# Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Richard of St. Victor

​RICHARD of St. Victor (d. 1173?), theologian, was born in Scotland, but at an early age became a canon regular in the abbey of St. Victor at Paris. He made his profession under Gilduin (d. 1155), the first abbot of St. Victor, and was a pupil of the ​famous Hugh of St. Victor (d. 1140). In 1159 Richard witnessed, as sub-prior, an agreement between his abbey and Frederick, lord of Palaiseau. In June 1162 he became prior. Ervisius or Ernisius, an Englishman, who was abbot at the time, ruled the house ill, and in 1172 was forced to resign. Richard presided at the election of Guarin, the successor of Ervisius in 1172, and witnessed a document of Abbot Guarin in that year; but early in 1174 Walter was prior of St. Victor. It is therefore probable that Richard died in 1173 on 10 March, the day on which his anniversary was observed. Two late epitaphs for Richard's tomb in the cloister at St. Victor are preserved (Patrologia, vol. cxcvi. col. xi.).
Richard enjoyed in his own time a high repute for piety and learning. Several letters addressed to him by contemporaries are preserved (Migne, Patrologia, cxcvi. 1225–30; Duchesne, Script. Rerum Gallicarum, iv. 745–64). In one, William, prior of Ourcamps, thanks him for the loan of some of his writings; in another, Warin, abbot of St. Albans, asks for a complete list of his works; in a third, John, sub-prior of Clairvaux, begs Richard to compose a prayer for his use. Pope Alexander III and Thomas Becket both visited St. Victor while Richard was prior. A letter said to be addressed by the former ‘ad Robertum priorem S. Victoris’ seems to belong to 1170, and was therefore in reality addressed to Richard. John of Salisbury [q. v.] suggested that Richard might be induced to use his influence with Robert of Melun [q. v.] in favour of Thomas Becket (Materials for History of T. Becket, vi. 20, 529). As a consequence Ervisius the abbot and Richard addressed a letter of expostulation to Robert (Migne, cxcvi. 1225). It has been supposed that the tract, ‘De tribus appropriatis personis in Trinitate,’ was addressed by Richard to St. Bernard of Clairvaux; but St. Bernard's ‘Works’ do not show that he had any relations with Richard (Hist. Littéraire, xiii. 479).
Richard was the glory of the school of St. Victor, and his writings had a great and lasting renown. He exaggerates the defects of his master, Hugh of St. Victor. His works, although not without elevation of style, are marred by an abuse of allegory and verbal antithesis; ‘he does best when he least pretends to do well’ (Hauréau, Notices et Extraits, v. 280). ‘Richard does not lack ideas, imagination, or even sensibility; if he is no longer read, it is through his want of method, criticism, logic, and taste’ (Hist. Litt. xiii. 488). As a philosopher, his prevailing characteristic is mysticism, which his influence, combined with that of his predecessor Hugh, impressed on the school of his abbey. His system is summed up by M. Hauréau (Hist. de la Philosophie Scolastique, i. 512–14) as follows: ‘Intelligence, guided by reason, is not the guide man ought to follow; that guide is conscience illuminated by grace; to acquire knowledge we must despise the study of those vain objects wherein we can scarcely distinguish the mark of their celestial origin; we must believe, we must love, we must surrender ourselves to that love which inspires the faithful soul with a holy ecstasy, and transports it far beyond things to the bosom of God. This system is the negation of philosophy, and Richard is not deceived about it. “Contemplation,” he says, “is a mountain which rises above all wordly sciences, above all philosophy. … Have Aristotle, Plato, and all the crowd of philosophers ever been able to rise to it?”’
Richard's published works are as follows: 1. ‘De Præparatione Animi ad Contemplationem, liber dictus Benjamin Minor,’ also called ‘De Studio Sapientiæ,’ and ‘De duodecim patriarchis.’ 2. ‘De Gratia Contemplationis, seu Benjamin Major,’ also styled ‘De Contemplatione,’ ‘De Arca Mystica,’ ‘De Arca Moysis.’ 3. ‘Allegoriæ Tabernaculi Fœderis.’ 4. ‘De Meditandis Plagis quæ circa finem Mundi evenient.’ 5. ‘Expositio difficultatum in expositione Tabernaculi Fœderis’ (the second part is styled ‘De Templo Salomonis’). 6. ‘Declarationes nonnullarum difficultatum Scripturæ.’ 7. ‘Mysticæ adnotationes in Psalmos.’ 8. ‘Expositio Cantici Habacuc.’ 9. ‘In Cantica Canticorum.’ 10. ‘Quomodo Christus ponitur in signum populorum.’ 11. ‘In visionem Ezechielis.’ 12. ‘De Emmanuele.’ 13. ‘Explicatio aliquorum passuum difficilium Apostoli.’ 14. ‘In Apocalypsim Joannis.’ 15. ‘De Trinitate.’ 16. ‘De tribus appropriatis personis in Trinitate.’ 17. ‘De Verbo Incarnato.’ 18. ‘Quomodo Spiritus Sanctus est amor Patris et Filii.’ 19. ‘De superexcellenti Baptismo Christi.’ 20. ‘De Missione Spiritus Sancti.’ 21. ‘De Comparatione Christi ad Florem et Mariæ ad Virgam.’ 22. ‘De Sacrificio David Prophetæ’ 23. ‘De Differentia Sacrificii Abrahæ a Sacrificio B. Mariæ.’ 24. ‘De gemino Paschate.’ 25. ‘Sermo in die Paschæ.’ 26. ‘De Exterminatione Mali et Promotione Boni.’ 27. ‘De Statu interioris Hominis.’ 28. ‘De Potestate Ligandi et Solvendi.’ 29. ‘De Judiciaria Potestate in finali et universali judicio.’ 30. ‘De Spiritu Blasphemiæ.’ 31. ‘De Gradibus Charitatis.’ 32. ‘De quattuor Gradibus violentæ Charitatis.’ 33. ‘De Eruditione Interioris Hominis;’ ​a more purely mystical work. 34. ‘Tractatus excerptionum.’ The attribution of the last to Richard is very doubtful; it is printed in the works of Hugh of St. Victor in ‘Patrologia,’ clxxvii. 193–225 (cf. Hauréau, Notices, &c., i. 373, Hugues de S. Victor, pp. 30–40).
All but the last of these are printed in Migne's ‘Patrologia,’ vol. cxcvi. cols. 1–1365. Before Migne there had been seven collected editions of Richard's works: Venice, 1506, very imperfect; Paris, 1518; Lyons, 1534; Paris, 1550; Venice, 1592, all folio; Cologne, 1621, 4to; Rouen, 1650, folio. The last, which was said to be corrected by the canons of St. Victor, is more perfect than the others. Several of Richard's works were separately published, viz. ‘Benjamin Minor,’ Paris, 1489, 4to, and 1521, 12mo; [Johann von Amerbach, Basle?], 1494, 8vo; Strasburg, 1518, 8vo. ‘Benjamin Major,’ 1494, 4to; [Johann von Amerbach, Basle, 1494?], 8vo; ‘A veray deuoute treatyse (named Benyamyn)’ was published by H. Pepwell, London, 1521. ‘Allegoriæ Tabernaculi Fœderis,’ Paris, 1511, and 1540; Venice, 1590. ‘Explicatio difficilium Passuum Apostoli,’ Venice, 1592, Rouen, 1606, both folio. ‘In Apocalypsim,’ Louvain, 1543, 4to. ‘De Trinitate,’ Paris, Henri Etienne, 1510, 4to, and Nuremberg, 1518, 8vo. ‘De Potestate Ligandi et Solvendi,’ together with the ‘De Judiciaria Potestate,’ Paris, 1526, 12mo; 1528, 8vo; 1534, 12mo; 1543, 16mo. M. Hauréau, in his ‘Notices et Extraits,’ has published a short mystical piece (i. 112–14), and a sermon on Isaiah, vii. 22 (v. 268–80), together with extracts from other unpublished pieces (i. 115–20, 125–6, v. 267–83). Among these latter is a sermon on the text, ‘Tolle puerum et matrem ejus & fuge in Egyptum.’ A number of works still remaining in manuscript are ascribed to Richard, but some at all events are either identical with works published under other titles, or are fragments of works already printed. An ‘Expositio Canonis Missæ,’ ascribed to Richard, is certainly not by him (Hauréau, Notices et Extraits, i. 210, ii. 59).
C. L. K.