HSC Christianity
Significant People
Hildegard of
Bingen
German visionary,
theologian &
polymath
(1098 – 1179)
Hildegard in a nutshell
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Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179) was called the
‘Sibyl of the Rhine’. She was a 12th century abbess
who won a remarkable reputation as a visionary,
writer and diplomat.
In a time when women were rarely consulted about
anything, she advised bishops, kings and the Pope
himself. She wrote major treatises on theology,
natural history and the healing power of plants and
animals, and was revered as a natural healer and for
her many visions.
Her musical legacy, consisting of original
monophonic settings of her religious poetry, usually
in honour of saints and the Virgin Mary, still has the
power to move those who hear it.
Hildegard – an abridged timeline
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1098 – born Bokelheim (in present West
Germany); 10th child (promised to the
Church)
1106ff – raised by the anchoress Jutta in a
hermitage that later became a Benedictine
monastery
1113 – takes vows as a nun
1136 – elected head of Disibodenberg
convent
1130 – begins to receive visions
1138ff – writes down visions in Scivias etc
1150 – moves to new monastery at Bingen,
on banks of the Rhine River
1171 – last of 4 preaching tours ends
1179 – dies aged 81
1300s – her name begins to appear in
martyrologies
1324 – John XXII allows her cult
Today – title ‘Blessed’; efforts still ongoing to
achieve her canonisation
Each year on 17 September – Hildegard’s
feast day; she is celebrated as a saint in the
Rhineland
Remains of Disibodenberg
convent – see 1136 C.E.
Hildegard’s writings – a key
contribution to Christianity
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Scivias (1151)
Symphonia, collection of religious
songs (1158)
The Book of Life’s Merits
(c.1163)
The Book of Divine Works
(c.1173); also lives of local saints,
various musical, scientific & medical
works
The Unknown Language, & The
Unknown Alphabet (both by
1158) written in a private language
she had invented
By c.1158 became known as the
‘Sibyl of the Rhine’; and undertook
preaching tours; her sermons had
great impact but are unrecorded
Hildegard – life of ‘connected knowing’
Hildegard’s contributions in a Venn diagram
Prophecy
&
Social Justice
Hildegard of Bingen
(1098-1179)
Theology
&
Commentaries
Art &
Illumination
Visions
Science
Music
Preaching
tours
Medicine
& Healing
Hildegard’s contribution to
Christianity? (1)
explain the
contribution to the
development and
expression of
Christianity of
Hildegard of Bingen
 Explain = relates
cause and effect, the
relationship between
aspects of something,
the why and how
behind it
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Hildegard’s contribution – development
and expression (2)
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HILDEGARD’S
CONTRIBUTION
The visions and revelations
she began to receive at the age
of 32
Visionary writings, prophecy,
leadership roles
Expanded role of some women
in medieval society
Writings and practice on
medicine, plays, poetry, music
and founding of two nunneries;
plus themes of humility,
obedience, & discretion
Before Hildegard, women’s
visionary experiences were
dismissed as linked to neurosis
or disease (e.g. migraine,
hysteria, anorexia nervosa, and
so on
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HER EFFECT ON D’MENT
& EXPRESSION OF
CHRISTIANITY
Women as mystics and
interpreters of Christianity
Spawned imitators such as
Brigitte of Sweden, Mechtild of
Magdeburg
Some trace roots of modern
feminism back to Hildegard & her
life
Her involvement and talents, plus
these writing themes challenge
and inspire those today seeking
deeper spirituality
Female mystical writings taken
seriously and not dismissed as
‘experiential’ or ‘hysterical’ or
probably written by a man?
Hildegard’s contribution –
development and expression (3)
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HILDEGARD’S
CONTRIBUTION
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Hildegard’s life and
contributions come to light
in 1950s; some accessible
treatments in 1980s, and
are studied closely (Bynum, in
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Hildegard’s poetry, chants
and dramas (Ibid, pp.1-2)
H. concerned about order,
the abuse of authority; she
did not call for radical
change (Newman, in Hart &
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Hart & Bishop, p.1)
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Bishop, p.20)
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H. zealous for orthodoxy
and deeply troubled about
hierarchy’s failure to act
against Cathars (Ibid, pp.2021)
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HER EFFECT ON D’MENT &
EXPRESSION OF CHR’TY
Renewed academic interest &
credibility for women’s history &
for women’s piety & theological
writings
These works by H. now
performed in colleges &
churches worldwide
Many of her observations still
relevant despite different time
As above, many observations
still relevant re. when hierarchy
acts and does not act; learning
the lessons of history
Hildegard’s contribution –
development and expression (4)
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HILDEGARD’S
CONTRIBUTION
H. treatment of
apocalyptic; she did
not envisage a near
Second Coming; she
was deeply concerned
with the whole of
salvation history
Her main work Scivias
[vias Domini] (Know
the ways of the Lord) is
divided into three
sections – creation,
redemption,
santification
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HER EFFECT ON D’MENT &
EXPRESSION OF CHR’TY
Her interpretations still
relevant; looking at all the
biblical evidence
These cycles and her reflections
still influential today
Vision One – God enthroned: the
great mountain of iron
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‘I saw a great mountain the
colour of iron, and enthroned
on it One of such great glory
that it blinded my sight…[the
mountain] symbolises the
strength and stability of the
eternal Kingdom of God, which
no fluctuation of mutability
can destroy, and the One
enthroned upon it of such
great glory that it blinds your
sight is the One in the
Kingdom of Beatitude who
rules the world with celestial
divinity in the brilliance of
unfading serenity, but it is
incomprehensible to human
minds’
Hildegard’s contribution
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WE FIND THE SAINT
THAT SUITS OUR ERA
…our own era has distorted the
image of Hildegard the feminist,
the liberationist, the ‘creationcentred mystic’, the holistic health
practitioner, the prophet of
ecological justice
This model has proven useful and
inspiring to many, but it contains
a grain (but only a grain) of
historical truth.
The image of a saint is a work
in progress and one of synergy. “A
saintly life is the joint creation of
the era that produces the saint
and the era that venerates him or
her’
Hildegard’s contribution
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Projection of our own agendas – we
do not enter their world but project our
own concerns on to them e.g. they
weren’t radical enough, feminist enough
Concerning Hildegard, it is important to
realise that her aim was not to eliminate
the church or its authorities but to
challenge sin and vice
Reductionism – not recognising the
complexities of the world in which, e.g.
Hildegard lived (not monochrome)
Missing the point – e.g. Hildegard refers
to herself as ‘filth and ashes’; is her
medieval viewpoint, not low self esteem
or reflection of misogyny
Over-Psychologising – applying Freud
in a pre-Freudian, medieval era; their
focus on sin and damnation cannot be
dismissed as a psychological hang-up, but
an essential part of their medieval
worldview (refer to Venn chart, slide 11) .
The impact of Hildegard on
Christianity? (1)
analyse the impact of
Hildegard on Christianity
 Analyse = identify
components and the
relationship between
components; draw out
and relate implications
 Looks at the relationship
between Hildegard and
Christianity, including
her impact on
Christianity
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Hildegard’s (long term) impact on
Christianity? Paradox & ambivalence (2)
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Sense of inferiority as a female,
yet fierce castigation of clergy
Women prohibited from holding
priestly office, & usually forbidden
to preach or act as a spiritual
counsellor. Also cut off from new
scholastic education of the time;
yet H. preached on long tours
(begun when she was 60) and
advised Popes
H very free in her artistic
expression yet limited in her
acceptance of wealthy women into
her convent (class restrictions)
H’s writings are not devotional;
in reading them we do not feel
but ‘see’; she uses her visions as
exegetical or teaching tools
Hildegard’s (long term) impact on
Christianity? Paradox & ambivalence (4)
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Occupies a central
place at the crossroads of
twelfth century religious &
secular culture
Rich heritage reflected in
her writings still continues
to inspire – Bible, liturgy,
Benedictine Rule, Church
Fathers, plus rich oral
tradition
Influence of classical
Benedictine theology and
her ‘unique voice’ –
prophetic mission, original
poetic gifts, and her
feminine self-awareness
Hildegard’s (long term) impact on
Christianity? Paradox & ambivalence (5)
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Finally, Hildegard was the
classical ‘twelfth-century
Renaissance woman before
the Renaissance’
Her greatest impact was her
systematic review of Christian
doctrine, scientific &
cosmological interests, her
deep learning, her unique still,
her brilliant use of symbols, her
artistic gifts in poetry, music
and drama
In short, it is the complexity,
variety and sheer intellectual
difficulty of H’s opus that marks
her uniqueness
Hildegard’s (long term) impact on
Christianity? Paradox & ambivalence (6)
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THEOLOGY OF HOLY SPIRIT
Holy Spirit, giving life to all life,
moving all creatures,
root of all things,
washing them clean,
wiping out their mistakes,
healing their wounds,
you are our true life,
luminous, wonderful,
awakening the heart
from its ancient sleep
Wrote Physica (Natural Sciences),
the first book by a women which
discusses plants, trees and herbs
in relation to their medicinal
properties
Hildegard’s (long term) impact on
Christianity? Paradox & ambivalence (7)
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DERMATOLOGY
Probably the first woman to
write about skin diseases
and their therapies. Her
book Causae et curae
(Holistic healing) covers
forms of leprosy, scabies,
lice, insect bites, burns, etc
Healing through the skin
also plays an important role
– e.g. remedies for
diseases; uses rubbings,
baths, warming, sauna,
cupping, etc
Vineyards on the
hillside of Bingen
One key artwork or illumination
from Hildegard (1)
Book Two, Vision Two
Trinity (Man in Sapphire Blue)
 ‘Then I saw a bright light, and in
this light the figure of a man the
colour of a sapphire, which was
all blazing with a gentle glowing
fire. And that bright light bathed
the whole of the glowing fire,
and the glowing fire bathed the
bright light; and the bright light
and glowing fire poured over the
whole human figure, so that the
three were one light in one
power of potential’
One key artwork or illumination
from Hildegard (2)
Book Two, Vision Two
Trinity (Man in Sapphire Blue)
 Blue = compassion, colour of water
flowing through a compassionate
cosmos
 ‘Blue Christ’ = entrance of
Compassion into our world,
revelation of ‘maternal love of the
embracing God’
 Hands = extended in compassion,
healing, assisting
 Body within circles of energy
 Opening at top of man’s head and
the flow of energy
 Pulsating energy = rope, waves,
energy/fire of Holy Spirit binding all
creation
(Marie Farrell, CIS notes; Hickam & Griffin,
p.64ff; Hart & Bishop, p.161ff)
One key artwork or illumination
from Hildegard (3)
Book Two, Vision Two
Trinity (Man in Sapphire Blue)
 Mandala = Holy Trinity: ‘Just as
a circle embraces all within it, so
does the Godhead embrace all’;
Bright light = Father; Blue
figure = Son; glowing fire =
Holy Spirit
 ‘God hugs you. You are encircled
by the arms of the mystery of
God’
 Blue trinitarian figure
symbolises both Wisdom and
Compassion
 Challenges us to be transformed
to become other Christs, to
personify compassion
Key musical compositions from Hildegard (1)
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O viridissima virga
(Hail, greenest stem)
Hail, greenest stem,
which in the windy breeze
of the prayers of the saints
was brought forth.
Since the time has come
when you flourished
amongst your fronds,
hail, hail to you
Key musical compositions from Hildegard (2)
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Laus Trinitati
Praise to the Trinity
which is the character,
life, and creator of all
living things.
And which is the praise
of the crowd of angels
and the wondrous
splendour of secrets
unknown to humanity,
and which is life to all
(Revelations, 2001, Track 4)
Some key passages from the
writings of Hildegard (1)
HER FIRST VISION /
ILLUMINATION
 ‘And it came to pass…when I
was 42 years and 7 months
old, that the heavens were
opened and a blinding light of
exceptional brilliance flowed
through my entire brain. And
so it kindled my whole heart
and breast like a flame. Not
burning but warming…and
suddenly I understood the
meaning and expression of the
books [religious texts that she
had been reading] (Scivias – ‘the
one who knows the ways of the Lord’)
Hildegard – key passages (2)
VIRIDITY* (GREENESS)
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O, most noble viridity,
You who have root in the sun,
You shine in the limpid brightness,
In the movement of a wheel
Which escapes human intelligence.
You, viridity, are enveloped
In the force of the heavenly
mysteries.
You redden like the dawn,
You blaze in the ardor of the sun,
O, most noble viridity.
(Scivias III,vis.13, c,7,CM43; cited in
Brunn & Epiney-Burgard, p.36)
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* Viriditas = a germinative, creative
force, found at all levels of divine and
earthly life; the radiant splendour of
God sustaining all things in being.
Hildegard – key passages (4)
DIVINE PROVIDENCE &
PROPHECY
 ‘I am but a feather upon
the breath of God’
 Hildegard called her
voice ‘a small sound of
the trumpet from the
living Light’
 ‘The living light says: the
paths of the scriptures
lead directly to the high
mountain…’
Hildegard setback - ‘Did you know?’ (1)
‘When the University of
Paris (the first
university in the
world) opened its
doors in 1150,
Hildegard travelled
there in order to
bequeath her books
and manuscripts to
the university.
They were rejected
because she was a
woman’
Hildegard setback - ‘Did you know?’ (2)
‘For the first 42 years of her
life (1098-1140), Hildegard
led a sheltered existence,
much of it within the walls of
a monastery.’ In 1148 (aged
50) after the Synod of Trier,
her visions were encouraged
and she began more actively
to write, preach, counsel, and
record her visions. She
completed her final preaching
tour in 1171 (aged 73)
(Atherton, xiii-xv)
Hildegard setback - ‘Did you know?’ (3)
In Hildegard’s time
most women were
considered illiterate
(couldn’t write or read
Latin). Hildegard broke
the stereotype of
women not writing and
merely adopting a
prophetic role. She
expanded in all [new]
areas of endeavour
(cf. Atherton, p.xxii)
Hildegard setback - ‘Did you know?’ (4)
Hildegard the writer of
parables
‘Listen now, a king sat on his
throne, high pillars before
him…[the pillars] showed the king’s
vestments in great honour
everywhere. Then the king chose
to lift a small feather from the
ground, and he commanded it to
fly just as the king himself wishes.
But a feather does not fly of its
own accord; it is borne up by the
air. So too I am not imbued with
human doctrine or strong powers.
Nor do I desire good bodily health.
Rather, I depend entirely on God’s
help’
(Atherton, p.xxvi; re. ‘feather’ see also Slide
39)
Goodbye Hildegard
Additional Hildegard images