1 00:00:02,320 --> 00:00:06,200 Speaker 1: Happy Saturday, everybody. Hildegard von Biggin gets a name drop 2 00:00:06,240 --> 00:00:08,360 Speaker 1: in one of this week's episodes, so we're pulling our 3 00:00:08,440 --> 00:00:11,559 Speaker 1: episode on her out of the archive. And after this 4 00:00:11,600 --> 00:00:14,040 Speaker 1: episode came out, we got a few emails from folks 5 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:17,480 Speaker 1: who were surprised that we did not mention one particular 6 00:00:17,560 --> 00:00:20,400 Speaker 1: detail about Hildegarde, and that's going to be rectified in 7 00:00:20,440 --> 00:00:24,360 Speaker 1: the forthcoming episode. We also heard from folks whose background 8 00:00:24,520 --> 00:00:26,759 Speaker 1: is in music who were surprised that we did not 9 00:00:26,920 --> 00:00:29,880 Speaker 1: spend more time talking about her work as a composer. 10 00:00:30,440 --> 00:00:33,560 Speaker 1: There are a lot of recordings of her music online. 11 00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:36,959 Speaker 1: Googling something like Hildegard von being in music will take 12 00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:40,159 Speaker 1: you to just a wealth of results. And this episode 13 00:00:40,159 --> 00:00:47,559 Speaker 1: originally came out on March seven. Welcome to Stuff You 14 00:00:47,560 --> 00:00:56,760 Speaker 1: Missed in History Class, a production of I Heart Radio. Hello, 15 00:00:56,960 --> 00:00:59,760 Speaker 1: and welcome to the podcast I'm Crazy, but you will 16 00:00:59,800 --> 00:01:02,720 Speaker 1: sit and I'm Holly Frying. We are headed to medieval 17 00:01:02,800 --> 00:01:05,800 Speaker 1: Germany today to talk about a woman who was way, 18 00:01:05,840 --> 00:01:10,000 Speaker 1: way way ahead of her time. She was Hildegard of Bingen, 19 00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:14,280 Speaker 1: also known as Hildegard vomb Bingen and as symbol of 20 00:01:14,319 --> 00:01:17,240 Speaker 1: the rhyme so long time listeners as we tell the 21 00:01:17,280 --> 00:01:21,200 Speaker 1: story will probably notice some similarities between her and past 22 00:01:21,319 --> 00:01:25,440 Speaker 1: podcast subject Marjorie Kemp, who was another Christian mystic who 23 00:01:25,440 --> 00:01:28,640 Speaker 1: lived in medieval Europe. Back when we recorded that episode 24 00:01:28,959 --> 00:01:31,200 Speaker 1: about Marjorie Kemp, which was actually I think the first 25 00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:34,120 Speaker 1: episode that I researched for the show when Holly and 26 00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:36,760 Speaker 1: I came on, I really intended to do kind of 27 00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:41,880 Speaker 1: a mini mini series on women mystics in the medieval world, 28 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:45,160 Speaker 1: because a lot of their lives are really super interesting 29 00:01:45,640 --> 00:01:49,160 Speaker 1: and listening to or learning about them can really dispel 30 00:01:49,240 --> 00:01:51,280 Speaker 1: some of the misconceptions that a lot of folks have 31 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:55,520 Speaker 1: about the medieval world and about women's place specifically in 32 00:01:55,560 --> 00:02:03,520 Speaker 1: the medieval world. Right that was three years ago. Um 33 00:02:03,560 --> 00:02:05,880 Speaker 1: our recent episode on the history of the English language 34 00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:08,240 Speaker 1: got me thinking about the medieval world again, though, so 35 00:02:08,320 --> 00:02:11,160 Speaker 1: it seemed like a good time to come back and 36 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:15,400 Speaker 1: revisit this, uh, this world of women in the church 37 00:02:15,639 --> 00:02:20,680 Speaker 1: in medieval Europe. Hildegarde was born in ten ninety eight 38 00:02:20,760 --> 00:02:23,720 Speaker 1: in Franconia, which is now a region in Germany. Her 39 00:02:23,760 --> 00:02:27,880 Speaker 1: parents for Hildebert and Mctilde. Hildebert was a lesser noble 40 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:31,760 Speaker 1: and Hildegard was their tenth count them ten tenth child. 41 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:34,639 Speaker 1: Her health was fragile, and as early as age three, 42 00:02:34,760 --> 00:02:40,560 Speaker 1: Hildegard was experiencing religious visions. While Hildegard was still very young, 43 00:02:40,639 --> 00:02:44,440 Speaker 1: her parents gave her to the church. According to some sources, 44 00:02:44,480 --> 00:02:47,520 Speaker 1: including my medieval literature professor, this was meant to be 45 00:02:47,600 --> 00:02:50,960 Speaker 1: part of her parents tithe. If you're not familiar with 46 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:53,959 Speaker 1: that term, tithing is the practice of giving ten percent 47 00:02:54,040 --> 00:02:56,800 Speaker 1: of everything that you earn or produced to the church. 48 00:02:57,560 --> 00:03:01,280 Speaker 1: It's not totally clear whether Hildegarde, by her own account, 49 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:03,560 Speaker 1: was only about eight years old when this, when she 50 00:03:03,760 --> 00:03:08,400 Speaker 1: entered religious instruction, had to say in the matter she 51 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:13,080 Speaker 1: is technically one tenth of their produced children. I guess, yeah, well, 52 00:03:13,120 --> 00:03:15,280 Speaker 1: and it's one of those things where I don't think 53 00:03:15,280 --> 00:03:18,400 Speaker 1: there is a record of her parents saying this is 54 00:03:18,440 --> 00:03:20,960 Speaker 1: part of our tide. But the fact that she's reported 55 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:24,320 Speaker 1: to be their tenth child and she then entered religious instruction, 56 00:03:24,400 --> 00:03:27,079 Speaker 1: and apparently tithing children was a thing that people did, 57 00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:31,800 Speaker 1: it all kind of comes together to be Hildeguard was 58 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:33,959 Speaker 1: given to the church as part of her parents tie, 59 00:03:34,920 --> 00:03:36,800 Speaker 1: and the next few years of her life are a 60 00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:40,160 Speaker 1: little bit fuzzy as well. At some point she meant 61 00:03:40,200 --> 00:03:44,440 Speaker 1: another religiously inclined young woman, Utah von Sponheim, who was 62 00:03:44,480 --> 00:03:47,640 Speaker 1: about six years her senior. And Utah was also of 63 00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:50,840 Speaker 1: noble birth and of a little higher station than Hildegard. 64 00:03:51,520 --> 00:03:56,840 Speaker 1: Utah eventually became Hildegard's teacher and mentor. Eventually, Hildegard and 65 00:03:56,960 --> 00:04:00,760 Speaker 1: Utah wound up at the Benedictine monastery at Disappoteburg, which 66 00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:03,440 Speaker 1: is near the confluence of the Nea River and one 67 00:04:03,440 --> 00:04:06,640 Speaker 1: of its tributaries. This is about sixty miles or a 68 00:04:06,680 --> 00:04:11,720 Speaker 1: hundred kilometers southwest of Frankfurt, named after the seventh century 69 00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:16,200 Speaker 1: Irish monk Dissapod Dissid, Bodenberg had grown into a really 70 00:04:16,240 --> 00:04:18,839 Speaker 1: important center of religious life in the area, and it 71 00:04:18,880 --> 00:04:22,240 Speaker 1: had become home to a Benedicting monastery in eleven oh eight. 72 00:04:22,760 --> 00:04:26,240 Speaker 1: In eleven twelve, Utah was enclosed as an anchoress at 73 00:04:26,279 --> 00:04:31,080 Speaker 1: the monastery. Anchoresses were women who, for religious reasons, essentially 74 00:04:31,160 --> 00:04:34,480 Speaker 1: sealed themselves up in a very small cell for life. 75 00:04:35,120 --> 00:04:38,039 Speaker 1: Men who did this were called anchorites, although most people 76 00:04:38,080 --> 00:04:41,760 Speaker 1: who did it were women. Often and anchors was literally 77 00:04:41,800 --> 00:04:44,880 Speaker 1: walled in with a wall gradually being built around her. 78 00:04:45,120 --> 00:04:47,440 Speaker 1: That can had a small window that let food be 79 00:04:47,560 --> 00:04:50,000 Speaker 1: passed in and out, as well as a chamber pot, 80 00:04:50,520 --> 00:04:53,080 Speaker 1: and depending on the size and configuration of the cell, 81 00:04:53,200 --> 00:04:55,840 Speaker 1: it may have had additional windows as well to see 82 00:04:55,880 --> 00:04:58,400 Speaker 1: directly into the sanctuary if want to join the cell, 83 00:04:58,800 --> 00:05:02,240 Speaker 1: or just to let in light. Being an anchorus was 84 00:05:02,279 --> 00:05:04,719 Speaker 1: a lot like following the life of a religious hermit, 85 00:05:04,880 --> 00:05:07,640 Speaker 1: but instead of retreating to a remote place for a 86 00:05:07,680 --> 00:05:10,839 Speaker 1: life of solitude and prayer, an anchorus would be shut 87 00:05:10,880 --> 00:05:13,960 Speaker 1: into a wall of a comparatively populated place like a church, 88 00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:18,599 Speaker 1: a monastery, or occasionally a town. By the time Hildegard lived, 89 00:05:18,880 --> 00:05:21,839 Speaker 1: anchoresses had to get official permission from the church to 90 00:05:21,920 --> 00:05:25,640 Speaker 1: do this, and the ceremony for enclosing an anchorus had 91 00:05:25,680 --> 00:05:28,600 Speaker 1: a lot in common with the funeral, including the anchors 92 00:05:28,680 --> 00:05:33,360 Speaker 1: receiving last rites. Basically, the anchoress was leaving her worldly 93 00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:36,520 Speaker 1: life behind for one that was post exclusively on religious 94 00:05:36,520 --> 00:05:41,279 Speaker 1: devotion and study. The life of anchorites and anchoresses was 95 00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:45,320 Speaker 1: meant to be one devoted strictly to reflection, penance, study 96 00:05:45,440 --> 00:05:48,000 Speaker 1: and prayer. Most of the time, it was also a 97 00:05:48,040 --> 00:05:51,560 Speaker 1: lifelong commitment, although there were some who eventually left their cells, 98 00:05:52,839 --> 00:05:56,160 Speaker 1: and this a Bodenberg. Hildegard and a servant lived with 99 00:05:56,320 --> 00:06:00,600 Speaker 1: Utah in her hermitage. You two taught Hildegard Latin along 100 00:06:00,640 --> 00:06:03,640 Speaker 1: with the recitations and observations that were required as part 101 00:06:03,680 --> 00:06:08,039 Speaker 1: of their order. Hildegard's early musical education probably came from 102 00:06:08,080 --> 00:06:12,080 Speaker 1: Utah as well, and because Utah's hermitage was physically connected 103 00:06:12,120 --> 00:06:16,359 Speaker 1: to the monastery there, Hildegard would have also been immersed 104 00:06:16,360 --> 00:06:19,520 Speaker 1: in all of the spiritual and religious teachings and practices 105 00:06:19,560 --> 00:06:23,400 Speaker 1: that were conducted within it. Utah definitely took a more 106 00:06:23,440 --> 00:06:26,640 Speaker 1: ascetic and strict approach to her own spiritual life than 107 00:06:26,720 --> 00:06:30,480 Speaker 1: Hildegard did. Apart from committing to be an anchorous for life, 108 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:34,800 Speaker 1: Utah also abstained from meat and periodically abstained from all 109 00:06:34,880 --> 00:06:39,600 Speaker 1: food entirely throughout her life. She continually increased the number 110 00:06:39,640 --> 00:06:42,640 Speaker 1: of hours a day she spent in study, penance, in prayer, 111 00:06:43,160 --> 00:06:48,039 Speaker 1: and she also practiced self flagellation as penance. Hildegard, while 112 00:06:48,120 --> 00:06:51,240 Speaker 1: not taking quite the same approach in terms of deprivation 113 00:06:51,480 --> 00:06:55,840 Speaker 1: and self flagellation, did interpret illnesses as a punishment from 114 00:06:55,880 --> 00:06:58,800 Speaker 1: God for not following his instructions, and that's actually a 115 00:06:58,839 --> 00:07:02,440 Speaker 1: belief that would continue throughout her life. Gradually, other young 116 00:07:02,520 --> 00:07:05,760 Speaker 1: noblewomen were sent to Utah to study as well, So 117 00:07:05,839 --> 00:07:09,159 Speaker 1: the Benedictine monastery became home to a community of nuns, 118 00:07:09,279 --> 00:07:12,160 Speaker 1: and from within her cell you two became its Magistra, 119 00:07:12,400 --> 00:07:15,400 Speaker 1: or its teacher and leader. When you two died in 120 00:07:15,480 --> 00:07:18,000 Speaker 1: eleven thirty six, at the age of forty four, she 121 00:07:18,200 --> 00:07:21,000 Speaker 1: and Hildegarde had been at des A Bodenberg for twenty 122 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:23,960 Speaker 1: four years. At least eight other women had come to 123 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:27,080 Speaker 1: the monastery to live and study with them, and Hildegarde, 124 00:07:27,080 --> 00:07:29,640 Speaker 1: who at that point was thirty eight, was elected to 125 00:07:29,640 --> 00:07:33,920 Speaker 1: take you to place as the Magistra. About three years 126 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:38,040 Speaker 1: after you Ta's death, Hildegarde, whose visions had continued since 127 00:07:38,040 --> 00:07:42,160 Speaker 1: her childhood, had a particularly powerful experience in the form 128 00:07:42,200 --> 00:07:44,600 Speaker 1: of both a vision and a voice from the heavens. 129 00:07:45,240 --> 00:07:48,000 Speaker 1: In her record of it, the voice said to her, Oh, 130 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:52,160 Speaker 1: fragile human ashes of ashes and filth of filth, say 131 00:07:52,240 --> 00:07:54,640 Speaker 1: and write what you see in here. But since you 132 00:07:54,680 --> 00:07:58,680 Speaker 1: are timid in speaking, and simple and expounding and untaught 133 00:07:58,720 --> 00:08:02,760 Speaker 1: in writing, spe and write these things, not via human mouth, 134 00:08:03,200 --> 00:08:06,440 Speaker 1: and not by the understanding of human invention, and not 135 00:08:06,560 --> 00:08:10,119 Speaker 1: by the requirements of human composition, but as you see 136 00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:13,200 Speaker 1: and hear them on high in the heavenly places, in 137 00:08:13,200 --> 00:08:16,640 Speaker 1: the wonders of God, explain these things in such a 138 00:08:16,640 --> 00:08:19,800 Speaker 1: way that the hearer, receiving the words of his instructor, 139 00:08:20,200 --> 00:08:23,520 Speaker 1: may expound them in those words according to that will, 140 00:08:23,800 --> 00:08:28,440 Speaker 1: vision and instruction. Thus, therefore, oh, humans, speak these things 141 00:08:28,480 --> 00:08:30,960 Speaker 1: that you see and hear and write them, not by 142 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:33,960 Speaker 1: yourself or any other human being, but by the will 143 00:08:34,040 --> 00:08:37,960 Speaker 1: of Him who knows, sees, and disposes all things in 144 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:41,760 Speaker 1: the secrets of his mysteries. Sort of, I'm going to 145 00:08:41,880 --> 00:08:44,800 Speaker 1: impart and dictate to you revelations that you're going to 146 00:08:44,840 --> 00:08:48,840 Speaker 1: write down exactly as you experience them, and in the 147 00:08:49,040 --> 00:08:53,640 Speaker 1: same experience. She also had a more revelatory experience, and 148 00:08:53,679 --> 00:08:56,680 Speaker 1: she wrote of that saying quote, immediately I knew the 149 00:08:56,720 --> 00:08:59,559 Speaker 1: meaning of the exposition of the scriptures, namely the Salter, 150 00:08:59,720 --> 00:09:03,000 Speaker 1: the Hospital, and other Catholic volumes of both the Old 151 00:09:03,040 --> 00:09:06,600 Speaker 1: and New Testaments, though I did not have the interpretation 152 00:09:06,720 --> 00:09:09,240 Speaker 1: of the words of their texts, or the division of 153 00:09:09,280 --> 00:09:13,760 Speaker 1: the syllables, or the knowledge of cases or tenses. At first, 154 00:09:14,120 --> 00:09:17,520 Speaker 1: Hildegard resisted this call. She didn't think she was up 155 00:09:17,559 --> 00:09:20,480 Speaker 1: to the task. She wasn't confident in her ability to 156 00:09:20,559 --> 00:09:24,760 Speaker 1: write or to speak. Soon, she became ill, something she 157 00:09:24,920 --> 00:09:28,040 Speaker 1: thought she brought on herself by not following God's command. 158 00:09:28,600 --> 00:09:31,320 Speaker 1: So eventually she embarked on just what the vision had 159 00:09:31,360 --> 00:09:34,360 Speaker 1: instructed her to do, and this would eventually turn her 160 00:09:34,360 --> 00:09:37,120 Speaker 1: into someone with a much broader influence than just the 161 00:09:37,160 --> 00:09:41,320 Speaker 1: religious community at Disabodinburg, which we'll talk about after a 162 00:09:41,320 --> 00:09:54,960 Speaker 1: sponsor break. For most of Hildegard's adult life, until she 163 00:09:55,000 --> 00:09:58,199 Speaker 1: reached her early forties, she had confided her visions and 164 00:09:58,320 --> 00:10:01,800 Speaker 1: only one person, which was utu Uh. Eventually, Uta had 165 00:10:01,840 --> 00:10:04,600 Speaker 1: told a monk named Balmar about the visions, and after 166 00:10:04,640 --> 00:10:09,200 Speaker 1: a time, Balmar basically became Hildegard's secretary and editor. She 167 00:10:09,240 --> 00:10:11,600 Speaker 1: would write her visions down on a wax tablet and 168 00:10:11,640 --> 00:10:14,600 Speaker 1: hand them off to Volmar, who would refine their spelling 169 00:10:14,640 --> 00:10:18,080 Speaker 1: and their grammar. Even though Hildegard was never confident in 170 00:10:18,120 --> 00:10:21,000 Speaker 1: her writing skills, her written works are actually full of 171 00:10:21,040 --> 00:10:26,360 Speaker 1: really complex ideas and thoughts. After the vision commanding her 172 00:10:26,440 --> 00:10:29,640 Speaker 1: to write down her visions. The Archbishop of Minds learned 173 00:10:29,640 --> 00:10:33,200 Speaker 1: about Hildegard's visions and prophecies, and he convened a group 174 00:10:33,200 --> 00:10:36,760 Speaker 1: of theologians to determine whether they were legitimate or heretical, 175 00:10:37,400 --> 00:10:40,600 Speaker 1: and ultimately they decided that her visions were authentic and 176 00:10:40,600 --> 00:10:43,480 Speaker 1: they allowed Volmar to officially help her with her work. 177 00:10:44,840 --> 00:10:48,120 Speaker 1: Hildegard really wanted this work to be taken seriously. This 178 00:10:48,200 --> 00:10:50,480 Speaker 1: is at a time when various friends groups were kind 179 00:10:50,520 --> 00:10:53,520 Speaker 1: of splintering off from the Catholic Church, and all kinds 180 00:10:53,520 --> 00:10:56,880 Speaker 1: of people with all kinds of teachings were attracting large followings. 181 00:10:57,280 --> 00:11:00,199 Speaker 1: Hildegard really didn't like this. She thought all of these 182 00:11:00,240 --> 00:11:03,040 Speaker 1: schisms and splinter groups were going to harm the church, 183 00:11:03,640 --> 00:11:06,320 Speaker 1: so she wrote to Saint Bernard of Clairvaux in the 184 00:11:06,400 --> 00:11:10,000 Speaker 1: hope of getting her team teachings officially sanctioned by the church. 185 00:11:10,520 --> 00:11:13,760 Speaker 1: He eventually brought her to the attention of Pope Eugenius 186 00:11:13,840 --> 00:11:16,760 Speaker 1: also known as Pope Eugene the Third, who encouraged her 187 00:11:17,040 --> 00:11:19,599 Speaker 1: to continue on with what she was doing, and in 188 00:11:19,720 --> 00:11:22,600 Speaker 1: eleven forty seven he gave her the authority to speak 189 00:11:22,640 --> 00:11:25,440 Speaker 1: in public and to write on theological matters, which was 190 00:11:25,640 --> 00:11:31,439 Speaker 1: extremely rare for a woman. Hildegard's first book finished following 191 00:11:31,440 --> 00:11:35,800 Speaker 1: this endorsement by the pope was called Skivius, taken from 192 00:11:35,840 --> 00:11:39,440 Speaker 1: the Latin phrase squito vias domini or no the ways 193 00:11:39,480 --> 00:11:43,040 Speaker 1: of the Lord. It was completed around eleven fifty one, 194 00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:46,400 Speaker 1: and it describes many of her visions and also offers 195 00:11:46,600 --> 00:11:51,280 Speaker 1: apocalyptic prophecies, and perhaps in reference to her own young life, 196 00:11:51,640 --> 00:11:54,240 Speaker 1: it records one vision that makes it quite clear that 197 00:11:54,360 --> 00:11:56,880 Speaker 1: parents may only give their child up for a holy 198 00:11:56,960 --> 00:12:02,200 Speaker 1: life with that child's informed consent. In some translations, that's 199 00:12:02,280 --> 00:12:07,000 Speaker 1: literally the title of that passage, like you may only 200 00:12:07,040 --> 00:12:09,280 Speaker 1: give up your child to the Lord with the child's 201 00:12:09,280 --> 00:12:14,079 Speaker 1: informed consent. At about the same time as she finished Skivous, 202 00:12:14,360 --> 00:12:18,400 Speaker 1: Hildegard also moved her community. She and the nuns left Disibodenberg. 203 00:12:18,720 --> 00:12:20,559 Speaker 1: They sell it in a cloister that had been built 204 00:12:20,559 --> 00:12:23,360 Speaker 1: for them near Bingen, which is where her name Hildegard 205 00:12:23,360 --> 00:12:27,920 Speaker 1: of Bingen eventually came from. This wasn't a particularly popular 206 00:12:27,960 --> 00:12:32,079 Speaker 1: decision at the monastery at Dissipbodenberg. There are a lot 207 00:12:32,080 --> 00:12:34,839 Speaker 1: of likely reasons for why Hildegard decided to do it. 208 00:12:35,240 --> 00:12:37,680 Speaker 1: One was that she was really dissatisfied with how the 209 00:12:37,720 --> 00:12:42,040 Speaker 1: Benedicting community at at Desimbodenberg had been living. She thought 210 00:12:42,080 --> 00:12:44,880 Speaker 1: their lifestyle was excessive, and she was really concerned that 211 00:12:45,000 --> 00:12:48,040 Speaker 1: schisms within and outside the community were going to tear 212 00:12:48,080 --> 00:12:52,480 Speaker 1: it apart. Another was that word of Hildegard's visions and 213 00:12:52,520 --> 00:12:55,160 Speaker 1: works had been spreading for a decade. At this point, 214 00:12:55,640 --> 00:12:58,600 Speaker 1: more and more noble women had come to Disibodenburg to 215 00:12:58,679 --> 00:13:01,640 Speaker 1: take holy orders and studdy with her, and the monks 216 00:13:01,679 --> 00:13:04,920 Speaker 1: were not too happy about giving up progressively more space 217 00:13:05,080 --> 00:13:09,760 Speaker 1: and influence in favor of this influx of women. And 218 00:13:09,800 --> 00:13:12,040 Speaker 1: the third reason was that she had been directed by 219 00:13:12,080 --> 00:13:15,080 Speaker 1: God to move them, and when she didn't immediately do it, 220 00:13:15,160 --> 00:13:20,000 Speaker 1: she had fallen ill. She continued writing and teaching extensively. 221 00:13:20,480 --> 00:13:24,600 Speaker 1: Her other two major revelatory works are Liber Vitae Meritorum 222 00:13:24,679 --> 00:13:28,559 Speaker 1: and libert Divinorum Operum, or Book of Life's Merits and 223 00:13:28,640 --> 00:13:33,640 Speaker 1: Book of Divine Works. She also wrote extensively about medicine 224 00:13:33,640 --> 00:13:36,680 Speaker 1: and nature, although unlike her other works, these weren't based 225 00:13:36,720 --> 00:13:39,800 Speaker 1: on religious revelations or visions. They were based on her 226 00:13:39,800 --> 00:13:43,040 Speaker 1: own study and reflection and on her practice as a healer. 227 00:13:43,640 --> 00:13:48,120 Speaker 1: These works include Physica cause at cure A and Libre 228 00:13:48,360 --> 00:13:51,720 Speaker 1: subtill Adam. That last one is the book of subtleties 229 00:13:51,880 --> 00:13:55,800 Speaker 1: of the diverse nature of things. These medical writings draw 230 00:13:55,920 --> 00:13:59,079 Speaker 1: from the Greek ideas of elements and humors, as well 231 00:13:59,120 --> 00:14:03,760 Speaker 1: as the idea of innate healing powers found within inanimate objects. 232 00:14:03,760 --> 00:14:07,200 Speaker 1: Her medical writings, like her spiritual ones, really stress the 233 00:14:07,240 --> 00:14:10,680 Speaker 1: need for humans to approach life through a balance of science, religion, 234 00:14:10,679 --> 00:14:14,720 Speaker 1: and art, with science and art both like religion, coming 235 00:14:14,720 --> 00:14:18,839 Speaker 1: from God. Hildegarde was no stranger to writing history either. 236 00:14:19,120 --> 00:14:23,720 Speaker 1: She actually wrote a biography of Saint Dizabad that was 237 00:14:23,720 --> 00:14:26,800 Speaker 1: the one that the religious community had been named for 238 00:14:26,960 --> 00:14:31,040 Speaker 1: that she had left previously. Seventies seven lyric poems are 239 00:14:31,080 --> 00:14:34,200 Speaker 1: attributed to her, along with their music, so essentially hymns 240 00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:37,760 Speaker 1: that she wrote and composed. There are definitely composers in 241 00:14:37,800 --> 00:14:40,280 Speaker 1: the West who lived before she did, but she's really 242 00:14:40,320 --> 00:14:43,440 Speaker 1: the first one that we also have biographical details on. 243 00:14:44,320 --> 00:14:47,480 Speaker 1: Although she never seems to have created artwork on her own, 244 00:14:47,680 --> 00:14:50,320 Speaker 1: there are pieces of visual art that exists today that 245 00:14:50,360 --> 00:14:55,200 Speaker 1: are based on her descriptions. And she wrote extensive letters, 246 00:14:55,560 --> 00:14:58,680 Speaker 1: about a hundred and forty five of them still exist today, 247 00:14:58,840 --> 00:15:01,479 Speaker 1: and some of them are to of the most powerful 248 00:15:01,560 --> 00:15:04,280 Speaker 1: religious and secular leaders who were alive at the time. 249 00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:07,400 Speaker 1: Many of them reveal themselves to be part of an 250 00:15:07,480 --> 00:15:10,880 Speaker 1: ongoing correspondence. This is not like there were a hundred 251 00:15:10,880 --> 00:15:14,240 Speaker 1: and forty five unanswered letters of some kind of kop like. 252 00:15:14,320 --> 00:15:18,080 Speaker 1: They were letters that she wrote as part of guidance 253 00:15:18,080 --> 00:15:21,920 Speaker 1: that she was giving to people that the people were receiving. Uh. 254 00:15:21,960 --> 00:15:26,640 Speaker 1: The recipients of her letters include popes, kings, abbots, friars, 255 00:15:26,680 --> 00:15:29,920 Speaker 1: and whole communities of monks and nuns. There are also 256 00:15:30,160 --> 00:15:33,080 Speaker 1: more than fifty sermons that survive, and a lot of 257 00:15:33,080 --> 00:15:35,760 Speaker 1: them follow the same themes as the letters she was writing. 258 00:15:36,280 --> 00:15:39,040 Speaker 1: It's really clear from reading her letters and her sermons 259 00:15:39,040 --> 00:15:41,480 Speaker 1: that as she got older, a lot of the timidity 260 00:15:41,520 --> 00:15:44,080 Speaker 1: and uncertainty that she had carried about her abilities and 261 00:15:44,120 --> 00:15:46,880 Speaker 1: her use of language were replaced by a more calm, 262 00:15:47,240 --> 00:15:51,080 Speaker 1: a more confident and assertive way of approaching things. She 263 00:15:51,160 --> 00:15:55,240 Speaker 1: also wrote repeated warnings to the monks of Disobodinedburg, warning 264 00:15:55,280 --> 00:15:58,160 Speaker 1: them that their excesses and the schisms within the religious 265 00:15:58,160 --> 00:16:01,720 Speaker 1: community we're going to bring about their ruined. This turned 266 00:16:01,760 --> 00:16:04,920 Speaker 1: out to be quite prescient. Uh, fractures in the religious 267 00:16:04,960 --> 00:16:09,200 Speaker 1: community actually lead to armed struggles. In the thirteenth century, 268 00:16:09,280 --> 00:16:12,280 Speaker 1: the monastery was converted into a fortress, and by the 269 00:16:12,360 --> 00:16:14,680 Speaker 1: end of that century it lay in ruins, some of 270 00:16:14,720 --> 00:16:18,680 Speaker 1: which still exists today. Although many of Hildegarde's writings take 271 00:16:18,760 --> 00:16:22,640 Speaker 1: a distinctly innately feminine approach to their descriptions of her 272 00:16:22,720 --> 00:16:25,520 Speaker 1: visions and her relationship with God, some of these are 273 00:16:25,560 --> 00:16:30,200 Speaker 1: actually descriptions that border on coming off as sexual. Nothing 274 00:16:30,320 --> 00:16:34,240 Speaker 1: was ever considered to be heretical. Her descriptions are very 275 00:16:34,360 --> 00:16:37,360 Speaker 1: rich and vivid and very poetic and Uh, as we 276 00:16:37,440 --> 00:16:39,200 Speaker 1: talked about it's been a while now, but as we 277 00:16:39,200 --> 00:16:41,440 Speaker 1: talked about in our episode of Marjorie Camp, a lot 278 00:16:41,440 --> 00:16:44,840 Speaker 1: of times writings of this sort were viewed as being heresy, 279 00:16:44,880 --> 00:16:48,840 Speaker 1: but hers are actually really well accepted. She was in 280 00:16:48,920 --> 00:16:52,360 Speaker 1: fact admired and respected all over Germany during her life. 281 00:16:52,840 --> 00:16:55,440 Speaker 1: The very first biography written of her referred to her 282 00:16:55,480 --> 00:16:58,160 Speaker 1: as a saint, and she was considered a local saint 283 00:16:58,160 --> 00:17:01,280 Speaker 1: in parts of Germany for centuries before being recognized as 284 00:17:01,320 --> 00:17:04,600 Speaker 1: a saint by the Catholic Church. In addition to all 285 00:17:04,640 --> 00:17:08,120 Speaker 1: her writings and teaching her community of nuns. Hildeguard also 286 00:17:08,200 --> 00:17:13,040 Speaker 1: traveled extensively around Germany's preaching about the revelations from Provisions. 287 00:17:13,440 --> 00:17:16,800 Speaker 1: In eleven sixty three she founded a second convent, and 288 00:17:16,920 --> 00:17:20,160 Speaker 1: all of this, the extensive writing and teaching, having your 289 00:17:20,160 --> 00:17:22,880 Speaker 1: teachings accepted by the church as a whole her leader. 290 00:17:23,080 --> 00:17:26,000 Speaker 1: Her leadership, the medical writing, being allowed to go out 291 00:17:26,040 --> 00:17:29,679 Speaker 1: and speak in public about theology were extremely rare for 292 00:17:29,720 --> 00:17:33,520 Speaker 1: a woman living in the twelfth century in Europe. Basically, 293 00:17:33,560 --> 00:17:35,639 Speaker 1: if she had lived a few hundred years later and 294 00:17:35,720 --> 00:17:39,520 Speaker 1: been male, people probably would have called her a renaissance man. 295 00:17:40,240 --> 00:17:43,040 Speaker 1: We will talk about more about her legacy after a 296 00:17:43,119 --> 00:17:56,680 Speaker 1: quick break from a sponsoring in died following an illness 297 00:17:56,720 --> 00:18:01,119 Speaker 1: at her monastery on September eleven, seventy nine. While she 298 00:18:01,240 --> 00:18:05,040 Speaker 1: was extremely prominent in her time, especially considering her gender, 299 00:18:05,480 --> 00:18:09,159 Speaker 1: and she was immediately revered as a local saint, academic 300 00:18:09,280 --> 00:18:12,040 Speaker 1: and greater public interests in her life have waxed and 301 00:18:12,119 --> 00:18:17,399 Speaker 1: waned over the centuries since then. Most recently, academic interest 302 00:18:17,440 --> 00:18:20,760 Speaker 1: in Hildegard started to revive in the nineteen sixties with 303 00:18:20,840 --> 00:18:24,719 Speaker 1: the publication of German language editions of her letters and songs. 304 00:18:25,440 --> 00:18:27,679 Speaker 1: This also ran parallel to the second wave of the 305 00:18:27,720 --> 00:18:32,040 Speaker 1: feminist movement in the United States. Hildegard's writings about women 306 00:18:32,160 --> 00:18:34,760 Speaker 1: and her being able to accomplish such a high degree 307 00:18:34,760 --> 00:18:38,720 Speaker 1: of renown and authority, especially in comparison to most women 308 00:18:38,760 --> 00:18:41,199 Speaker 1: of her time, made her a popular figure in the 309 00:18:41,240 --> 00:18:44,359 Speaker 1: feminist movement. A lot of the things she actually wrote 310 00:18:44,359 --> 00:18:47,840 Speaker 1: that wouldn't be considered particularly feminist today as we understand 311 00:18:47,880 --> 00:18:50,720 Speaker 1: the term. She definitely wrote about women as being the 312 00:18:50,720 --> 00:18:53,639 Speaker 1: weaker sex and about herself as being unqualified to do 313 00:18:53,720 --> 00:18:55,359 Speaker 1: a lot of what she was doing because she was 314 00:18:55,400 --> 00:18:58,800 Speaker 1: a woman. She also recorded visions that detailed why women, 315 00:18:58,920 --> 00:19:01,679 Speaker 1: for example, should be able to talk about God and 316 00:19:01,720 --> 00:19:04,280 Speaker 1: God's work, but should not be able to be priests. 317 00:19:04,359 --> 00:19:07,160 Speaker 1: So a lot of people sort of position her as 318 00:19:07,200 --> 00:19:12,359 Speaker 1: being a feminist for her time. Translations of large bodies 319 00:19:12,400 --> 00:19:16,440 Speaker 1: of her work into English didn't actually happen until nineteen two, 320 00:19:16,680 --> 00:19:19,399 Speaker 1: and her popularity really started to spike in the United 321 00:19:19,400 --> 00:19:22,960 Speaker 1: States in the nineteen nineties because her mysticism and the 322 00:19:23,000 --> 00:19:25,240 Speaker 1: elements of her life and work that could be considered 323 00:19:25,280 --> 00:19:28,200 Speaker 1: feminist fit in well with the New Age movement, which 324 00:19:28,200 --> 00:19:30,920 Speaker 1: was popular at the time. A big part of This 325 00:19:31,000 --> 00:19:33,280 Speaker 1: was her running theme that creation was the work of 326 00:19:33,320 --> 00:19:35,520 Speaker 1: God and so it is the work of humanity to 327 00:19:35,640 --> 00:19:38,359 Speaker 1: care for it. She also wrote a lot about things 328 00:19:38,400 --> 00:19:42,640 Speaker 1: being connected to God. From Scivious, she wrote, quote, all 329 00:19:42,720 --> 00:19:46,240 Speaker 1: living creatures are sparks from the radiation of God's brilliance. 330 00:19:46,640 --> 00:19:49,080 Speaker 1: And these sparks emerge from God like the rays of 331 00:19:49,080 --> 00:19:52,240 Speaker 1: the sun. If God did not give off these sparks, 332 00:19:52,280 --> 00:19:56,639 Speaker 1: how would the divine flame become fully visible? It sounds 333 00:19:56,680 --> 00:19:59,399 Speaker 1: like something that would be on like a poster with 334 00:19:59,480 --> 00:20:05,480 Speaker 1: a to full sunset on it, in watercolors and watercolors 335 00:20:05,480 --> 00:20:08,520 Speaker 1: in a in a store that sells like new age 336 00:20:08,560 --> 00:20:11,400 Speaker 1: books and supplies, and that it might actually there might 337 00:20:11,400 --> 00:20:14,159 Speaker 1: actually be such a poster like There's a lot of 338 00:20:14,160 --> 00:20:18,520 Speaker 1: the things that she wrote have that kind of like warm, 339 00:20:18,640 --> 00:20:23,359 Speaker 1: feel good kind of focus. Today there have been editions 340 00:20:23,400 --> 00:20:27,560 Speaker 1: of huge chunks in her work made available in multiple languages, 341 00:20:27,600 --> 00:20:30,520 Speaker 1: and in addition to that, people have written novels about 342 00:20:30,560 --> 00:20:34,080 Speaker 1: her as a character, and there are numerous audio recordings 343 00:20:34,119 --> 00:20:37,840 Speaker 1: of her songs. Pope Benedict the sixteenth proclaimed her to 344 00:20:37,880 --> 00:20:41,520 Speaker 1: be a saint on May tenth, and proclaimed her as 345 00:20:41,520 --> 00:20:46,480 Speaker 1: a doctor of the Universal Church on October seven. Doctor 346 00:20:46,480 --> 00:20:48,840 Speaker 1: of the Universal Church is a title given to saints 347 00:20:48,840 --> 00:20:52,159 Speaker 1: whose writings are significant and are useful to people in 348 00:20:52,240 --> 00:20:55,440 Speaker 1: any age of the church. This basically means her spiritual 349 00:20:55,440 --> 00:20:58,160 Speaker 1: writings are viewed as bearing the same importance as those 350 00:20:58,200 --> 00:21:01,840 Speaker 1: of St. Augustine and Thomas Agnes, St. Be the Venerable, 351 00:21:01,920 --> 00:21:04,960 Speaker 1: and St. John of the Cross, among others. Her feast 352 00:21:05,040 --> 00:21:08,600 Speaker 1: day is the seventeenth of September. I think she's one 353 00:21:08,640 --> 00:21:11,760 Speaker 1: of only four female Doctors of the Universal Church. There 354 00:21:11,800 --> 00:21:13,920 Speaker 1: may actually be one more that's been named since then, 355 00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:16,800 Speaker 1: but I think there's only been one uh Doctor of 356 00:21:16,800 --> 00:21:21,640 Speaker 1: the Universal Church named at all since she was in UM. So, Yeah, 357 00:21:22,080 --> 00:21:26,200 Speaker 1: she she's so interesting to me. One the whole idea 358 00:21:26,280 --> 00:21:28,520 Speaker 1: of anchors Is is really interesting to me. And there 359 00:21:28,520 --> 00:21:32,920 Speaker 1: are other more prominent anchors Is than U two. So 360 00:21:33,600 --> 00:21:36,280 Speaker 1: maybe another three more years from now in this mini 361 00:21:36,359 --> 00:21:39,920 Speaker 1: series that's going to play out over apparently I will 362 00:21:39,960 --> 00:21:43,680 Speaker 1: I will do an episode of one of the anchors 363 00:21:43,720 --> 00:21:46,919 Speaker 1: Is because they are fascinating to me. I see the 364 00:21:46,960 --> 00:21:50,840 Speaker 1: appeal for you of anchors is you're a woman who 365 00:21:50,880 --> 00:21:54,880 Speaker 1: really values moments of solitude. Yep, I could see where 366 00:21:54,920 --> 00:21:57,960 Speaker 1: you would be very fascinated and charmed by thinking about 367 00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:01,919 Speaker 1: that whole concept. Yeah, they are very interesting, and a 368 00:22:01,920 --> 00:22:03,879 Speaker 1: lot of them. Like I read an article that was 369 00:22:04,160 --> 00:22:06,840 Speaker 1: sort of a It was not a scholarly article. It 370 00:22:06,880 --> 00:22:10,919 Speaker 1: was basically somebody meditating on how kind of cool and 371 00:22:11,040 --> 00:22:16,000 Speaker 1: interesting it is that during the medieval period, if you 372 00:22:16,080 --> 00:22:21,760 Speaker 1: were a weird person, especially a weird woman who just 373 00:22:21,840 --> 00:22:25,680 Speaker 1: wanted to be by yourself and never talked to anyone, 374 00:22:26,200 --> 00:22:28,480 Speaker 1: there was this option for you. And I don't know 375 00:22:28,640 --> 00:22:31,560 Speaker 1: that that's like actually an accurate reflection of what life 376 00:22:31,640 --> 00:22:33,919 Speaker 1: is an as an anchor as was like, but I 377 00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:37,840 Speaker 1: was like, yeah, I can see how that that would 378 00:22:37,880 --> 00:22:41,840 Speaker 1: appeal to some people. Um, And then of course there 379 00:22:41,840 --> 00:22:43,600 Speaker 1: are the people who would like try to figure out 380 00:22:43,640 --> 00:22:47,440 Speaker 1: a medical explanation for healthy Guard's visions. And I read 381 00:22:47,800 --> 00:22:50,840 Speaker 1: one article that was like, most historians today agree that 382 00:22:50,880 --> 00:22:53,880 Speaker 1: she was suffering from migraines, and I was like, this 383 00:22:53,920 --> 00:22:57,480 Speaker 1: is literally the only reference to migraines and everything that 384 00:22:57,560 --> 00:23:01,919 Speaker 1: I read Hilding Guards to research this most historians that 385 00:23:02,119 --> 00:23:12,720 Speaker 1: I think might think things. Yeah, by so much for 386 00:23:12,800 --> 00:23:15,880 Speaker 1: joining us on this Saturday. Since this episode is out 387 00:23:15,920 --> 00:23:18,400 Speaker 1: of the archive. If you heard an email address or Facebook, 388 00:23:18,440 --> 00:23:20,439 Speaker 1: U r L or something similar over the course of 389 00:23:20,440 --> 00:23:24,080 Speaker 1: the show that could be obsolete now. Our current email 390 00:23:24,119 --> 00:23:28,960 Speaker 1: address is History Podcast at i heart radio dot com. 391 00:23:28,960 --> 00:23:32,159 Speaker 1: Our old health stuff works email address no longer works, 392 00:23:32,520 --> 00:23:34,720 Speaker 1: and you can find us all over social media at 393 00:23:34,880 --> 00:23:37,960 Speaker 1: missed in History. And you can subscribe to our show 394 00:23:38,080 --> 00:23:41,480 Speaker 1: on Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, the I heart Radio app, 395 00:23:41,600 --> 00:23:47,880 Speaker 1: and wherever else you listen to podcasts. Stuff you Missed 396 00:23:47,880 --> 00:23:50,320 Speaker 1: in History Class is a production of I heart Radio. 397 00:23:50,640 --> 00:23:53,520 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from I heart Radio, visit the iHeart 398 00:23:53,600 --> 00:23:56,680 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 399 00:23:56,680 --> 00:23:57,399 Speaker 1: favorite shows.