Hugh of Amiens and the Twelfth-Century Renaissance

291 Pages·2011·1.8 MB·English

by  Ryan P. Freeburn

Hugh of Amiens and the
Twelfth-Century Renaissance
Ryan P. Freeburn
Church, Faith and Culture in the Medieval West
General Editors
Brenda Bolton, Anne J. Duggan, and
Damian J. Smith
About the series
The series Church, Faith and Culture in the Medieval West reflects the
central concerns necessary for any in-depth study of the medieval Church –
greater cultural awareness and interdisciplinarity. Including both monographs
and edited collections, this new series draws on the most innovative work
from established and younger scholars alike, offering a balance of interests,
vertically though the period from c. 400 to c. 1500 or horizontally across Latin
Christendom. Topics covered range from cultural history, the monastic life,
relations between Church and State to law and ritual, palaeography and textual
transmission. All authors, from a wide range of disciplinary backgrounds, share
a commitment to innovation, analysis and historical accuracy.
About the volume
Hugh of Amiens (c. 1085–1164) was an important intellectual figure in the
twelfth century. During a long life he served as a cleric, Cluniac monk, abbot,
and archbishop of Rouen. He wrote a number of works including poems,
biblical exegesis, anti-heretical polemics, and most importantly one of the
earliest collections of systematic theology, his Dialogues. This book examines
all of Hugh’s writings to uncover a better understanding not only of this
individual, but also of the twelfth century as a whole, especially the theological
preoccupations of the period, including the development of systematic theology
and views on the differences of the monastic and clerical ways of life.
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HugH oF AMIenS AnD THe
TWeLFTH-CenTuRy RenAISSAnCe
Church, Faith and Culture in the Medieval West
General Editors
Brenda Bolton, Anne J. Duggan
and Damian J. Smith
other titles in the series:
Commemorating the Dead in Late Medieval Strasbourg
The Cathedral’s Book of Donors and Its use (1320–1521)
Charlotte A. Stanford
Ansgar, Rimbert and the Forged Foundations of Hamburg-Bremen
Eric Knibbs
Saving the Souls of Medieval London
Perpetual Chantries at St Paul’s Cathedral, c.1200–1548
Marie-Hélène Rousseau
Readers, Texts and Compilers in the earlier Middle Ages
Studies in Medieval Canon Law in Honour of Linda Fowler-Magerl
Edited by Martin Brett and Kathleen G. Cushing
Shaping Church Law Around the year 1000
The Decretum of Burchard of Worms
Greta Austin
Pope Celestine III (1191–1198)
Diplomat and Pastor
Edited by John Doran and Damian J. Smith
Bishops, Texts and the use of Canon Law around 1100
essays in Honour of Martin Brett
Edited by Bruce C. Brasington and Kathleen G. Cushing
Roma Felix – Formation and Reflections of Medieval Rome
IV
Edited by Éamonn Ó Carragáin and Carol Neuman de Vegvar
The Martyred Inquisitor: The Life and Cult of Peter of Verona (†1252)
Donald Prudlo
Hugh of Amiens and the
Twelfth-Century Renaissance
RyAn P. FReeBuRn
Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy, Ontario, Canada
© Ryan P. Freeburn 2011
All rights reserved. no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system
or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or
otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher.
Ryan P. Freeburn has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be
identified as the author of this work.
Published by
Ashgate Publishing Limited Ashgate Publishing Company
Wey Court east Suite 420
union Road 101 Cherry Street
Farnham Burlington
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www.ashgate.com
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Freeburn, Ryan P.
Hugh of Amiens and the twelfth-century Renaissance. --
(Church, faith and culture in the medieval West)
1. Hugh, of Amiens, Archbishop of Rouen, ca. 1080-1164.
2. Civilization, Medieval--12th century. 3. Theology--
History--Middle Ages, 600-1500.
I. Title II. Series
282'.092-dc22
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Freeburn, Ryan P.
Hugh of Amiens and the twelfth-century Renaissance / Ryan P. Freeburn.
p. cm. -- (Church, faith, and culture in the medieval West)
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.
ISBn 978-1-4094-2734-6 (hardcover) -- ISBn 978-1-4094-2735-3
(ebook) 1. Hugh, of Amiens, Archbishop of Rouen, ca. 1080-1164. 2. Church
history--12th century. 3. Renaissance. I. Title.
BR1725.H74F74 2011
282.092--dc22
2011014972
ISBn 9781409427346 (hbk)
ISBn 9781409427353 (ebk)
Printed and bound in great Britain by
TJ International Ltd, Padstow, Cornwall
Contents
Acknowledgements ix
List of Abbreviations xi
Introduction 1
1 Hugh of Amiens: Cleric, Monk and Bishop 5
2 The Epistola Gravioni:
The Origin of the Soul and the Beginning of a Career 15
3 The Poems of Hugh of Amiens 25
4 The Dialogues and the Early Stages of Systematic Theology 41
5 Hugh of Amiens and the Monastic Life:
Cluny, Monk-Priests and the Reprehensio 85
6 A Saintly Crusader and Hermit: The Vita Sancti Adjutoris 99
7 ‘In principio Deus creavit’:
In Hexaemeron and the Tradition of Hexaemeral Commentary 113
8 Hugh of Amiens and the Heretics:
The Polemics of Contra haereticos 147
9 Speculation, Contemplation and a Host of Septenaries:
Super fide catholica et oratione dominica 185
10 De memoria: Memory and Unity in the Face of Schism 201
Conclusion 223
viii Hugh of Amiens and the Twelfth-Century Renaissance
Appendices
1 Timeline of Key Dates Relating to Hugh’s Life and Works 227
2 Septenaries 229
3 The Manuscripts 231
4 The Authorship of the Reprehensio 239
Bibliography 245
Index 269
Acknowledgements
Above all else, this book owes a great debt to my teachers, who have done more
than anyone else to awaken and nurture an interest in medieval history. Lucy
Moye deserves thanks for helping an undergraduate at Hillsdale to see the
value and excitement of the Middle Ages and especially the medieval Church.
John Hudson instilled in me an interest in all things Anglo-Norman. And I am
most indebted to Robert Bartlett, my dissertation supervisor, who always kept
me on track, generously providing me with advice and always encouraging me
to improve my grasp of twelfth-century Latin. His expertise and wide-ranging
interests were of constant help and inspiration throughout my research.
Many others have also helped me along the way. I am grateful to Brian
Briggs for pointing me towards a valuable, untapped field of research, despite
his own frustrations over Hugh’s putative friendship with Osbert of Clare. Tom
Waldman’s dissertation on Hugh’s Acta was of great help both in providing
me with many leads, and in encouraging me to narrow the scope of my own
research to manageable boundaries. The suggestions of Simone Macdougall
and David d’Avray were particularly valuable. I am also thankful for the helpful
staff at the various manuscript libraries I visited, especially those at the British
Library; Balliol College, Oxford; the Bodleian; the Bibliothèque Nationale,
Paris; and the municipal libraries of Saint-Omer, Troyes, Gotha, Stuttgart,
Munich and Geneva. More recently, Keith Cassidy has been crucial in giving
me the encouragement to resume work on Hugh and see this book through to
publication. And I am deeply grateful for the kind and frequent assistance of
Emily Yates, my commissioning editor at Ashgate, and for the many helpful
comments of the anonymous reviewer of my manuscript.
Finally, I am ever thankful for the loving support of my parents, who stood
by me in all my academic endeavours. But ultimately, this book is dedicated
to my ever-patient wife, Laura, who has kindly assisted me with advice and
editorial support, and who has shared the joys and frustrations of studying a
twelfth-century archbishop.