Hildegard von Bingen was born of noble parents
in Bockelheim,West Frankonia (now Germany).
She was educated at the Benedictine cloister of Disibodenberg
by the prioress, Jutta, whom she succeeded
in 1136. Throughout her life she was subject
to mystical visions, which she reported to her confessor
at age 43. The archbishop of Mainz called a
committee of theologians to convene to confirm
the authenticity of her visions, after which a monk
was appointed to help her record them in writing.
The finished work, Scivias, which took over 10 years
to complete, contains 26 of her prophetic and apocalyptic
visions concerning the church, redemption,
and the relationship between God and humans.
The vivid images and poetic symbols of Scivias have
been compared to those of William Blake and
DANTE ALIGHIERI. One such image is her portrayal
of “life’s journey as a struggle to ‘set up our tent.’”
As Matthew Fox writes in his foreword to Hildegard
von Bingen’s Mystical Visions, “The tent, in Hildegard’s
view, comes folded up in us at the time of our
birth as original blessings. But our life journey is
that of setting up the tent.”
In 1147 Hildegard founded a new convent at
Rupertsberg, where she continued to record her visions.
She also wrote prolifically on a variety of
other subjects such as medicine, natural history,
and the lives of saints. Her Symphonia armonie celestium
revelationum (The Symphony of the Harmony
of Celestial Revelations), which she finished
in the early 1150s, is a collection of 77 of these lyric
poems and chants, each with a musical setting. As
she states in her letters, she regarded music as divine
inspiration: “Sometimes when we hear a song
we breathe deeply and sigh. This reminds the
prophet that the soul arises from heavenly harmony.”
The Symphony has recently enjoyed renewed
critical interest.
Before 1158,Hildegard completed another musical
work, Ordo, a collection of 82 melodies that
is important as one of the first morality plays, in
which good is pitted against evil. In her lifetime,
Hildegard von Bingen overcame almost insurmountable
obstacles as a medieval woman and was
consulted by bishops, popes, and kings for her religious
insight. Though she has not been formally
canonized, she is listed as a saint in the Roman
Martyrology.
English Versions of Works by
Hildegard von Bingen
Hildegard von Bingen’s Mystical Visions. Translated
from Scivias by Bruce Hozeski. Introduction by
Matthew Fox. Santa Fe, N.Mex.: Bear & Co., 1986.
Mystical Writings. Edited and introduced by Fiona
Bowie and Oliver Davies with new translations by
Robert Carver. New York: Crossroad, 1990.
A Work about Hildegard von Bingen
Flanagan, Sabina. Hildegard of Bingen, 1098–1179: A
Visionary Life. London;New York: Routledge, 1998.