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The Didascalicon of Hugh of St. Victor: A Medieval Guide to the Arts
This is the first complete translation into English of Hugh of St. Victor's "Didascalicon," composed in the late 1130's.
254 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1127
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About the author
Hugh of Saint-Victor
32 books23 followersHugh of Saint-Victor, also called Hugo of Saint-Victor was an eminent scholastic theologian who began the tradition of mysticism that made the school of Saint-Victor, Paris, famous throughout the 12th century.
Of noble birth, Hugh joined the Augustinian canons at the monastery of Hamersleben, near Halberstadt (now in Germany). He went to Paris (c. 1115) with his uncle, Archdeacon Reinhard of Halberstadt, and settled at Saint-Victor Abbey. From 1133 until his death, the school of Saint-Victor flourished under Hugh’s guidance.
His mystical treatises were strongly influenced by Bishop St. Augustine of Hippo, whose practical teachings on contemplative life Hugh blended with the theoretical writings of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite. Hugh’s somewhat innovative style of exegesis made an important contribution to the development of natural theology: he based his arguments for God’s existence on external and internal experience and added a teleological proof originating from the facts of experience.
Of noble birth, Hugh joined the Augustinian canons at the monastery of Hamersleben, near Halberstadt (now in Germany). He went to Paris (c. 1115) with his uncle, Archdeacon Reinhard of Halberstadt, and settled at Saint-Victor Abbey. From 1133 until his death, the school of Saint-Victor flourished under Hugh’s guidance.
His mystical treatises were strongly influenced by Bishop St. Augustine of Hippo, whose practical teachings on contemplative life Hugh blended with the theoretical writings of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite. Hugh’s somewhat innovative style of exegesis made an important contribution to the development of natural theology: he based his arguments for God’s existence on external and internal experience and added a teleological proof originating from the facts of experience.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
July 5, 2020
This book absolutely blew my mind. It is a didactic manual written for medieval scholars by a monk on the topic of memory. Medieval scholars lived in a still heavily oral culture that placed more rigorous demands on the human memory than does our written culture. They created elaborate mnemonic devices, structures really, in order to access vast amounts of material that they would read, but which they could not write down and take with them (writing materials were costly, and just because a monk could read did not necessarily mean he could write). With the help of manuals like this, monks were trained to transform their memories into, for lack of a better metaphor, rolodexes, catalogued and organized for prompt and thorough recall. The author describes one mnemonic structure where the scholar should commit to memory a room in which every item in the room is associated with a specific passage from a specific book. As the scholar reads more passages and commits them to memory, he creates more objects to place in this room with which the given passages are associated. The diligent scholar could recall not just an entire book from beginning to end (like we might recite a poem or even the alphabet), but would be able to access any single passage from a book, regardless of its order in the book, by mentally "picking up" the appropriate object he as associated with the desired passage. For less spatially-, more mathematically-minded scholars, the author suggests imagining a grid, indexed with numbers, where the numbers coincide with specific passages. Either way, the result is the same - a whole culture of scholars whose memories put ours, with our heavy reliance on the written word, to shame. Entire libraries existed in the minds of these men and I have trouble remembering my mother's phone number. Astounding.
July 10, 2023
Formational. Clear. Draws distinctions and definitions. Really hard. Valuable. Worth revisiting.
2023 - still all of the above. Worked through with a Book Club on Scholé Sisters Sistership with more thoughts and comparisons with CM. Will definitely read again some other time.
2023 - still all of the above. Worked through with a Book Club on Scholé Sisters Sistership with more thoughts and comparisons with CM. Will definitely read again some other time.
November 20, 2024
Much of this, especially the second half, is fairly standard medieval advice on reading Scripture that you can also find in Kempis, Benedict, and the mystics. However, the discussion of the arts in the first half is excellent (including a fascinating portion on the validity of the mechanical arts in the human experience) and extremely relevant for any educator or student. The work is an especially rich introduction to many of the most distinctive aspects of the medieval mindset and practice: typology, the metaphorical imagination, the senses of Scripture, the art of rhetoric, memory, meditation and contemplation, the seamless integration of sacred and secular learning. Hugh is concerned above all with the motives behind one's pursuit of knowledge, wisdom, and understanding; and how one can become a perpetual student through the proper ordering of loves. It's not as much about the content of education as it is about the state of soul that is required in order to bear fruit. Only once we approach our task with primed inner soil may we be moved to the proper actions by wonder at the created order.
August 24, 2024
My absolute, hands-down favorite classical education book: https://www.scholesisters.com/what-ar...
December 13, 2013
One of the most interesting books of the Middle Ages is available in an excellent edition. Though several encyclopedias existed in the Middle Ages, Hugh's Didascalicon extends beyond mere data collection. Rather, his work is an audacious attempt to put all branches of human knowledge into order, constructing a comprehensive intellectual system. Thus, each discipline's origin, scope, purpose, and method are defined. Moreover, relationships between disciplines are established. The attempt alone is praiseworthy; its overall success is astounding.
Taylor's translation and edition is commendable. A substantial introduction opens the volume. Taylor's mastery of his subject matter is evident, though not flaunted. Furthermore, the text is littered with notes that explain difficult concepts, clarify obscure references, identify source materials, and point to helpful secondary literature. The translation is highly readable. I have a few quibbles with it, but given Taylor's stature, it may well be I rather than he who is in the wrong.
Taylor's translation and edition is commendable. A substantial introduction opens the volume. Taylor's mastery of his subject matter is evident, though not flaunted. Furthermore, the text is littered with notes that explain difficult concepts, clarify obscure references, identify source materials, and point to helpful secondary literature. The translation is highly readable. I have a few quibbles with it, but given Taylor's stature, it may well be I rather than he who is in the wrong.
September 27, 2011
Here, in Hugh of Saint Victor, we find philosophy comprises four parts: The theoretical, whose study is the divine, the practical, whose study is human ethics and morality, the mechanical, whose study is the relieving of human misery, and last the logical, whose study is the operation of Mind. Included in this writing is an exposition of medieval cosmology; where the empyrean and the infernum are discussed, the superlunary and sublunary are highlighted, and the anima mundi is but hinted at.
There is a difference between the intelligible and the intellectible and between study and discipline. There is a method and an order to studying the liberal arts, whose apprehension is to insure nothing less than perfection, if not strength.
I've not read a book that covers Everything with such Little. Here there is breadth and depth, the concrete and the abstract, the particular and the universal.
Confused with how to proceed in your studies? Let Hugh of Saint Victor point the way.
There is a difference between the intelligible and the intellectible and between study and discipline. There is a method and an order to studying the liberal arts, whose apprehension is to insure nothing less than perfection, if not strength.
I've not read a book that covers Everything with such Little. Here there is breadth and depth, the concrete and the abstract, the particular and the universal.
Confused with how to proceed in your studies? Let Hugh of Saint Victor point the way.
July 13, 2023
"Some things are to be known for their own sakes, but others, although for their own sakes they do not seem worthy of our labor, nevertheless, because without them the former class of things cannot be known with complete clarity, must by no means be carelessly skipped. Learn everything; you will see afterwards that nothing is superfluous. A skimpy knowledge is not a pleasing thing."
Overall, this was a good if somewhat difficult read. Sometimes Hugh is very clear and helpful. Sometimes the information was a bit tedious, but as the above quote indicates, necessary groundwork for the beginning student who is his intended audience. And sometimes he left me scratching my head and wondering about the soundness of his theology (but it's possible I've misinterpreted him). There were several connections to Norms & Nobility, Poetic Knowledge, and Charlotte Mason and many connections in Books Five and Six to another book I'm reading: Reading for the Love of God (the author references and has probably read Hugh).
Overall, this was a good if somewhat difficult read. Sometimes Hugh is very clear and helpful. Sometimes the information was a bit tedious, but as the above quote indicates, necessary groundwork for the beginning student who is his intended audience. And sometimes he left me scratching my head and wondering about the soundness of his theology (but it's possible I've misinterpreted him). There were several connections to Norms & Nobility, Poetic Knowledge, and Charlotte Mason and many connections in Books Five and Six to another book I'm reading: Reading for the Love of God (the author references and has probably read Hugh).
September 12, 2020
This was excellent!!!
October 18, 2011
Didascalicon from didactic, or teaching. This book is a medieval encyclopedia of sorts on the breakdown of every subject and category, along with how to approach and study any material. Written in the 12th century, it gives nice insight into the patterns of academics for centuries to come as education was entering into a new historical phase.
Some wisdom from Hugh:
“The good student, then, ought to be humble and docile, free alike from vain cares and from sensual indulgences, diligent and zealous to learn willingly from all, to presume never upon his own knowledge, to shun the authors of perverse doctrine as if they were poison, to consider a matter thoroughly and at length before judging of it, to seek to be learned rather than merely to seem so, to love such words of the wise as he has grasped , and ever to hold those words before his gaze as the very mirror of his countenance.”
Some wisdom from Hugh:
“The good student, then, ought to be humble and docile, free alike from vain cares and from sensual indulgences, diligent and zealous to learn willingly from all, to presume never upon his own knowledge, to shun the authors of perverse doctrine as if they were poison, to consider a matter thoroughly and at length before judging of it, to seek to be learned rather than merely to seem so, to love such words of the wise as he has grasped , and ever to hold those words before his gaze as the very mirror of his countenance.”
October 11, 2022
Curricula have changed a lot since the twelfth century. But Hugh is a gentle teacher and pleasant companion, offering his own opinions and experiences modestly, often quoting the masters, and warning budding scholars away from the moral shoals of their profession. He always keeps in focus what he believes to be the end of all studies: contemplation of God. There are plenty of quotable passages to warm the hearts of wise learners. And don't neglect Jerome Taylor's helpful and engaging endnotes.
After reading this, pick up Ivan Illich's brilliant short book, In the Vineyard of the Text: A Commentary to Hugh's Didascalicon .
After reading this, pick up Ivan Illich's brilliant short book, In the Vineyard of the Text: A Commentary to Hugh's Didascalicon .
December 16, 2020
Hugo de São Vitor é mais um autor a dispor a importância da educação clássica.
Coloca a oração como um dos passos para o aprendizado.
Temos que ter humildade no processo de aprender, e seguir os passos:
- Leitura (ler, resumir e reter)
- Meditação (Ruminar, e chega a verdades abstratas)
- Contemplação das verdades e suas ligações.
Para só então pregar e ensinar.
O estudo deve ter como fim a perfeição, o aprimoramento das virtudes, e não estudar por estudar, para impressionar outros.
O autor também coloca no final do livro uma forma de estudar os livros sagrados, tendo em vista os estilos retóricos, que não são o mesmo em todos os momentos, como por exemplo as alegorias em determinadas situações/livros.
Coloca a oração como um dos passos para o aprendizado.
Temos que ter humildade no processo de aprender, e seguir os passos:
- Leitura (ler, resumir e reter)
- Meditação (Ruminar, e chega a verdades abstratas)
- Contemplação das verdades e suas ligações.
Para só então pregar e ensinar.
O estudo deve ter como fim a perfeição, o aprimoramento das virtudes, e não estudar por estudar, para impressionar outros.
O autor também coloca no final do livro uma forma de estudar os livros sagrados, tendo em vista os estilos retóricos, que não são o mesmo em todos os momentos, como por exemplo as alegorias em determinadas situações/livros.
September 11, 2018
UFFA!!! Finalmente terminei... Realmente um livro muito bom (inclusive estou, graças a Deus, só lendo livros muito bons); um livro com uma perspectiva incomum da coisa toda, por ser um livro de antes da Reforma e da época da Idade Média, ele trata de uma forma diferente e muito mais profunda, apesar da forma simples de liderar o escrito.
Eu não indico para quem não tem um bom conhecimento teológico porque ele aderi a algumas interpretações que hoje os cristãos protestantes não aceitam com real sentido... Então se precisa discernir o que aproveitar e o que não aproveitar desse texto. hehehe é isso!
Eu não indico para quem não tem um bom conhecimento teológico porque ele aderi a algumas interpretações que hoje os cristãos protestantes não aceitam com real sentido... Então se precisa discernir o que aproveitar e o que não aproveitar desse texto. hehehe é isso!
June 8, 2021
Este pequeno livro escrito no século XII tem muito mais a ver com a verdadeira educação do que toda pedagogia moderna reunida. Em muitos aspectos, a modernidade inverte os princípios lógicos expostos com tanta maestria por Hugo de São Vítor e torna obscuro o que deveria ser claro. Vivemos uma tragédia em que a formação técnica foi colocada em um patamar que nunca deveria ter alcançado.
March 29, 2007
Contains a typical Medieval schematic of areas of knowledge, along with a nifty exposition on the importance of rhetoric, in reaction to Peter Abelard and all those pesky sophists
June 27, 2015
Grata surpresa com o pensamento desse monge do século XII.
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December 19, 2022A Victorine text which Dante is said to have been influenced by. This work is a summary of the ends of wisdom. But by love of wisdom Hugh does not mean love of technique but love of the sole primordial idea, or pattern of things. Indeed, the entire task is to increase the Good in our nature and decrease the evil contrary to it.
In knowledge and virtue lie our sole likeness to supernal and divine substance. This is the divine part of man. The transitory part which gives credit to the senses is that which is subject to death and change. All human actions have the common objective of restoring in us the divine image of the Creator. We resemble Him, God, in wisdom and Justice. Thus, actions which conform to wisdom and Justice resemble Him in His divinity.
The last section of ‘Didascalicon’ focuses on how to read and what can be learned from the scriptures. Hugh compares the reading of scripture to enjoying the fruits of a thick forest wherein it is easy to lose oneself—thus an order and method of reading is required to avoid, “always learning yet never reaching knowledge.” There is some charming advice for us in terms of secondary literature—do not try to read everything ever written! Hugh reminds us, “the number of books is infinite; do not pursue infinity! Where no end is in sight there can be no rest. Where there is no rest there can be no peace. Where there is no peace God cannot dwell.”
All in all an interesting meditation on wisdom and its ends. In relation to Dante, we find a kindred spirit in that Hugh was certainly one who read Boethius alike, particularly in passages such as, “the man who finds his homeland sweet is still 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 land. The tender soul has fixed his love on one spot of the world; the strong man has extended his love to all places; the perfect man has extinguished his.” Certainly passages such as these were a balm to the soul of the poet in exile.
In knowledge and virtue lie our sole likeness to supernal and divine substance. This is the divine part of man. The transitory part which gives credit to the senses is that which is subject to death and change. All human actions have the common objective of restoring in us the divine image of the Creator. We resemble Him, God, in wisdom and Justice. Thus, actions which conform to wisdom and Justice resemble Him in His divinity.
The last section of ‘Didascalicon’ focuses on how to read and what can be learned from the scriptures. Hugh compares the reading of scripture to enjoying the fruits of a thick forest wherein it is easy to lose oneself—thus an order and method of reading is required to avoid, “always learning yet never reaching knowledge.” There is some charming advice for us in terms of secondary literature—do not try to read everything ever written! Hugh reminds us, “the number of books is infinite; do not pursue infinity! Where no end is in sight there can be no rest. Where there is no rest there can be no peace. Where there is no peace God cannot dwell.”
All in all an interesting meditation on wisdom and its ends. In relation to Dante, we find a kindred spirit in that Hugh was certainly one who read Boethius alike, particularly in passages such as, “the man who finds his homeland sweet is still 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 land. The tender soul has fixed his love on one spot of the world; the strong man has extended his love to all places; the perfect man has extinguished his.” Certainly passages such as these were a balm to the soul of the poet in exile.
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June 4, 2024"Philosophy, then, is the love and pursuit of Wisdom, and, in a certain way, a friendship with it: not, however, of that 'wisdom' which is concerned with certain tools and with knowledge and skill in some craft, but of that Wisdom which, wanting in nothing, is a living Mind and the sole primordial Idea or Pattern of things. This love of Wisdom, moreover, is an illumination of the apprehending mind by that pure Wisdom and, in a certain way, a drawing and a calling back to Itself of man's mind, so that the pursuit of Wisdom appears like friendship with that Divinity and pure Mind. This Wisdom bestows upon every manner of souls the benefit of its own divinity, and brings them back to the proper force and purity of their nature. From it are born truth of speculation and of thought and holy and pure chastity of action." - (quoted from Boethius).
"Consider these three: wisdom, virtue, and need. Wisdom is the understanding of things as they are. 'Virtue is a habit of the mind - a habit adapted to the reason like a nature.' A need is something without which we cannot live, but [with which, i.e., when supplied] we would live more happily. The following three are remedies against three evils to which human life is subject: wisdom against ignorance, virtue against vice, and needs against life's weakness. In order to do away with the three evils, we seek after the three remedies, and in order to find the three remedies, every art and every discipline was discovered.
For the sake of wisdom the theoretical arts were discovered; for the sake of virtue the practical arts were discovered; for the sake of our needs the mechanical arts were discovered. These three were first in practice, but afterwards, for the sake of eloquence, logic was discovered. Logic, though last to be discovered, ought to be the first learned. Four, then, are the principal sciences, from which all the others descend; these are the theoretical, the practical, the mechanical, and the logical."
"Consider these three: wisdom, virtue, and need. Wisdom is the understanding of things as they are. 'Virtue is a habit of the mind - a habit adapted to the reason like a nature.' A need is something without which we cannot live, but [with which, i.e., when supplied] we would live more happily. The following three are remedies against three evils to which human life is subject: wisdom against ignorance, virtue against vice, and needs against life's weakness. In order to do away with the three evils, we seek after the three remedies, and in order to find the three remedies, every art and every discipline was discovered.
For the sake of wisdom the theoretical arts were discovered; for the sake of virtue the practical arts were discovered; for the sake of our needs the mechanical arts were discovered. These three were first in practice, but afterwards, for the sake of eloquence, logic was discovered. Logic, though last to be discovered, ought to be the first learned. Four, then, are the principal sciences, from which all the others descend; these are the theoretical, the practical, the mechanical, and the logical."
December 1, 2019
This has been on my "Most Important Books to Read" list for some time, and I can see why. It wasn't easy, and it includes much to wade through and sift out. Still, I believe it will be one of those books I will return to for reference and further reflection in the future, as I am sure that fault in understanding falls more to my haste and lack of contemplation than Hugh's depth or clarity. I look forward to digesting this for some time.
March 16, 2019
Hugh of St. Victor represents the model image for a scholar from the medieval Cathedral schools. His thoughtful, humble, and virtuous persona shines through in his writing. The content in this work is invaluable for understanding a Christian liberal arts education.
August 2, 2023
What a fantastic exposition of philosophy and the arts, from a thoroughly Christian, historic, and classical perspective! This is a book I plan to return to often as I teach at a classical Christian liberal arts school.
June 20, 2019
Not really what I was expecting. Hugh breaks down all knowledge under philosophy and details out the various disciplines, skills, and arts.
The edition blunders by using endnotes.
The edition blunders by using endnotes.
September 12, 2020
I still can’t spell the title of this book so there’s that.
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October 8, 2024me dio fomo porque no se me hizo tan bueno como dicen las reviews
February 22, 2025
I read this every year or two. It's one of those books.
September 25, 2024
Read in two weeks for a class. Need to return and digest more slowly. But foundational for Christian education.
October 30, 2024
It’s funny that they never mention this fantastic work in the sham lists of ‘how to start an intellectual life’.
February 12, 2015
A fascinating study of a medieval's study of the idea of study - hence, an important text for a computer scientist to read. Hugh examines the question of how the various disciplines are related, and inter-related; Taylor provides many insightful notes, including one of the most enlightening, which shows that in Hugh's day, there was no real distinction between ars (Art) and scientia (Knowledge). Other works to be consulted along with this are The Division and Methods of the Sciences and Science And Creation In The Middle Ages: Henry Of Langenstein (D. 1397) On Genesis as well as The Idea of a University.
October 11, 2015
An excellent book. I kind of accidentally bumped into this book and the fact that full 40% of the book is introduction and notes were a bit of a challenge but when I actually began the text of the book it is absolutely fantastic!
This book speaks of what is important to study, making a clear case for how to pursue knowledge and to gain wisdom. The goal is not to be puffed up but rather to live a life that "love and look for every good thing, every necessary thing".
Google says that this book "selects and defines all of the important areas of knowledge"...that is to understate the value of this book. The way in puts all learning within the context of the divine is truly heart opening and wonderfully encouraging.
No matter your area of study...this book can be a powerful guide toward learning and living.
This book speaks of what is important to study, making a clear case for how to pursue knowledge and to gain wisdom. The goal is not to be puffed up but rather to live a life that "love and look for every good thing, every necessary thing".
Google says that this book "selects and defines all of the important areas of knowledge"...that is to understate the value of this book. The way in puts all learning within the context of the divine is truly heart opening and wonderfully encouraging.
No matter your area of study...this book can be a powerful guide toward learning and living.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews