Richard of Saint Victor

Richard of Saint Victor d. 1173, Scottish monk and mystic, prior of the Abbey of St. Victor, Paris. His principal importance is in the history of mystical theology, in which he is a successor to Hugh of Saint Victor . In two works, Benjamin Major and Benjamin Minor, he defined anew the stages of mystic contemplation, which he divided into six. He also wrote on rational theology, especially on the Blessed Trinity and on the Incarnate Word.

Richard of St-Victor (d. 1173), Victorine theologian and spiritual writer. Apparently a native of Scotland, he came to the Abbey of St-Victor in Paris as a young man. His most important theological work, a treatise De Trinitate, presents a complex argument, based on the nature of love, of the necessary reasons for a triune deity. His other writings are mainly on the spiritual life and scriptural exegesis. He insisted on the importance of demonstration and argument in matters of theology and the folly of relying only on an array of authorities.