HUGH OF SAINT-VICTOR (d. 1142) was a regular canon of the Abbey of Saint-Victor, Paris, and influential thinker with lasting and decisive contributions to biblical exegesis, theology, and spirituality. The date and place of Hugh's birth are unknown. Both Saxony and the Low Countries have been plausibly suggested as the place of his birth. By 1125 he was at Saint-Victor teaching in the abbey school, where he founded the vigorous and creative Victorine intellectual tradition. At the same time, the first abbot, Gilduin, was winning royal favor and rich endowments for the young community, which had been founded in 1108 by William of Champeaux upon his retirement from teaching in the Parisian schools.

Hugh's learning was broad and deep. He united in a special way a religious vocation, keen intellectual curiosity, a strong historical sense, theological creativity, and dedication to the contemplative life. The breadth of Hugh's...