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. This page has been left blank intentionally 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 Surrey, gu9 7PT VT 05401-4405 england uSA 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.