Hildegard of Bingen: A Visionary Life [Paperback]

Sabina Flanagan (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415185513 | ISBN-13: 978-0415185516 | Publication Date: June 1998 | Edition: 2

Drawing on contemporary sources, the text unfolds Hildegard's life from the time of her entrance into an anchoress's cell--where a woman would remain in pious isolation--to her death as a famed visionary and writer, abbess and confidante of popes and kings, more than seventy years later. Against this background the author explores Hildegard's vast creative work, encompassing theology, medicine, natural history, poetry, and music.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Hildegard was a unique and remarkable woman of the 12th century who began the austere life of a religious at the age of eight. In light of the fact that she surmounted the typical restraints and low esteem in which women were held in the Middle Ages, her accomplishments were prodigious. That she wrote at all was exceptional. Her interests were both mystical and intellectual, including natural history, medicine, and science. Her musical works are performed even today. She is best known, though, for three lengthy theological works--discussed in some detail here--that came about from her visionary experiences. Just as Hildegard "sought to understand the world in all its aspects, natural, human and divine," this biography approaches her life from a scholarly viewpoint, seeking to interpret her visionary knowledge from a modern perspective. It is the first major work to do so.
- Carol J. Lichtenberg, Washington State Univ. Lib., Pullman
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Sabina Flanagan's biography is a solid introductory account....
–Village Voice

Flanagan's book would be the one that I would recommend as a first introduction to Hildegard.
–Commonweal

An excellent biography of an extraordinary medieval visionary...a fascinating book about a miraculous life.
–Kirkus

It is the great virtue of Sabina Flanagan's cool, scholarly, and reflective biography that it sets her story so firmly in her own age....A woman of electrifying visionary power, fascinating, often enigmatic and clearly of great presence, she was also a woman with a will and prejudices of her own....It is as such, wrinkles and all, that Sabina Flanagan presents her to us, and we must be grateful for the historical balance of her picture.
–New York Review of Books

Sabina Flanagan's biography is a solid introductory account.
–Voice Literary Supplement

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 227 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 2 edition (June 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415185513
• ISBN-13: 978-0415185516
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #835,615 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and informative biography of Hildegard of Bingen, June 1, 2003

By 

Lee Allard (Cincinnati, OH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hildegard of Bingen: A Visionary Life (Paperback)

Sabina Flanagan's book provides a clear, coherent, and interesting account of Hildegard's life, without veering toward excessive speculation or sensationalism - always a temptation when dealing with topics like "vision" or "prophecy" or "faith healing." The book opens with a biographical overview of Hildegard's life, and of the context in which she lived. Succeeding chapters deal with the various dimensions of Hildegard's ministry. For the most part, the material is well-chosen; my only complaint would be the amount of attention given to her role as "healer." This chapter of the book has a certain arcane interest insofar as it reflects the culture and beliefs of the Middle Ages, but it is not an edifying or relevant discourse. For the most part, it is a somewhat belabored description of Hildegard's very non-scientific advice for healing various disorders. This was decidedly not her major contribution to human history. Other chapters deal with more significant and/or inspiring topics: Hildegard's role as administrator and pastoral theologian of sorts; her considerable contributions to the field of music; her writings and preaching; and her role as spiritual counselor.
The book takes a bit of a downturn in the final chapter, when the author, albeit somewhat cautiously, hazards an interpretation of Hildegard's visionary experiences as being rooted in migraine headaches. Granted, the author admits that it is a major step from visionary to prophet, and that Hildegard's status as prophet cannot be reduced to neuro-physiological phenomena. Nevertheless, the thesis is forced, and highly speculative, since there is no objective evidence to indicate that Hildegard even suffered from migraines, much less that she confused them with divinely inspired visions. I personally suffer from migraines - and believe me, I'm in no danger of confusing them with divine revelations.
Overall, it is a well-written book, although clearly intended for an educated audience. It is not an academic treatise, but neither does it fall into the genre of what we might call "popular biography." For motivated readers, it is a solid investment of time and energy - but read the last chapter with a few grains of salt.

25 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very nice biography on Hildegard., December 1, 1999

By 

Charlise Tiee - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hildegard of Bingen: A Visionary Life (Paperback)

Hildegard certainly was a fascinating person, and this is a very informative book about her life and works. The book is written in a scholarly manner, and is very clear and readable. The author speculates a bit on why Hildegard was as she was, but never in an unreasonable way, and the argumentation is never gets absurd.

9 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars very useful introduction to Hildegard, June 13, 2000

By 

NotATameLion (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hildegard of Bingen: A Visionary Life (Paperback)

This is a very insightful book written from the perspective of a historian. Each chapter breaks down Hildegard's legacy in several given areas: her music, writings, medicinal and healing abilities, art, etc. This book is very useful as a well thought out introduction to the life of this intriguing saint.