221. Leading Light: Hildegard of Bingen

In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI named St. Hildegard a Doctor of the Church for her contributions to theology - a rare distinction for anyone (only 36 have received the title since the 13th century) and still rarer for a woman (she is the fourth to be given the title, after Sts. Teresa of Avila, Catherine of Siena and Therese of Lisieux).

there is a good in our time podcast about Hildy

I am inspired by Hildegard of Bingen. I can recommand this site www.healthyhildegard.com about her teachings. Blessings

Hi Peter this week radio 3 are doing  a programme on Hildegard and her music.

Roman  

Maintaining that everything she wrote is revealed truth sidesteps the issue of her credibility as a woman in the middle ages, I wonder how aware she was of this decision, she must have known that the commentaries on the visions were her own, but that claiming then as revealed truth allowed her to address an audience that would otherwise be deaf to her opinions. Did she convince herself of this revelation or was it a conscious decision? At one extreme (although unlikely) she might have made up her revelations to get her strong theological opinions heard (probably a pressing urge to her due to her fervent intellect). This, in my opinion, would make her into an even more interesting character. Then again, her own medieval opinions on gender might have led her to honestly believe that everything she said was revealed truth.

Have been a huge fan of Hildegard's music since my sister brought home the album "A Feather on the Breath of God" back in the 80s; we were used to hearing Gregorian chant thanks to our father (who had it on 78s !), but this was the first time I'd heard plainchant performed by female voices and it was a revelation - absolutely sublime.

Recently, I had the good fortune to attend a children's choir concert featuring female composers, and was delighted to find Hildegard among them. Her "O Vivens Fons" rang out as true and pure on the lips of the young contemporary vocalists as I imagine it must have on those of the cloistered novitiates centuries ago. Thank you, Peter, for providing the background and context to better appreciate Hildegard's work.

A bust of her was just added to the Sydney Conservatorium as part of a project to acknowledge more women in the history of music - link here.