HUGH
524
HUGH
theologiciE veritatis", which, on account of its scope
and style, as well as its practical arrangement, was for
400 years used as a text-book. By reason of its exten-
sive use and wide circulation it was often copied and
later more often printetl and reprinted. The work
consists of seven books which treat of the Creation, (he
Fall, the Incarnation, Grace, the Sacraments, and the
Four Last Things.
In the entire medieval literature there is probably no work whose composition has, till very recently, been attributed to so many different authors. The incunabula of Venice, Lyons. Strasburjr, Ulm, and Nuremberg enumerated by Hain (Repert. bibliogr.) are without the author's name. Some attribute it to the Dominican LTlrich of 8tra.sburg. Bach in the " Kirchenlexikon" (I, 427) makes Albert of Strasburg the author, but recent researches go to show that such a person never existed. Thomas Dorinberg, who sup- plied the edition of 147.3 with an index, was for a long time looked upon as the author; others attributed it to St. Thomas Aquinas. In the magnificent edition of Lyons (L'j.')7), furnished with notes and index by the Franciscan John of Combes, it is credited to the Dominican Albert the Great and is placed in the folio edition of the latter's works published at Lyons (1651). Again, some held St. Bonaventure to be its author, with the result that the "Compendium" found a place intheappendi.x of the eighth volimie of his works (Rome, l.')S.S-96).
Among other great theologians to w'hom it was ascribed are Hugh of Saint Cher, Alexander of Hales, Aureolus, the ()xford Dominican Thomas Sutton, Peter of Tarantasia and others. Recent investiga- tions go to show, however, that the "Compendium" cannot be the work of any of these, but was most
Erobably, if not certainly, written by Hugh of Stras- urg. Other works attributed to him are: "Com- mentarium in IV libros .sententiarum"; "Quodlibeta, qua>stiones, disputationes et variu^ in divinos libros explanationes".
QUFTIF AND EcHARD, Scripl. Ord. Prad., 1, 470: HuRTER, Nomejirlalor; Pri.EOEH, Zeitsckr. f. k. Theol., XXVIII (1904\ 429-40; Kalholik (18S0\ I, 442.
Joseph Sohroeder.
Hugh the Great, Saint, Abbot of Cluny, b. at Semur (Brionnais) in the Diocese of Autun, 1024; d. at Cluny, 28 April, 1109.
His Eahly Life. — The eldest son of Count Dalma- tius of Semur and Aremberge (.4remburgis) of Vergy, Hugh was descended from the noblest families in Burgimdy. Dalmatius, devoted to war and the chase, desired that Hugh should adopt the knightly calling and succeed to the ancestral estates; his mother, however, influenced it is said by a vision vouchsafed to a priest whom she consulted, wished her son to deilicate nim.self to the service of God. From his earliest years Hugh gave intlication of such ex- traordinary earnestness and piety that his father, recognizing his evident aversion from the so-called gentle pursuits, entrusted him to his grand-uncle Hugh, Bishop of Auxerre, for preparation for the priesthood. Under the protection of this relative, Hugh received his early education at the monastery school attached to the Priory of St. Marccllus. At the age of fourteen he entered the novitiate at Cluny, where he displayed such religious fer\'Our that he was allowed to make his vows in the following year with- out completing the severe novitiate usual at this monastery. The special privilege of the Cluniac Con- gregation enabled him to become deacon at eighteen and priest at twenty. In recognition of his won<lerful zeal for the discipline of the order, and of the confidence awakened by his conspicuous talent for government, he was quickly, in spite of his youth, chosen grand prior. Tn this capacity he was charged with the whole domestic direction of the cloister in both .spiritual and temporal affairs, and represented the abbot during his
absence (cfr. D'.\.ch<'-rv, "Spicilegium", 2nd ed., I,
686). On the death of St. Odilo on 1 January, 1049,
after a prolonged administration of nigh upon half
a century, Hugh was un:inimously elected abbot,
and was solemnly installe<l by Archbishop Hugh of
Bcsanc^on on the Feast of the Chair of Peter at .\ntioch
(22 February), 1049.
Hugh as Abbot. — Hugh's character bears many points of resemblance to that of his great contempo- rary and friend, St. Gregory IX. Both were animated with a burning zeal to extirpate the abuses then prev- alent among the clergy, to crush investiture with its corollaries, simony and clerical incontinence, and to rescue Christian society from the confusion into which the reckless ambition and avarice of rulers and the consequent political instabihty had thrown it. The emperor claimed the right to appoint bishops, abbots, even the pope himself (see Ixve.stitures, Co.nflict of), and in too many cases his selection was swayed entirely by political motives to the exclusion of every thought of religious fitness. To prevent the Church from lapsing into a mere appanage of the State and to re-establish ecclesiastical discipline were the great objects alike of Gregory and Hugh, and if, in certain cases, Gregory allowed his zeal to outstrip his discre- tion, he found in Hugh an unflinching ally, and to the Benedictine Order, particularly the Cluniac branch, belongs the chief credit of promulgating among the people and carrying into eiTeet in Western Europe the many salutary reforms emanating from the Holy See. In founiling Cluny, in 910, and endowing it with his entire dom;iins. William the Pious of Aquitaine had placed it under the ilirect protection of Rome. Thus Cluny, with its network of daiighter-foundations (see Cluny, Congregation of ; Gallia Christ., II, 374), was a formidable weapon for reform in the hands of the suc- cessive popes. Hugh entrusted the election of the superiors of all cloisters and churches subject to him into spiritual hands, promised them — in addition to the privileges of the congregation — the support and protection of Cluny, anti thus saved hundreds of cloisters from the cupidity of secular lords, who were very loath to interfere with the rights of a congregation so powerful and enjoying such high fa\our with em- perors and kings. To secure this protection numbers of cloisters became affiliated with Cluny; new houses were opened in France, Ciermany, Spain, and Italy, while under Hugh was also founded at St. Pancras near Lewes the first Benedictine house in England. (See, however, Avcustine of Cantehblhv, Saint; DiN.sTAN, Saint.) Since the superiors of most of these houses were either directly or intlirectly nomi- nated by Hugh, and since, as abbot, he had to ratify the elections, it is easy to understand how important a role he played in the great struggle between im- perialism and the Holy See.
As early as 1049, at the age of twenty-five, Hugh appeared at the Council of Reims. Here, at the re- quest and in the presence of Leo IX, he expressed him.self so energetically against the reigning abuses that even the simoniacal bishops could not withstand his zeal. This advocacy contriliuted largely to the passing of many remetlial ordinances concerning church discipline (cfr.*Lal>be, "Cone", IX, 104.)-G), and led Leo IX to take Hugh with him to Rome that he might have the assistance and advice of the young abbot at the great council to be held in 10.50, at which the ques- tion of clerical discipline was to be decided and the heresy of Berengarius condemned (cfr. Hefele, "Con- ciliengesch.", IV, 711). Leo's successor, Victor II, also held Hugh in the highest esteem, and confirmed in 10.5.') all the privileges of Cluny. On Hildebrand's arrival in France as papal legate (10.14), he hastened first to Cluny to consult with Hugh and secure his as- sistance at the Council of Tours. Stephen IX, imme- diately on his elevation, summoned Hugh to Rome, made him the companion of his journeys, and finally
