Hildegard of Bingen

Paper Summary:

This paper presents a debate regarding the emphasis placed on Hildegard of Bingen's spirituality. The paper considers whether her spirituality was visual, theological, or both, and suggests that an understanding of Hildegard's spirituality can best be obtained from the perspective of the culture and society of the time in which she wrote. The paper also details her history, her visionary accounts, her art, and her early feminist work.

From the Paper:

"Interest in Hildegard of Bingen has increased in recent times and especially interest in her role as visionary. Although Hildegard's spirituality was based on visions, it was the very fact that she believed these visions were of divine origin that allowed her to be led to God through them and thus achieve spiritual satisfaction. Therefore, Hildegard's spirituality did not give any more emphasis to either the visual or theological, but rather accepted a combination of both as each was dependent on the other for completion. It is also important to remember that religious writers such as Hildegard were often affected by the contemporaneous issues which surrounded them and they sought to address these issues in their writing. Thus, for a comprehensive reading of Hildegard's spirituality, visions and theology, her work must be viewed through the culture and society of the time in which she wrote."

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