of his notion of divine love. The latter is explored in more detail in Kyle Radar's essay on Richard's Four degrees of violent love (or charity; the author uses both). Radar examines the light it sheds on the interpretation of the Richard's trinitarian thought.
The last part is dedicated to Thomas Gallus, until recently one of the least examined Victorine authors, who lived in the thirteenth century. Csaba Németh explores Thomas’ life and extant works. He points out that Gallus’ work is quite different from that of the other Victorine authors, because of its late date and new scholastic methodology. However, in exploring the relationship between intellect and affect, Gallus fits very well within the themes set out by the Victorine scholars, especially Richard. His commentaries on the Areopagite's work make Gallus into one of the most influential mystics of the thirteenth century, and the first after Eriugena to engage with the Dionysian corpus in Western Europe—except Hugh, of course. In an essay that partly overlaps with that of Németh's, Katherine Shelby closes off the chapter of Gallus and the book.
Despite this occasional overlap, 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.
