Hildegard of Bingen, Essay Example

Introduction

Hildegard of Bingen was born in 1098 and was considered to be one of the most significant people in Middle Ages History.  Hildegard was the daughter of a Knight and when she became 8 years old was sent to a Benedictine Monestary to be educated.   At the age of 20 she became a nun. Some 20 years later she became the head of the female community at the Monestary of Mount St Disibo ” Within the next four years, she had a series of visions, and devoted the ten years from 1140 to 1150 to writing them down, describing them (this included drawing pictures of what she had seen), and commenting on their interpretation and significance.”  (Anon, 2009)

Pope Eugenius III became interested in the visions of Hildegard and he instructed a commission to investigate the authenticity of her reports.  The commission confirmed authenticity of the visions and subsequently the Pope sent her a letter of approval.  In turn Hildegard asked the Pope to continue the reforms in the Church.  Hildegard moved the large growing population of nuns from the Monestary at Mount St Disiblo ( a mixed male / female religious community) to that of an all female Monestary near Bingen in Germany.  Hildegard was an avid traveller and visited many religious establishments throughout  Southern Germany, Switzerland and France.  Her sermons were described as being extremely stirring  She died in 1179 leaving a legacy of collected writings that spanned Popes, Kings, Nobleman, Bishops and Nuns.  Hildegard was also very interested in music and composed 72 songs.  The legacy also included about 70 poems and 9 books.  Some of the written work being on apothecary, herbalism and anatomy.

The Prophecies

During the period that Hildegard experiences her many visions she only confided in two people.  To another Monk called Jutta and to her personal secretary Volmar.  It was in 1141 that she experienced the most important of these visions. Hildegard suffered from extreme bouts of migraine and it was this suffering throughout her life that contributed towards the clarity of these visions.  The vision from God was a powerful one and enabled her clarity and understanding of religious texts. God commanded her to write down all that she witnessed and experienced in her visions.

During all these years Hildegard confided of her visions only to Jutta and another monk, named Volmar, who was to become her lifelong secretary. However, in 1141, Hildegard had a vision that changed the course of her life. A vision of god gave her instant understanding of the meaning of the religious texts, and commanded her to write down everything she would observe in her visions. ” 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 of the meaning of expositions of the books…  (Lerman 1995)

Her main visionary works include that of:

• Scivias;
• Liber divonorum operum (1163) [ The Book of Divine Works ]
• Physica and Causae Curae (1150)
• Liber Subtilatum[ Subltleties of the diverse nature of things)

The Scivias

Hildegard is said to have completed the Scivias in or around 1151/1152 and these comprised some 23 visions. This particular work is in essence split up into three parts: (i) The Trinity (ii) Jesus Christ and the Sacraments and (iii) The coming Kingdom of God.  The first part the trinity comprised some six visions. The second part some seven visions focusing on the topic of salvation through the redeemer Jesus Christ and (iii) Some 13 visions on sanctification dealing with the topics of good and evil.  To this day the Scivias survive in some 10 old manuscripts. The most famous of these being the “Rupertsberg” manuscript because it is dated back to the time of Hildegard’s death and therefore presumed to be the most accurate rendition.  (Hart 1990)

With the visions of the Scivias Hildegard was at first hesitent in interpretation of them. It was her monk and secretary (Volmar) who insisted that she must write these down and record them on manuscript.  She subsequently received permission from the Abbot Kuno of Disbodenberg.  Hildegard took a considerable time to record the visions and was said to be disturbed and frightened of these visions.  In all of the three parts of the vision there is a degree of consistency and similarity in reference to the ” vision from heaven speaking to me ”  There were certain political conotations to the workings of Holdegard.  At the time she stood out as a feminist and was prepared only to listen to the word of God and not that of men.  This was something of a revelation for this period ” Hildegard was a rabid feminist in the modern sense, but because as a woman in a patriarchal age she dared to obey God “instead of men,” preaching and writing to arouse to Christian responsibility a “lukewarm and sluggish” clergy and an ill-informed people in what she called an “effeminate age.” And “just” because scholars of her own gender may best resonate with some of the struggles Hildegard faced in follower her prophetic calls, a mission that eventually won the support of her contemporary, St. Bernard, and the official endorsement of Pope Eugenius II himself”  (Barrow 1991)

Liber divonorum operum (1163) [ The Book of Divine Works ]

This piece of work was considered to be of the most complex and mystical writing. It examined the scientific interest  that studied mankind’s place in the Universe and considered the need for both balance / reason and harmony in nature.  Man was responsible for this gift from god and ensuring the harmony and balance of nature would be maintained and  protected. There are repeated references to the feminism of Hildegard throughout the compositions of these visions and the reference to mans position in the sight of God.  ” Samuel Lyndon Gladden has argued against the notion of Hildegard as a passive agent of the voice of God, suggesting that she “knowingly and wilfully encodes a feminine voice in the midst of what appears to be the message of an obviously male-identified God.”   (Marowski 2009)

The Divine Works or Book 2 expands on the theme of Redemption, considering God’s remedy for the world and humankind in the fallen state depicted in the first book. The Divine Works focuses on the sacraments, the priesthood, and eucharistic theology .  Book 3 containing the final series of visions looks upon the subjects of salvation, history and explores the work of the Holy Spirit in building the Kingdom of God by means of the virtues.  It is this final book that terrified Hildegard  with its’ apocalyptic ending includes visions of the Last Judgment and the creation of the New Heaven and Earth. The thirteenth vision incorporates an early version of Hildegard’s Ordo virtutum (Play of the Virtues, 1150s?).

Examining extracts from the  fourth vision of book 2, dealing with the sacrament of confirmation, provides an illumination of the intensity and power of the writings. “Here a series of interconnected visions depicts Ecclesia (the Church) as a beau (And then I saw, as it were, a huge round tower entirely built of white stone, having three windows at its summit, from which such brightness shone forth that even the conical roof of the tower appeared very dearly in the brightness of this light. The windows themselves were decorated round about with most beautiful emeralds. And this tower seemed to be placed in the middle of the back of the woman mentioned above [Ecclesia], as a lower is placed in a city wall, so that the image might never fall, because of its strength “.  (Flanagan 1995)

The Book of Divine Works is shows  pictures  depicting  man and the universe. ” In the roundness of the human head one finds the roundness of the firmament.  The just and rigorous dimensions of the firmament correspond to the same dimensions in the head of man.’ (IV, 15-16). ”  This depiction portrays the divine love  Christ.  The fires of love and judgement burn in his chest, marking the exterior limits of the universe, in which man takes his place as the crowning glory of Creation. Upon examining the symbols in greater detail, it provides a closer understanding of what the vision is supposed to be telling us.  The iconic symbols of the map and the different frameworks that connect them.  It is the parallel insights of the vision that connects nature with theology.  It points towards the early reformers who later became known as the cathars.  The vision gives credence to the future rise of the cathars and the basis for which the movement was formed, hence offering the catholic alternative for the cathars view of the universe.

One of the first illustrations in the Book of Divine Works shows the ‘Vision of Divine Love’, who holds the Lamb of God, and tramples upon Discord and the devil. The tradition shows the generally held view of  a young woman.. The face is bright red, In the twelfth century a depiction showing  divine love and the element of fire, and from the top of her head emerges the face of an old man. At the foot of the drawing  is a small picture of Hildegard writing down her visions on wax tablets with the assistance of the nun Ricardis and her confessor the monk Volmar, recording the events of the vision onto manuscript.

Hildegard’s reading of the scriptures had a specific focus on the apocalypse and she clearly placed her own era at the “end of times”.  There is an air of calmness that reflects on the end days of the cosmos and the sense of urgency for individuals to prepare for gods final judgement.  The importance of being open and receptive to gods love.  Some elements of Hildegard’s political references are shown in the Divine Works.  The aspects of her feminism are repeated in illustrations and the reverence of God to Women. Of particular importance is her opposition to the Cathars and her depiction of the catholic viewpoint in reference to this.

Hildegard was clearly a reformist and this was emphasised in her messages to the Pope asking him to continue with the reforms of the church.  ” Malcolm Lambert places the

emergence of the Cathars within the historical context of the shift from the first to the second millennium.18 In the tenth century in the Latin West, organised groups of heretics were virtually non-existent. About 950, Adso of Montier-en-Der wrote a work about the coming of the Antichrist. In the writings of Raoul Glaber, the years 1000 and 1033 became a focal point for speculation about the coming of the Antichrist and the setting loose of Satan for a time.”  (Doyle 2007)

Physica and Causae Curae (1150)

In the two works of Physica and Causae et Curae Hildegard compiled some 513 descriptions of plants, animals, elements and metals, this with the objective  of analyzing their medical and dietary uses. Subsequent communications to popes and bishops she castigated the clergy for building wealth  and neglecting their important spiritual duties Hildegard’s was harsh in her criticism of  Frederick  Barbarossa’s in his attempts at reducing the power of the papacy. . At the age of 62 she went on her first extended trip to preach in monasteries and admonish the clergy around Germany. These trips continue for another decade until she reached 72 years of age.  Throughout these  years Hildegard continued to write down her visions. She completed Liber vitae meritorum in 1163 and Liber divinorum operum in 1173. Hildegard stated that all her visions were received with extreme clarity and she never went into trances or a sub conscious state.

These works within the Pyysica and Causae et Curae were uncharacteristic of Hildegard’s writings and correspondences.  These works were not of a visionary nature and neither contain references to the revelations or other divine sources.  The similarity to the religious manuscripts is in the philosophical nature that man was at the centre of Gods purpose and that all that contained within nature was a gift for him to use.  With that gift was the concept of responsibility and to use such resources in nature wisely,   as this in turn was to respect the creator who had provided this.

It is appropriate to consider the scientific views of Hildegard.  These were derived from the ancient Greek cosmology of the four elements: -fire, air, water, and earth ” Human constitution was based on the preponderance of one or two of the humors. Even today the  words “choleric”, “sanguine”, “phlegmatic” and “melancholy” are used to describe personalities.”  (Lerman 1995).   Sickness upset the delicate balance of the body , and only by eating the proper  plant or animal could restore the healthy balance to the body.  In this context only the correct descriptions of plants, trees, birds, animals, stones, were use for illustrating the medicinal properties and applications of use.   “Reyan (tansy) is hot and a little damp and is good against all superfluous flowing humours and whoever suffers from catarrh and has a cough, let him eat tansy. It will bind humors so that they do not overflow, and thus will lessen.”  (Lerman 1995).

Hildegard defined the  nine healing systems as Plants, Elements, Trees, Stones, Fish, Birds, Animals, Reptiles, and Metals, medicinal components being held within each grouping. It included considerable  information and medical applications appropriate to the many herbs and  plants discovered  by Hildegard to contain  certain  healing powers, thus making the Physica of a practical application to the physicians of the time looking for ways of producing cheap and simple home made medical curatives. During the renaissance the widespread publication  of the Physica  became standard reading in medicine and as such she was the first German writer to obtain notoriety in this field of research.

The final book, Causae et curae, is classified as a medical compendium describing  the cause and effect of the movement of the universe, this aligning medical diseases and potential curative measures.  The importance of boiling drinking water figured prominently in her remedies, she was amongst the first to recognise the concept of bacteria and disease spread through contaminated or impure drinking water.  Both Physica, Hildegard’s Causae et curae remained influential pieces well  into the 16th century.

Liber Subtilatum

This was a treatise on natural history and the therapeutic powers of natural substances.  Hildegard also reviewed the sexual activities of mankind and perhaps provided the first documented description of the female orgasm  ” When a woman is making love with a man, a sense of heat in her brain, which brings with it sensual delight, communicates the taste of that delight during the act and summons forth the emission of the man’s seed. And when the seed has fallen into its place, that vehement heat descending from her brain draws the seed to itself and holds it, and soon the woman’s sexual organs contract, and all the parts that are ready to open up during the time of menstruation now close, in the same way as a strong man can hold something enclosed in his fist.”  (Lerman 1995)

The poet and composer Hildegard wrote both poetry and music, which were mostly liturgical plainchants in a single vocal melodic line about saints and the Virgin Mary. “Every poem and song is a memory of divine harmony. Her 77 chants are a very powerful physical and spiritual healing tool, helping the singer to reconnect to the divine realm and manifesting holiness in daily life.”  (Agocsi 2006)

Summing up her main literary works within the Scivias comprised ” trilogy of Scivias (Know the Way), 1151, Liber Vitae Meritorum (Book of Life’s Merits), 1150-63, and Liber Divinorum Operum (Book of Divine Works), 1150-79. In these books she describes all her visions and interprets them. They are also beautifully decorated, probably by the nuns of her convent under her instruction and partly transcribed by the monk Volmar. The interpretations of her visions are drawing on Catholic spirituality. The trilogy was very well-known throughout the Middle Ages, and much later it was printed for the first time in Paris in 1513.”  (Agocsi 2006)

The Politics of Hildegard

Hildegard was recognised as a feminist and a person who cleverly used these tactics to give credence to her visions coming from the divine as opposed to mortal man.  In more recent times she has appealed to feminist scholars, in particular her reference to that of belonging to a class of “the weaker sex” and the rather constant demeaning of women.  What at first appears out of character has to be put into context of the times. Heresy was a serious crime in those days and you constantly had to be careful how you both stated and interpreted things. Religion and the Catholic church was very much a male dominated society and in order to achieve reformist goals within the church she had to tread a very careful path.  It was clever to describe herself as an unlearned woman and emphasised more the fact that visions, utterances and music came from divine intervention. Hildegard was active in using her power and authority in order to condemn certain church practices.  Particularly those higher officials that used their office to gain and accumulate wealth as opposed to improving their spiritual status within the church.

Hildegard was one of the first persons that became canonized .  Nevertheless the  process took so long that four attempts at canonization were not completed and as such she stayed at the third level of beatification ( the route to sainthood in the Catholic Church).   Hildegard’s name was accepted  in the Roman Martyology at the end of the sixteenth century.  Numerous popes have referred to Hildegard as a saint, including Popes John Paul II  and  Benedict XVI

Hildegard was known as a political moralist of her times  and she  publicly preached monastic reform, founded two nunneries, and was thoroughly involved in the politics surrounding popes and anti-popes.  One of the earliest known morality plays was that of the Ordo Virtutum crafted by Hildegard.  She is remarkable for being able to unite ” vision with doctrine, religion with science, charismatic jubilation with prophetic indignation, and depicting social order with the quest for social justice.

Similar to other  visionaries Hildegard entered the political arena by feeling the need  to chastise rulers and people of authority.  Her correspondents included Henry II of England, the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, Pope Eugenius III, and various other prelates. Further Hildegard showed herself remarkably adept  in other fields.  Her many talents included  poems, hymns, and a morality play, besides works of medicine and natural history. These last comprised studies on the elements, plants, trees, minerals, fishes, birds, quadrupeds, and reptiles, a remarkable achievement for its time, especially for a cloistered nun. ” The medical work treats of the circulation of blood, headaches, vapours and giddiness, frenzy, insanity, and obsessions. Other works include commentaries on the Gospels, on the Athanasian Creed, and on the Rule of St. Benedict as well as some Lives of Saints. She was also a musician and artist. The illustrations of her Scivias have been reproduced in modern times and have been compared with the work of William Blake. In recent years her music has been edited and recorded.”  (Enyclopedia 2001)

Hildegard was not without political difficulties within her own Catholic Church. There were a number of occasions where she faced serious troubles and possibly bad consequences.  Perhaps none so serious as the burial and last sacraments of the ex-communicated boy.  The Bishop of Mainz placed an interdiction against her that was subsequently removed.  ” In the last year of her life Hildegard had to undergo a very severe trial. In the cemetery adjoining her convent a young man was buried who had once been under excommunication. The ecclesiastical authorities of Mainz demanded that she have the body removed. She did not consider herself bound to obey since the young man had received the last sacraments and was therefore supposed to have been reconciled to the Church. Sentence of interdict was placed on her convent by the chapter of Mainz, and the sentence was confirmed by the bishop, Christian (V) Buch, then in Italy. After much worry and correspondence she succeeded in having the interdict removed. ”   (Mersham 1910).

There is no doubt of the wide political influence that Hildegard posessed by the number of important and influential people that she communicated with at the time.  This sphere of influence was widely acknowledged and well understood.  Being of divine inspiration she was fearless in terms of expressing forthright opinions on morals, spirituality and important reforms within the catholic church.  Although held in high esteem she was careful in chosing her words and communications lest she be misquoted, mis-understood or misinterpreted in any way.  The recording of all the visions on manuscripts by her Monk and secretary was an important means of ensuring original recordings were based upon the factual meanings of her visions. ” the Wiesbaden manuscript contains letters to and from Eugene III, Anastasias IV, Adrian IV, and Alexander III, King Conrad III, Emperor Frederick, St. Bernard, ten archbishops, nine bishops, forty-nine abbots and provosts of monasteries or chapters, twenty-three abbesses, many priests, teachers, monks, nuns, and religious communities (P.L., loc. cit.). Pitra has many additions; L. Clarus edited them in a German translation (Ratisbon, 1854).”  (Mersham 1910)

Another example of political intervention was when one of Hildegard’s nuns and her personal secretary was  assigned to another posting by the nuns brother who was a Bishop. This enraged Hildegard who wrote insulting letters to the Bishop and even communicated with Pope in an attempt to block the move.   The nun ultimately decided to leave but died prior to departure so all was in vain.  In the meantime Hildegard somewhat exposed her hand and the lengths that she would go to in order to have her own way.  ”  Richardis or Ricardis von Stade, one of the convent’s nuns who was a personal assistant to Hildegard of Bingen, was a special favourite of Hildegard. Richardis’ brother was an archbishop, and he arranged for his sister to head another convent. Hildegard tried to persuade Richardis to stay, and wrote insulting letters to the brother and even wrote to the Pope hoping to stop the move. But Richardis left, and died after she decided to return to Rupertsberg but before she could do so.”  (Lewis 2009)

Hildegard was clever in her use of words and metaphors and often associated herself and feminism in close association with the divinity of God.  This removed her from the male dominated sect of the catholic faith and to an extent set her aside from some of the more dangerous political conversations of the time.  ” She used the metaphor of marriage to God, though this was not her invention nor a new metaphor — but it was not universal. Her visions have female figures in them: Ecclesia, Caritas (heavenly love), Sapientia, and others. In her texts on medicine, she included topics which male writers usually did not, such as how to deal with menstrual cramps. ”  (Lewis 2009).   The part of feminism which she included in her many works have divine and angelic qualities.

Papal approval was key to the success of Hildegard in granting her freedom of speech and political movement within the Catholic Church.  Without this approval from the Vatican it is unlikely that many of her letters would have been so widely communicated to Kings, Bishops and other nobility ” Eugenius gave papal approval both to this text and to whatever else Hildegard might produce by means of the Holy Spirit. Official recognition that Hildegard’s work was divinely inspired served to disarm potential critics and allowed Hildegard a good deal of freedom to criticize the shortcomings of her secular and spiritual superiors. She saw herself as continuing the work of the prophets in proclaiming the truths that God wished humanity to know.”  (Flanagan 1995).

Hildegard was very concerned with spiritual purity and morals.  In particular how to enter heaven in a state of grace free from the distractions and imperfections of a materialistic world.  This was uppermost in her mind when she relocated the nuns to the new monastery and how they complained about the journey and upheaval.  In a sense suffering is an integral part of the Christian faith and part of the life journey that we all must make.  ” Scivias can be viewed, on one level, as an attempt to answer the question of how Christians should live their lives so as to reach the Heavenly City; the Liber Vitae Meritorum seems to be a deeper exploration of the same subject, dealing at length with the vices that beset the traveler on the way. This concentration on the negative side of human nature may have been uppermost in Hildegard’s mind after the difficulties she had with some of the nuns who were dissatisfied with the move to Rupertsberg.”

The other aspect of Hildegard’s political life was based around her ten years of extensive travels.  She used the opportunity to extend her public influences and network of theological colleagues and supporters of the Catholic faith.  This enabled her to see who were the influential reformers in the church and where her doctrines would have the most impact.  ” Around the time when she wrote the Liber Vitae Meritorum, Hildegard emerged even further into public life, embarking on a series of preaching tours. On the first, which took her along the river Main as far as Bamberg, she preached to monastic communities at Würzburg and Kitzingen. During her second tour in 1160 she took the highly unusual step (for a woman) of preaching in public at Trier, as well as visiting communities at Metz and Krauftal. On her third tour, undertaken sometime before 1163, she went north to Cologne and Werden; her fourth, in 1170, took her south to Zwiefalten.”  (Flanagan 1995).

Hildegard was keen to point out the role and responsibilities of Christians within the context of the Church and the importance of maintaining moral values and spiritual beliefs.  The emphasis upon leading a good spiritual life as opposed to one based upon material gains and the creation of wealth.  This was often not without acknowledging some contempt for Bishops who placed material values of the Church before God.  ” her subsequent commentary on the first book of Genesis in vision five interprets each verse literally; allegorically, as referring to the progress of the faith and the growth of the church; and topologically or morally, as pertaining to the actions of the individual Christian.”  (Flanagan 1995).

Hildegard was mainly noted for her support and encouragement of Kings and Queens. She offered spiritual guidance but at times this sailed very close to the wind.  None more than the correspondence with King Henry 11nd shortly before the murder of Thomas Beckett inside Canterbury Cathedral.  Fortunately such advice to Henry and Eleanor of Aquitaine was portrayed as being prior to any tragic events. ” The reason such correspondents give for their faith in her help is her acknowledged gift of prophecy, in the medieval sense of being privy to God’s secrets. Such, presumably, were the letters that prompted hers to Henry II of England and his queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine. Hildegard gives them general words of encouragement and admonition, indicating that the exchange took place well before the murder of Thomas Becket”  (Flanagan 1995).

In more modern times the image of Hildegard,  faithful her whole life to the teachings of the Church, has also been manipulated by radical elements such as feminist academics and New Age believers.  The reality of the historical depiction of the works of Hildegard and the monks and nuns that supported her , are starkly contrasted  to that of  modern stereotypes  of medieval women as enslaved, oppressed, uneducated.  In evidence, based on the manuscripts available that record actual events from this time  her writings contain explicit condemnations of every kind of immorality popular today, while extolling the benefits of the Christian spiritual life and virtues.

In Germany they are making a film of this to be released in 2010 – “Vision – Aus dem Leben der Hildegard von Bingen”.  Already released this September in Germany and Austria it will reach wider European audiences next year.  Unfortunately the film seems to be filled with many historical inaccuracies, supposedly to give the output more sensationalist appeal.  One particular point being the obsession of self flagellation – the most extreme form of mortification in the catholic church.  This flogging or chastisement with whips never really gets mentioned within the doctrines or teachings of Hildegard.

The End of Days and the Anti-Christ

One of the remarkable things about the Scivias is the vision of Hildegard about the End of Days and the coming of the Anti-Christ.  This is described with some clarity and equally discusses the position of the Jewish people.  It was long held tradition that the anti-Christ would be the demonic twin of Christ and as such of Jewish birth and race.  This being one of the reasons for the persecution of the Jews over the Centuries.  The other belief is that Satan will rise to power from the Church and persecute Christians and true believers.  Both of these are at direct odds with one another.  Hildegard was however perfectly clear on this and stated that the anti-Christ would rise from the Church and not of Jewish birth.  She states that he will try to imitate Christ’s path on Earth but will ultimately be destroyed ” Antichrist will create a parody of the great events of the end of Christ’s life, that is, his death, resurrection, ascension into heaven, and giving of the holy spirit. For Hildegard, Antichrist will pretend to die … and then, in a culminating moment, when he tries to ascend into heaven and parody Christ’s ascension, he’ll be cast down and destroyed. …”  (Cohn 2008)

Hildegard provided a constant reminder to the religious community of the day about their need to remain spiritually pure and set examples to others.  A particular strength in the use of words and how these interpreted Gods reactions to specific events ” Her visions showed how God responds to injustice with justice, to numbness with strength, to forgetfulness with holiness, to changeableness with steadiness, to care of earthly things with heavenly desire, to obstinacy with sorrow of the heart, to desire with contempt for the world, and to discord with concord. She also saw how one could respond to scurrility with reverence, to aimlessness with quiet stability, to wrong doing with true care of God, to avarice with pure contentment, and to the sorrow of time with heavenly joy. She observed that good masters, like good air, guide their disciples with discretion and immediate correction. She concluded this visionary book with descriptions of heavenly joys and blessings.”  (Anon, Christian Ethics1095-1300 2004)
The Relevance to Modern Times

The remarkable thing about Hildegard, her works, art and political persuasions all have relevancy to modern time doctrines.  The scientology of Christ being a universal deity is a profound wisdom considering cosmology and a single creator.  Although a Benedictine she lived in a male dominated Augustine world.

Hildegard was perhaps amongst the first to reveal the concept  of a “cosmic Christ” . Rather amazing  to compare her sense of cosmic justice and love of nature with that of her contemporary , Peter Lombard who for centuries was accepted as the basis of Christian doctrine by  Christian clerics.  Is so far as theology had only a fall/redemption approach to spirituality, academics struggled  to appreciate  Hildegard’s immense contribution to spirituality. Today, the more progressive  student of Hildegard will find all four paths and every one of the twenty-six themes of the creation-centered spiritual tradition in her work.  The themes demonstrate the most  “useful” insights of her theology. These paths and themes include the following: ”  Dabhar, the creative energy or word of God; blessing; earthiness as the meaning of humility; cosmos; trust; pantheism; royal personhood; realised eschatology; cosmic hospitality; emptying; being emptied; nothingness; divinization; art as meditation; trust of images; dialectic; God as Mother; New Creation; trusting the prophet call; compassion as celebration; compassion as “zealous” justice. Applying these themes to Hildegard’s work makes her theology become alive, incarnated, fleshy, and “useful”.”  (Fox 1985)

Hildegard raises modern awareness to Christianity from a historical past. From  the wisdom of the ancient women’s religions and as such offers healing to the male/female split in religion. The ability to point out the  psyche to the cosmos which offers healing to both gender. There is a strong relevance to her teaching in the respect for the  holiness of the earth and the need for healing the awful split between matter and spirit in the West. Of particular importance was her ability to harmonize science and religion using the creativity of both art and music.   enabling the  healing of  the dangerous rift between science and religion that has dominated culture the past 300 years in the West. “In illuminating darkness, she speaks out.” She illumines us today more than she illumined or dreamed of illuminating anyone in her own time. She gifts us with her illuminations. (Fox 1985).

Another aspect of understanding Hildegard and her writings is that of sybolism. The Benedictines were masters of symbolism and interpretation of same.  Essentially a language in its own rights, unless you can decypher the true meaning of the symbols presented  it is almost impossible to understand many of the written manuscripts ” Eliade believes that the person “who understands a symbol not only ‘opens himself’ to the objective world, but at the same time succeeds in emerging from his personal situation and reaching a comprehension of the universal.” Paradox and personal experience, systematic imagination and diverse levels of meaning, cosmos and world patterns, are all expressed by symbol. Entering into Hildegard’s symbolism awakens the rich symbolic treasury of Christian history. Her century was peculiarly “saturated” with a symbolic consciousness”  (Fox 1985)

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