INTRODUCTION
Throughout history there are lists of important, significant, and contributory figures that have made a unique impact on the world, for better or worse. For many people the most important figures are world leaders or great thinkers, but for many, the most important historical figures, whose contributions are most significant, are religious figures who have earned a place within the iconography and mythology of those particular religions. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) is one such figure. This nun in service of the church is also remarked as a writer, composer, thinker, early feminist and prophetess; all of which is atypical of women in the Church during her lifetime. However, despite her works she was she was not canonized, elevated as a Saint, until just recently (Speciale 1). It is remarked that beyond her gifts as a composer and writer, she had prophetic visions, many of which, regarded the end of times or apocalyptic warnings. However, despite the faith of the Church, modern historians are not interested in the spiritual side of prophecy and seek a medical explanation. These modern researchers hope to eliminate the divinity of such visions and provide more logical explanations for such individual’s relevance. Of course, religious scholars, argue differently, which has created a small controversy regarding this 12th century nun who made contributions and differences in the Catholic Church. Regardless of the origins of her prophetic visions Hildegard remains a woman well ahead of her time.
BACKGROUND
Hildegard of Bingen was born in 1098 in Bemersheim, located in West Franconia, which is now modern Germany. She was fortunate to be born into a wealthy family but when she was about 8 years her family sent her live at a Benedictine monastery, which had just added a section for nuns to study. As intellectual study was endorsed within the Benedictine viewpoint, Hildegard had access to many texts, learned Latin, and availed herself of this advantage (Lerman 1). In 1136 she was named the Abbess of the convent, in 1148 she insisted on moving the women’s order to Rupertsberg and away from the direct control of the monks. This granted Hildegard more leeway in how she conducted the order. Labor was, also, a requirement of the Benedictine faith, so Hildegard studied while working as a nurse. Hildegard was quite outspoken and over the years made a point to write letters, some quite critical, questioning the actions and behaviors of kings, religious leaders, and even the Pope himself (Johnson Lewis 1).
DISCUSSION
However, beyond her gifts as a writer and composer, there is one other aspect of Hildegard’s life that made her rather unique among many of the historical figures of the religious realms (Johnson Lewis 1). Hildegard had visions, something that she had experienced since childhood. However she kept them a secret, for the most part, until she became Abbess and then began to share what she saw. Many of her prophecies dealt with the uncomfortable and disturbing potential of an apocalyptic end to human society as discussed in the book of Revelations (Lerman 1). It is these visions that have spawned a great deal of skepticism, which has less to do with what she saw and their relevance, but with the means by which she experienced the prophecies.
Throughout her tenure as the Abbess of her convent she also penned many writings, including a trilogy beginning with, “Skivvies, Libber Vitae Merit rum”, which translates to “Book of the Life of Merits.” She also penned works on medicine, nature, and poetry. She was an accomplished composer and many of her biblically inspired hymns are still sung in churches today, including like “Luminous Spirit,” which is translated into both German and Latin. Hildegard did something unique and rare at the time of her publishing. Her works were “illuminated,” which mean that that were illustrated with visual depictions of the visions she had seen. These extremely detailed and fascinating designs that combine geometric images, opposing and agreeing patterns, and divine characters made a very bold statement. However, the Church of the era was hardly quick to celebrate or support her works. After all women who are possess foresight or divine interactions are often distrusted or downplayed in Christian literature. It would be difficult for many men of power in the Church of the time, were likely reticent to bless or believe the images and tales being told (Johnson Lewis 1).
What was it that makes these medieval prophecies so particularly suspicious to modern scholars? Hildegard of Bingen complained of serious headaches from childhood, it was these headaches that she attributed her visions. However, modern researchers argue that her condition was very likely a form of serious migraines that went untreated (Lerman 1). Modern medicine has been researching the prevalence and potential treatments for people who suffer from the debilitating headaches associated with migraines. Her symptoms included precursors to the pain, the visions, and the physical discomfort after it passes; most significantly she describe that the instances would later be followed by extreme positive energy and euphoria. Additionally another common migraine symptom is a condition called scintillating scotoma, which causes the sufferer to see flashing pinpoints of light and periods of total blindness that lasted only temporarily (Foxhall, 354). One researcher, G.D. Schott, offers that the phenomena of “migraine aura” could have played a huge role in the visions and artistic inspirations of Hildegard of Bingen. Migraine aura, like scotoma, allows the sufferer to experience images and sounds that a properly functioning brain would not have access to (1790). These are all modern day symptoms regularly associated with modern migraine sufferers That said many of these researcher’s approaching the issue from a non-Christian background have to admit that knowing that she suffered from a diagnosable diseases it does place the origins of her “visions” in question.
If these theories are true then how does her condition affect the vision that she was having? Well that entirely depends one who one is talking to. Religious researchers feel that while it may be true that Hildegard suffered from a migraine disorder, which does not mean that her visions were invalid or less thought-provoking. One suggestion is that Hildegard was one of those unique individuals, who today, we would call a genius (LaPlante 2). Her multi-talents and gifts, the deep and intense metaphor and relevant meanings that she ascribed seem much more like an enlightened conversationalist than someone simply suffering from a medical condition (Howse, 1). However, many researchers, particularly, non-Christian scholars, offer that that is exactly what was happening, Neither she nor anyone of her era would have had the medical knowledge to even consider a physical cause for her condition and therefore it was relinquished to the realm of divine inspiration. Unfortunately, that is simply not something that science can prove. So the two sides are unlikely to ever see entirely eye-to-eye.
Hildegard had remained a consummate critic of the actions of law, nobility, and church alike. Her boldness, No doubt, would have been both an annoyance and oddity to many of the powerful men of the time. However, her famous, or infamous, incidents did not stop, even as she became elderly. In her 80s Hildegard had granted an excommunicated member of the Church the right to be buried on the convent grounds. In her defense she argued that god himself ordered the pardon. Many in the Church disagreed and demanded that the body be exhumed and moved. Hildegard would not reveal the location of the grave. In return the entire convent was excommunicated and banned from singing. She complied with these orders while appealing her case to higher orders of the Church. Eventually Hildegard got her way, the convent was reinstated, the ban on singing lifted, and the excommunicated man’s body was never exhumed (Johnson Lewis 1).
Again, the male-dominant churches that have existed and continue to exist today have never been quick to venerate women. The Virgin Mary is only perceived as relevant in the Christian tradition because she was the vessel through which Jesus would be born, after that her relevance is diminished. However, someone like Hildegard of Bingen who persisted to have visions and divine experiences throughout her life was not so easy to dismiss. However, the truest example of how reluctant the Church can be is that it in the fact that this prolific prophetess was not canonized made a Saint in the eyes of the Church, until 2012. Pope Benedict XVI, who often references the Prophetess’s works in his sermons, has finally decreed that Hildegard of Bingen should be added to the “catalogue of all saints” More so, there is talk that she will also be posthumously named a “”Doctor of the Church.” The latter is an even greater honor and tribute to her contributions than Sainthood. (Speciale 1).
There are many today, who remark Hildegard of Bingen as one of histories first and most proactive of feminists. However, there are many that argue that while her actions ring true as feminism, they may have been a matter of happenstance. Hildegard was still a woman of her time and culture. As a nun she accepted the Christian perspectives that women were weaker and inferior to men, did not ever attempt in her works to change that philosophical view (Lerman 1). However, she did acknowledge that there was a value to women. She had earned a powerful leadership role as the Abbess and this was atypical for a woman of her time. She wrote books that men of the era would never have considered appropriate or important, like Hildegard’s novel concerning female health and remedies for conditions like menstrual cramps. However, what breeds her status as a feminist can also be attributed to the presence of female divinities and figures that appeared in many of her visions. This was atypical for women to be too highly venerated in biblical and Christian historical works (Johnson Lewis 1).
CONCLUSION
Hildegard of Bingen lived an unusual and extraordinary life for a woman who spent the bulk of her life behind the cloistered walls of a convent. She was a woman of strong opinions, a extreme and varied level of talents and skills, and one who suffered from a, sometimes, debilitating condition, However, instead of perceiving the condition as a meaningless disorder, she chose to see her suffering as having a divine purpose. One thing that cannot be said about Hildegard of Bingen is that she knowingly lied or misled people. She believed in what she saw and applied those visions to improve the human condition, to lead, and guide in the direction she believed God was encouraging. It really does not matter if her visions were medically definable or divinely inspired; it was her application of that information in the world. She used her writings, art, and music to bring beauty into the spirituality of her day, she foresaw her visions as tools to improve the condition of men and God, and she broke traditions with the gender biased that existed at the time. Hildegard was a fascinating person. She was a woman of mystery who had a distinct impact on her era, the history of Christianity, and on the issues that are still being discussed and debated still today. Hildegard of Bingen’s arts, efforts, opinions, and scholarly endeavors made her a wonder, a woman of power, an unintentional feminist, and incredible visionary, whether or not those visions were divine in nature may never be known. All the same it seems irrelevant, after all her contributions have finally earned her the status of Saint and invaluable member of her faith and its history.
WORK CITED
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Johnson Lewis, Jone. "Hildegard of Bingen: Visionary, Composer, Writer." About Education. 2014: 1. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://womenshistory.about.com/od/hildegardbingen/a/hildegard.htm>.
LaPlante, Jessica. "The Exceptional Brilliance of Hildegard of Bingen." ESSAI. 9.23 (2011): 1-3. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://dc.cod.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1366&context=essai>.
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Schott, G.D. "Exploring the visual hallucinations of migraine aura: the tacit contribution of illustration." Brain. 130. (2008): 1690-1703. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://brain.oxfordjournals.org/content/brain/130/6/1690.full.pdf>.
Speciale, Alessandro. "Hildegard Von Bingen Officially Declared A Saint By Pope Benedict XVI." The Huffington Post. 2012: 1. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/12/hildegard-von-bingen-saint_n_1511024.html>.
