Richard of Saint Victor - Historiographical Contributions

Historiographical Contributions

What makes Richard of Saint-Victor stand out from other theologians of his time is that he approaches theological problems as more of a psychologist, contributing to 'a careful analysis of contemplative experiemces.' He takes the theological problems he discovers in works by writers such as Denis and Augustine, and solves them with the humanist principles of the twelfth century. Richard attempted to learn the way in which the human mind works and it became an all-consuming occupation. This led to his conception of contemplation and his perception of the unexplored field of the supernatural in prayer. Richard always wanted to know how the mind reacts to a given situation and how best good can be increased and evil avoided. Although he was greatly influenced by the beliefs and principles of his predecessors, he looked at Scripture and theological works from a different perspective, especially later in his life. As a result of this, Richard produced theological and philosophical works as well as interpretation of scriptural texts from a psychological point-of-view.