Editing Richard of Saint Victor (section)

==Life==

Very little is known about the origins and upbringing of Richard of Saint Victor. John of Toulouse wrote a short ''Vita'' of Richard in the seventeenth century.<ref>This is reprinted in PL 196:9–14</ref> He said that Richard came from [[Scotland]].<ref>For further evidence of Richard's British origins, see Franklin T. Harkins and Frans van Liere, eds, ''Interpretation of scripture: theory. A selection of works of Hugh, Andrew, Richard and Godfrey of St Victor, and of Robert of Melun,'' (Turnhout, Belgium: Brepols, 2012), p289.</ref> John added that Richard was received into the Abbey of St Victor by Abbot Gilduin (1114–1155) and was a student under [[Hugh of St Victor]], the most influential of all Victorine teachers (implying that Richard entered the community before Hugh's death in 1141).<ref>At this time, under the abbot Gilduin, Saint Victor was a thriving community and upon Gilduin's death, the abbey had 44 dependant houses of canons.</ref> This account of Richard's early life is not accepted by all modern scholars, however, and some have suggested that Richard entered the abbey after Hugh's death in 1141.<ref>Boyd Taylor Coolman and Dale M Coulter, eds, ''Trinity and Creation'', (2010), p198.</ref>

All scholarship agrees, however, that Richard was a magister during the 1150s,<ref>For further theorising on the state of the Abbey of t Victor in the 1150s, and the nature of Richard's teaching, see For further evidence of Richard's British origins, see Franklin T. Harkins and Frans van Liere, eds, ''Interpretation of scripture: theory. A selection of works of Hugh, Andrew, Richard and Godfrey of St Victor, and of Robert of Melun'', (Turnhout, Belgium: Brepols, 2012), pp289-294.</ref> and was then promoted to subprior in 1159 (as stated by a document found at the abbey).  He served under [[Achard of St. Victor]]'s elected successor Ernisius, who was unworthy of the position.<ref>Feiss, p. 145</ref> Richard's life was then burdened by the frustrations of working under a man who was ill-suited for his responsibilities. Ernisius wasted the abbey's resources on overly ambitious building projects and persecuted those who attempted to resist him. Richard was allowed to keep his office but his influence was restricted. Things became so unbearable that an appeal was made to the Pope, who then visited Saint Victor in 1162.<ref>Richard p. 20</ref> Through a multitude of transactions, Ernisius was eventually removed from his position and the Pope commended Richard for his continued involvement in the matter. Letters from England written to Richard show that he was in constant touch with English affairs and give evidence of the international character of intellectual life at this time.<ref>Cahn p. 53</ref>

He was then promoted to prior in 1162, a position he held until his death on 10 March 1173.<ref>Boyd Taylor Coolman and Dale M Coulter, eds, ''Trinity and Creation'', (2010), p198.</ref>