St+Hildegard+of+Bingen

=**// St. Hildegard of Bingen //**=

Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) was born in [|Bermersheim], Germany as the tenth child of a noble family that became one of the most remarkable women of her time. She received a [|conservative religious education] as a child and by 1150 had founded her own convent at [|Rupertsberg] near Bingen, and later the [|Eibingen] monastery in 1165. [1] She frequently experienced divine visions and produced a number of major works on theology, medicine and natural history, as well as being an avid composer and playwright.

__**Divine Visions and Theological Works**__
Hildegard is best known for her divine visions and theological works. Despite receiving these visions from an early age,it was not until Hildegard was forty-two that she believed God had commissioned her to write and speak of them. [2] She described this moment in her first work //[|Scivias]// (Know Thy Ways); "I was filled with fear and refused to write, not because of stubbornness but because I felt incapable.. Finally I heard a voice from Heaven which said to me, “Speak therefore of these wonders, and, being so taught, write them and speak.” [3]   Hildegard’s numerous letters also reveal much about her visions and beliefs. She often referred to her belief that her divine inspiration was always present, [4] and the way in which the “living light” influenced her;   "From my childhood when my bones, nerves, and blood vessels were not yet strong, until the present hour… I enjoyed the gift of this vision in my soul…I see the   things only in my soul with my bodily eyes open... I see them by day and by night." [5]   It is clear that despite never doubting the divinity of her visions, Hildegard wanted her visions to be sanctioned by the Catholic Church, and with the help of [|Pope Eugenius] (1145-1153), Hildegard’s //Scivias// was authorised to be printed. [6] In the years proceeding, Hildegard wrote her second and third major works; //[|Liber divinorum operum]// (Book of Divine Works) and //[|Liber vitae meritorum] // (Book of Life’s Merits), and undertook at least four “” in which she visited leading monastic communities and worked alongside powerful monks in renowned theological libraries. [7] The range of her travels were extensive, and her gender and lack of formal education convinced male church leaders and the general population that she was truly “the mouthpiece of God”. [8]

__ **Medicine and Natural History** __
Hildegard of Bingen made significant contributions to the fields of medicine and natural history. From 1151-1158 she composed her major medical works, //[|Liber simplicis medicinae]// (Physics) and// [|Liber compositae medicinae] // (Causes and Cures), [9] in which she discussed treatments and cures for general ailments, physiology and cosmology. [10] It was Hildegard’s writings on [|sexual relations] however that is most interesting, as she demonstrated an unusually thorough knowledge of conception and intercourse throughout her works. [11] She describes in detail the female orgasm, differing characteristics of men and women due to their bodily temperatures, and the strength of semen and the ways in which this affected the disposition of a child. [12] The discussion of these topics by a [|Benedictine] nun was highly unusual, however it helped to prove her divine inspiration and gained her further admiration and respect.

__**Cultural Significance**__
Hildegard of Bingen was also a talented musical composer and playwright. Hildegard wrote over seventy [|compositions], many of which were hymns and devotional songs. [13] In 1163-1170 she wrote the drama //Ordo Virtutum// (Play of Virtues)//,// which was performed by the nuns in her convent. [14] Hildegard believed that music was an important element of life as it represented the joys of paradise, and this is apparent in the soaring melodies and wide use of musical instruments throughout her compositions. [15] Hildegard continued to write and compose until her death on 17 September 1179, aged eighty-one. [16] She was [|beatified] and referred to as Saint Hildegard; a title that reflected her popularity at the time. [17]

__**Legacy**__
Hildegard of Bingen made a highly significant contribution to medieval theological, medical, musical, and cultural life. She gained the respect and admiration of leading men of the Church, and was frequently consulted by highly influential spiritual leaders. In a time where there were few educational facilities for women, Hildegard’s numerous published works are evidence of her intellect, belief in her divine inspirations, and passion for theology. Despite recent assertions that her visions were in fact the result of severe migraines, it is clear that Hildegard’s life is remarkable for her time as she transcended social, gendered, and theological boundaries and made significant contributions to various fields of learning and knowledge.

__Image References__

 * St. Hildegard, from the Weisbaden Codex, 12th Century. Available at: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/265747/Saint-Hildegard
 * //Universal Man,// manuscript illumination from //Scivias// by Hildegard of Bingen. Available at: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/265747/Saint-Hildegard
 * Sample page from Hildegard's //Prayer Book.// Available at: http://www.library.arizona.edu/exhibits/illuman/12_02.html

[1] ‘The Life and Works of Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)’, in //Internet History Sourcebooks//: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/med/hildegarde.asp//. (a//ccessed: 17th August 2011); Sabina Flanagan. 1989. //Hildegard of Bingen: A Visionary Life.// London: Routledge, 41; Connie Schutz. “Intimate Narratives: The Letters of Hildegard of Bingen.” //Scottish Journal of Theology// 49, no. 4 (1996): 430. [2] Connie Schutz. “Intimate Narratives: The Letters of Hildegard of Bingen.” //Scottish Journal of Theology// 49, no. 4 (1996): 430. [3] Hildegard of Bingen. //Scivias// ( trans. Bruce Hozeski). Santa Fe: Bear & Co., 1986, 15. [4] Hildegard of Bingen in Carolyn W. Sur. 1993. //The Feminine Images of God in the Visions of Saint Hildegard of Bingen’s Scivias.// New York: The Edwin Mellen Press [5] Ibid, 21. [6] ‘The Life and Works of Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)’ [7] Beverly M. Kienzle. 2009. //Hildegard of Bingen and her Gospel Homilies: Speaking New Mysteries.// Turnhout: Brepolis, 47, 55; Sur (1993), 169; ‘The Life and Works of Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)’. [8] Schutz (1996), 438. [9] Sur (1993), 171. [10] E. Bjork (2011) //Hildegard of Bingen// (online). [11] Hildegard of Bingen in Sur (1993), 85. [12] Hildegard of Bingen in Flanagan (1989), 101. [13] Ibid, 108; ‘The Life and Works of Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)’. [14] Sur (1993), 168; ‘The Life and Works of Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)’. [15] ‘The Life and Works of Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)’; White (1998), 15. [16] Flanagan (1989), 49. [17] Ibid; Sur (1993), 167; ‘The Life and Works of Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)’.


 * BIBLIOGRAPHY **


 * Primary Sources:**

Hildegard of Bingen. //Scivias// ( trans. Bruce Hozeski). Santa Fe: Bear & Co., 1986.

Hildegard of Bingen. //The Letters of Hildegard of Bingen: Volume II// (trans. Joseph Baird and Radd Ehrman). New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.

Hildegard of Bingen. //The Lettes of Hildegard of Bingen: Volume III// (trans. Joseph Baird and Radd Ehrman). New York: Oxford University Press, 2004.

Hildegard of Bingen. //The Personal Correspondence of Hildegard of Bingen// (trans. Joseph Baird). Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006.


 * Secondary Sources:**

Bjork, E. 2010. //The Oxford Dictionary of the Middle Ages.// Oxford: Oxford University Press. Available online: []

Boyce-Tillman, June. “An Evening with Hildegard of Bingen.” //Feminist Theology// 1, no. 3 (1993): 106-114.

Flanagan, Sabina. 1989. //Hildegard of Bingen: A Visionary Life.// London: Routledge.

Kienzle, Beverly M. 2009. //Hildegard of Bingen and her Gospel Homilies: Speaking New Mysteries.// Turnhout: Brepolis.

Sabin, L. E. “Hildegard of Bingen: A Woman of Vision.” //Journal of Christian Nursing: A Quarterly Publication of Nurses Christian Fellowship// 14, no. 2 (1997): 8.

Schutz, Connie. “Intimate Narratives: The Letters of Hildegard of Bingen.” //Scottish Journal// //of Theology// 49, no. 4 (1996): 429-442.

Sur, Carolyn W. 1993. //The Feminine Images of God in the Visions of Saint Hildegard of Bingen’s Scivias.// New York: The Edwin Mellen Press.

White, John. “The Musical World of Hildegard of Bingen.” //College Music Symposium// 38, no. 1 (1998): 6-16

‘The Life and Works of Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)’, in //Internet History Sourcebooks//: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/med/hildegarde.asp//. (a//ccessed: 17th August 2011).