Explanation of the Rule of St. Augustine: Volume 1: Cathlic Classics

by Hugh of Saint-Victor

This particular piece is a rather minute effort; it is a set of rules for a monastic community, which he founded at Hippo Regis in North Africa. This work has become so pervasive, that it either has been the sole foundation or has been the basis for hundreds of religious communities of men and women through the centuries. It has influenced religious life for more 16 centuries, thus guiding more than 150 around the world. In communal life, there are factors, which each person brings to the community, and their adherence to the rule varies upon the characteristics of the individuals. The objective of this rule is to create a harmonious environment whereby all participants may ascend in their quest to life a life for God. The idea of service learning also could be said to have roots in the Rule. This becomes apparent at Augustinian educational institutions, where the Rule's influence can be noticed, although less directly than most of Augustine's works.

Kindle Edition

First published October 8, 2008

About the author

Hugh 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.

Reviews

[Michael Vinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent insight added to a class rule of the Faith.