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Days of creation / Scivias (Hildegard)
- Days of creation / Scivias (Hildegard)
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RE: Days of creation / Scivias (Hildegard)
Koen G > 30-10-2021, 05:15 PM
(30-10-2021, 02:06 PM)bi3mw Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.so a reference to the universe and not Christ
Hildegard's visions have little to do with the universe though. Each element she includes is carefully placed so in a way that supports Christian doctrine. This site that Marco linked earlier is quite eye-opening: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
It's not just that she explains the medieval perception of the universe in the light of Christian doctrine. Rather, she deviates from standard models of the universe to construct something that aligns with scripture.
Just an example from the site (translated from German and a bit wonky at times):
"The whole universe points to the almighty and incomprehensible God. The outermost layer of fire signifies God's twofold work: fiery vengeance against the unbelievers, consolation for believers. The great fireball of this layer is the sun, which means the only begotten Son of God, the sun of righteousness. Three lights, three planets, stand over this sun, in the mystery of the Trinity . The winds in this layer indicate the true preaching." -
RE: Days of creation / Scivias (Hildegard)
bi3mw > 30-10-2021, 06:13 PM
(30-10-2021, 05:15 PM)Koen G Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.Hildegard's visions have little to do with the universe though.
I wouldn't necessarily say that.
Quote:Scivias, an illustrated tome, was Hildegard of Bingen’s first, and perhaps the most famous of her writings. Scivias, (“Know the Ways”) describes 26 of Hildegard’s most vivid visions. The book deals with the interconnectivity of man in the universe; the concept that man represents a microcosm of the cosmic macrocosm, in other words, the belief that the universe exists simultaneously within each of us, while also encompassing everything else externally.
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"Egg of the Universe":
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Quote:In this illumination, Hildegard gifts us with a surprising and wonderful mandala of the universe--the universe as an egg. "By this supreme instrument in the figure of an egg, and which is the universe," she writes, "invisible and eternal things are manifested."
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RE: Days of creation / Scivias (Hildegard)
Koen G > 30-10-2021, 08:00 PM
The quote you mention summarizes the intention of the drawing well: "By this supreme instrument in the figure of an egg, and which is the universe," she writes, "invisible and eternal things are manifested."
Admittedly, my statement that it has little to do with the universe is too strong, it does present itself as a representation of the universe. But this cosmos is merly an instrument that serves a much greater purpose, namely those "invisible and eternal things" she is talking about: God. -
RE: Days of creation / Scivias (Hildegard)
bi3mw > 30-10-2021, 10:30 PM
(30-10-2021, 08:00 PM)Koen G Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.But this cosmos is merly an instrument that serves a much greater purpose, namely those "invisible and eternal things" she is talking about: God.
Yes, God was certainly the overriding theme throughout the Scivias. Even the title comes from the Latin phrase "Sci vias Domini" ("Know the Ways of the Lord").
This example shows that very well:
Quote:Image Four: “The Universe”
This image illustrates the universe, surrounded by the symbolic divine voice. The entire universe points to an almighty and incomprehensible God. The outermost layer of the fire represents God’s duality, on the one hand he takes fiery revenge on the unfaithful, and on the other hand, he offers deep comfort to those who believe.
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RE: Days of creation / Scivias (Hildegard)
CaryR > 30-10-2021, 10:58 PM
Another illustration from the Rupertsberg Scivias, the same work containing Hildegard's "cosmic egg" is this illustration of the "New Heaven and the New Earth."
There is much similarity here too with a starry mandorla-shape, and this one doesn't even have to be rotated to see the resemblance with the bottom left rosette:
The combination of star-like flowers and asterisk-style stars in the background of the sky have an especially close resemblance here. -
RE: Days of creation / Scivias (Hildegard)
bi3mw > 01-11-2021, 12:28 PM
If I am not mistaken, then on folio 225r (plate 33) Christ is shown sitting and surrounded by a mandorla. If this interpretation is correct, then there is at least one clear representation with this symbolism in the Scivas (Book I).
Plate 33:
Cod. Sal. X,16 on You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. also shows Christ in a mandorla. The inscription reads:
Vidit deus cuncta quae fecit et erant valde bona et requieuit die septimo ab omni opere quod fecerat.
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RE: Days of creation / Scivias (Hildegard)
Koen G > 01-11-2021, 02:42 PM
That is the illustration I started this thread with, but for some reason the images have disappeared.
I've been looking a bit closer into Hildegard's text. Apparently the third book is the one that was most widely circulated in the Middle Ages, but I am unable to find a freely available English translation.
Her text follows a repeating pattern. First, the vision itself, we experience the strangeness of it all without any explanation, as Hildegard herself would have experienced it. Then, an explanation of what every detail means. These explanations are the vast majority of the work. For example, vision 2 of the third book is a relatively short one, the vision text is 361 words in the Dutch translation, while the explanation is a whopping 7752 words. The majority of this explanation is "the voice from heaven" which speaks to her so she would know what everything means. It also includes many bible quotes to provide authority.
If only all manuscripts came with such clear user manuals
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RE: Days of creation / Scivias (Hildegard)
bi3mw > 01-11-2021, 03:34 PM
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RE: Days of creation / Scivias (Hildegard)
Koen G > 01-11-2021, 03:41 PM
Sorry for being unclear, I meant the third book of the Scivias, the part which mostly focuses on Revelation, the end times etc. Apparently this was circulated separately through a popular copy, more so than the other two books of the Scivias.