From Knowledge to Beatitude is a collection of original essays on the intersection between Christian theology and spiritual life primarily in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, especially in the Parisian School of St. Victor, which honors the influential work of Grover A. Zinn, Jr. Written by distinguished scholars from various fields of medieval studies, these essays range from the study of the exegetical school of twelfth-century St. Victor and medieval glossed Bibles to the medieval cultural reception of women visionaries, preachers, and crusaders. Although focused on St. Victor, they provide analyses of Christian themes up to the modern period. A common thread is Zinn’s careful attention to the connections between medieval spirituality and biblical studies, the origin of these ideas, and their lasting influence in Christian culture. The essays take us from Hugh of St. Victor’s foundation—material culture—to the “beatitude” of a wider understanding of Victorine culture and its lasting legacy.


This volume is a fitting tribute to a generous scholar, teacher, and mentor. It will appeal to historians, scholars of religion and theology, and art historians.


Contributors: Raymond Clemens, Catherine Delano-Smith, Walter Cahn, William Clark, Thomas Waldman, Franklin T. Harkins, Lesley Smith, Hugh Feiss, Boyd Taylor Coolman, Dale M. Coulter, Marcia L. Colish, Dominique Poirel, Barbara Newman, Rachel Fulton Brown, Jeremy Adams, Frans van Liere, E. Ann Matter