Hildegard of Bingen and the Importance of Nature Essay

Introduction

For Hildegard of Bingen, nature was the source of all supreme truth as it represented the most solid evidence of a Divine Being and it behaved according to the original laws set forth by this Being. As a result, imagery from nature and the natural world provide the foundations of her thoughts concerning the body and nature. While there were some differences between Hildegard’s theology and that of St. Bernard, one of the more vocal church leaders of the period, Hildegard’s ideas fell into line with that of the Benedictine order from which St. Bernard hailed and thus received a great deal of support from that luminary.

Foundational concepts of nature

Hildegard’s observations and opinions regarding the natural world form the foundation upon which all her texts rest, whether songs, visions or natural observations.

• Hildegard felt that all growing things were infused with the Divine energy of God, a concept she termed Viritidas. Thus, God was reflected in the rocks, trees, grass and rivers that flowed through her land. “The Word of God regulates the movements of the Sun, the Moon and the stars. The Word of God gives the light which shines from the heavenly bodies. He makes the wind blow, the rivers run and the rain fall. He makes trees burst into blossom, and the crops bring forth the harvest.” (Book of Divine Works, Vision 1 & 2) see also Flannagan, S.
• Divine Law held that opposites such as light and dark, black and white, up and down are necessary as they pull against each other and bring everything closer to the middle, which was where she gained her concepts of moderation in all things. This even extended to the less popular and highly controversial subject of male/female relations, envisioning relationships of equals in which love plays a principle role. See Bowie, Fiona.
• As a result of her logic regarding the nature of nature, she determined humankind, made in the image of God, is the recreation of creation. Because humans were created after the world was made, the world was obviously not made for them but was instead a self-sustaining unit first with humans created as a means of appreciating what had been made. Humankind is made of the same substance as the rest of the world and is therefore not above it but instead of it. See Roth, Stephanie
• Hildegard’s artwork displays many of these concepts in great detail, always linking the divine with the mundane in an interconnected whole that cannot be divided.
• The Cosmic Egg
• The Man in Blue
• The Circle of Angels Mandela. See Vess, Deborah for images and discussion.

The nature of mankind

Hildegard brought out her concept of humankind as recapitulation of creation by proving the importance of humans to the appreciation and preservation of God’s order.

• Humans are thus of creation but also creationary forces, microcosms and macrocosms at one and the same time. See Jelalu, Mevlana.

• The human being is not a one-dimensional creature intended to live on a single plane, but is multi-faceted and complex. “A human being contains three paths: namely, soul, body and senses … The soul fills the body with life and brings forth the senses; for its part the body attracts the soul to it and opens the senses; in turn the senses touch the body and draw the soul to them. The soul provides the body with life like fire flooding the darkness with light; it has two major powers like two arms: the understanding and the will. Not that the soul has these limbs to move herself about; rather she reveals herself in these two powers like the sun manifesting itself in the splendour of its light” (“Selected Writing”, 7).

• Humankind’s purpose was given as glorifying God’s creation, which translates to mean taking care of it “Human beings cannot live without the rest of nature, they must care for all natural things.” (Physica, 755). God, then, made Creation and “saw that it was good.” It was so good, in fact, that he wanted someone capable of admiring and appreciating it. This is when he created Man and why he endowed him with reason. But the ability to reason made Man desire to be wiser than God; to improve his already perfect situation. See Roth, Stephanie.

• However, humans have failed to uphold their end of the agreement. “Do not mock anything God has created. All creation is simple, plain and good. And God is present throughout his creation. Why do you ever consider things beneath your notice? God’s justice is to be found in every detail of what he has made. The human race alone is capable of injustice. Human beings alone are capable of disobeying God’s laws, because they try to be wiser than God.” (Scivas 1.2.29). see Waithe, Mary Ellen.

Hildegard and Bernard, Benedictines with a purpose

Similarities

• Benedictines – concepts of moderation, convictions regarding reaching beyond the cloister to the outside world, appeals through scholarship. See Maddock, Fiona.
• As Benedictines, both Bernard and Hildegard had a special fondness for music, for which Hildegard made several contributions.
• Bernard responded favorably to Hildegard’s questioning of her visions, telling her that she should pursue the call she feels to record them, and it was Bernard who fought to initiate the Second Crusades, therefore, it can be said that both Bernard and Hildegard had visions for the future of their church. (This point makes a natural transition into the contrasts between the two). (In a letter to him just prior to publishing Scivias, she indicates the high esteem in which she viewed Bernard) “In a vision two years ago I saw you as a man able to stare at the sun without flinching, a courageous man … Good Father, through your kindness I have found a place in your soul, so that now, if you will, you can reveal to me through your word whether you want me to say these things openly or whether I should keep quiet” (“Selected Writings”, p. 4).
• Hildegard established two different monasteries despite the disapproval of her abbot. A letter she wrote to the abbot, cited in Fox, Matthew, illustrates the reasons that she left were primarily due to a sense of injustice toward herself and her sisters. “Hildegard’s community flourished and her creativity took on new life and richer breadth … She founded still another monastery just across the river … and endowed it sufficiently to maintain thirty sisters … Her own monastery held about fifty sisters, women with considerable musical, singing and painting gifts” (Fox, 8).
• Bernard was instrumental in raising funds and support for the second crusades, yet continued to be disappointed with the behavior of the fighting men, continuously reprimanding them for ungodlike ways. See Jolly, Karen Louise.

Differences

• Bernard encouraged the second Crusades – spiritual conquering by the sword – nature must be coerced or forced to understand and accept God
• Hildegard encouraged individual understanding of God through nature – spiritual conquering by the soul – nature, once understood, cannot help but to love and accept God. See Jolly, Karen Louise

Works Cited

1. Bowie, Fiona. “Hildegard of Bingen and Medieval Woman’s Sexuality.” Diskus. Vol. 2, N. 1, (1994), 1-14. 2007
2. Butcher, Carmen Acevedo. Hildegard of Bingen: A Spiritual Reader. Brewster, MA: Paraclete Press, 2007.
3. Flannagan, S. Hildegard of Bingen. London: Routledge, 1989.
4. Fox, Matthew. Illuminations of Hildegard of Bingen. New Mexico: Bear and Company, 2002.
5. Hildegard von Bingen. Book of Divine Works. Matthew Fox (Ed.). Santa Fe, NM: Bear & Company, 1987.
6. Hildegard von Bingen. Scivias. Mother Columbia Hart, Jane Bishop & Barbara Newman (Eds.). Mahweh, NJ: Paulist Press, 1990.
7. Hildegard von Bingen. Physica. Priscilla Throop (Trans.). Rochester, VT: Healing Arts Press, 1998.
8. Hildegard von Bingen. Selected Writings. Mark Atherton (Trans.). New York: Penguin Classics, 2001.
9. Jelalu, Mevlana. “Hildegard of Bingen: Cosmic Christ, Religion of Experience, God the Mother.” Knowledge of Reality. I. 5. (2005). Web.
10. Jolly, Karen Louise. Tradition and Diversity: Christianity in a World Context to 1500. New York: M.E. Sharp, 1997.
11. Maddock, Fiona. Hildegard of Bingen: The Woman of her Age. London: Headline Book Publishing, 2001.
12. Roth, Stephanie. “The Cosmic Vision of Hildegard of Bingen.” The Ecologist. (2000). Web.
13. Vess, Deborah. “Hildegard of Bingen (1090-1179). Fine and Applied Arts in Civilization. (2000). Georgia College & State University.
14. Waithe, Mary Ellen. A History of Women Philosophers. London: Springer, 1989.