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Secrets of God: Writings of Hildegard of Bingen
Visionary, mystic, poet, musician, naturalist, healer, theologian-the Rhineland nun Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) was a Renaissance woman long before there was a Renaissance. This is the first book in English to offer a representative selection of writings from all of her amazing range of work.
Hildegard wrote many volumes on subjects from mystical vision to sexuality, from theology to natural medicine—in letters, treatises, poetry, and songs—all in an age when few women wrote more than an occasional letter. She was a woman of extraordinary influence whose work not only surpassed that of her male contemporaries in its range, but also outshone them in visionary beauty and intellectual power. This collection includes a brief biography of Hildegard, and selections from the following works:
• Scivias (literally, "know the ways"), the record of Hildegard's visions and her commentary on them
• The Book of Life's Merits, visionary work
• The Book of Divine Works, a work of cosmology and anthropology
• Natural History, a record of plants, animals, and minerals, translated here into English for the first time
• Causes and Cures, a compendium of her writing on natural medicine
• Symphonia, her songs and poetry
• Biographical works
• Selected letters
Hildegard wrote many volumes on subjects from mystical vision to sexuality, from theology to natural medicine—in letters, treatises, poetry, and songs—all in an age when few women wrote more than an occasional letter. She was a woman of extraordinary influence whose work not only surpassed that of her male contemporaries in its range, but also outshone them in visionary beauty and intellectual power. This collection includes a brief biography of Hildegard, and selections from the following works:
• Scivias (literally, "know the ways"), the record of Hildegard's visions and her commentary on them
• The Book of Life's Merits, visionary work
• The Book of Divine Works, a work of cosmology and anthropology
• Natural History, a record of plants, animals, and minerals, translated here into English for the first time
• Causes and Cures, a compendium of her writing on natural medicine
• Symphonia, her songs and poetry
• Biographical works
• Selected letters
200 pages, Paperback
First published July 9, 1996
About the author
Hildegard von Bingen
314 books279 followersborn circa 1098
People revered Saint Hildegard von Bingen, German nun, composer, and a visionary, during her own lifetime; she set her poems to music and also wrote works on medicine and natural history.
People also knew this philosopher, Christian mystic, Benedictine abbess, and polymath as Sibyl of the Rhine. Her fellows elected her as a magistra in 1136; she founded the monasteries of Rupertsberg in 1150 and Eibingen in 1165. The Ordo Virtutum exemplifies early liturgical drama.
Her theological and botanical texts, letters, liturgical songs, and arguably the oldest morality play, well survive; she meanwhile supervised brilliant miniature Illuminations.
People revered Saint Hildegard von Bingen, German nun, composer, and a visionary, during her own lifetime; she set her poems to music and also wrote works on medicine and natural history.
People also knew this philosopher, Christian mystic, Benedictine abbess, and polymath as Sibyl of the Rhine. Her fellows elected her as a magistra in 1136; she founded the monasteries of Rupertsberg in 1150 and Eibingen in 1165. The Ordo Virtutum exemplifies early liturgical drama.
Her theological and botanical texts, letters, liturgical songs, and arguably the oldest morality play, well survive; she meanwhile supervised brilliant miniature Illuminations.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 30, 2025
was she okay?
May 24, 2008
Alot of lessons between the lines. Keep in mind that this blessed being lived through a time when catholism was the only path to be practised, by rule of sword. Truely the woman of her time, nun, poet, artist, recluse, wrote the materia medica which was in use for hundreds of years untill the invent of the first western medical associations. Which in my eyes was the beginning of the end for healthcare.
March 18, 2016
This is a solid volume with just the facts - no frilly commentary or silly conjectures to bring down the great Hildegard. Only the title is misleading - Hildegard's visions were not secret, she recorded so many of them.
October 18, 2018
This is a great introduction to a quite interesting saint! Saint Hildegard was helping with healing medicines and got divine revelations accordingly. Here I'm intrigued because I too, have been a health advocate for many years and am glad to call upon her now to help me with my fight against 5G. She stood tall and proud and did not let herself be intimidated. Wonderful!
December 29, 2014
Hildegard is amazing.
Check out www.hildegardchristianmystic.com
god bless,
Check out www.hildegardchristianmystic.com
god bless,
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September 18, 2018I am reticent to put a star rating on a thing that lots of other people believe in. Rating tenents of other people's religions seems flippant and rating tenents of my own would be obviously biased.
Still, I'd only recently heard of Hildegard of Bingen so it was neat to be able to read excerpts of her writings, though I'd rather have read more of it in its entirety rather than selections. The organization of this text made sense and the translation was easy to follow, though I can't speak to its accuracy one way or another.
Still, I'd only recently heard of Hildegard of Bingen so it was neat to be able to read excerpts of her writings, though I'd rather have read more of it in its entirety rather than selections. The organization of this text made sense and the translation was easy to follow, though I can't speak to its accuracy one way or another.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews