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Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179 A. D.)

Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179 A. D.). EDCI 658 Fall, 2006. Hildegard’s Life and Times. Born around 1098 in Bermersheim, Germany She was the tenth or last child of a knight family When she was fifteen, she took her vows as a Benedictine nun

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Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179 A. D.)

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  1. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179 A. D.) EDCI 658 Fall, 2006

  2. Hildegard’s Life and Times • Born around 1098 in Bermersheim, Germany • She was the tenth or last child of a knight family • When she was fifteen, she took her vows as a Benedictine nun • She was considered “uneducated” because of lack of formal schooling in grammar, rhetoric, and dialectic even though her writing reflected a deep knowledge of Scriptures and main Christian writers of her time and of classical literature

  3. Hildegard’s Life and Times • Led a structured convent life • Worked as a nurse-physician for years; experimented her own herbs • Jutta, her mentor died when Hildegard was 38 years old and was appointed abbess of the nuns • She recalled in her writing that she had experienced visions and divine revelations since 3 years of age • Her spiritual director and confessor, Volmar, a Benedictine monk, became her secretary, and encouraged her to write down her visions

  4. Hildegard’s Life and Times • Wrote six major works, nearly 400 letters, and 80 songs • Scivias (Know the Ways of God) her most famous book, written in imaginary manner, conveyed the knowledge an individual needs in order to achieve salvation • Hildegard was corresponding with many prominent people at her time, including kings and popes • She compiled two substantial scientific works: Physica (plants, trees, and herbs) and Causae at Curae (leprosy, scabies, lice, burns, allergies)

  5. Hildegard’s Life and Times • Some musicologists designated Hildegard as first women composer (others designated Sappo) • She has to discipline, advise, and teach the nuns, administrate supplies of food, clothing, fuel, receiving guests, attend to legal business, and supervise work on convent land including cooking and cleaning • Her relationship with the nuns in her convent was characterized as an “mentoring” relationship • She received Pope’s sanction to travel lecturing Christian faith at a time of the Papal Schism (Victor IV and Alexander III)

  6. Hildegard’s Biographers • After Volmar died, Gottfried was appointed as his successor and began to write on the life of Hildegard • Hildegard’s brother Hugh took over the biography after Gottfried died as well • Finally, French monk Guilbert of Gembloux took over the biography and served as Hildegard’s secretary after Hugh died eventually as well

  7. Hildegard’s Biographers • “Hildegard was a mother to the nuns, exercising great affection and virtue with them. They honored and obeyed her…Hildegard pours herself out all in charity, giving counsels required of her, solving the most difficult questions put to her, writing books, instructing her sisters, putting fresh heart into the sinners who approach her. She is wholly taken up by it all even though she is old and infirm” • Guilbert cited in Murphy, 2006, p. 106

  8. Hildegard’s Importance in Education • Only women in her time accepted as an authoritative voice on Christian doctrine • Permitted to write theological books and lecture to clergy and laity by the Pope • First women to write on natural science, medicine, and sexuality • An artist, composer, and prolific author with great talent • First philosopher to articulate a theory of sex complementarities; equal yet different

  9. Hildegard’s Importance in Education • She believed women ought not be limited to the private sphere of activity or, inversely, that the public sphere ought not be limited to men • Claimed women were called to prophesize because men had become weak or immoral • She also disagreed with the view of her time that education should only hand down the past knowledge. She believed that education is an opportunity to discover new perspectives of art, divine truth, and culture • She is an transition figure of the Medieval Ages, who made it possible for women to purse university studies later on

  10. Excerpts from Hildegard’s Writings • “A human being contains three paths; namely, soul, body and senses. On these three paths, human life runs its course…The soul provides the body with life, like fire flooding the darkness with light; it has two major powers life two arms: the understanding and the will…Therefore human being, you are not a bundle of veins; pay attention to the knowledge of the scriptures” • Cited in Murphy, 2006, p. 110

  11. Resources about Hildegard • http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/med/hildegarde.html • http://home.infionline.net/~ddisse/hildegar.html • http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07351a.htm • http://www.healingchants.com/hvb_links.html • http://www.medieval.org/emfaq/composers/hildegard.html • http://elvis.rowan.edu/~kilroy/JEK/09/17.html • http://www.staff.uni-mainz.de/horst/hildegard/

  12. Resources about Hildegard Cont. • http://www.staff.uni-mainz.de/horst/hildegard/music/music.html • http://www.hildegard.com/home.shtml • http://irupert.com/HILDEGRD/ • http://www.healingchants.com/hildegardilluminations.html • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hildegard_of_Bingen • http://www.hildgard.org/ • http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/med/hildegarde.html

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