The Letters of Hildegard of Bingen: Volume I [Paperback]

Hildegard of Bingen (Author), Joseph L. Baird (Translator), Radd K. Ehrman (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 6, 1998 | ISBN-10: 0195121171 | ISBN-13: 978-0195121179

The first translation into English of the complete correspondence of the remarkable twelfth-century Benedictine abbess Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179), this study consists of nearly four hundred letters, in four projected volumes. Addressed to some of the most notable people of the day, as well as to some of humble status, the correspondence reveals the saint in ways her more famous works leave obscure: as determined reformer, as castigating seer, as theoretical musician, as patient adviser, as exorcist. Sometimes diffident and restrained, sometimes thunderously imperious, her letters are indispensable to understanding fully this luminary of medieval philosophy, poetry, and music. In addition, they provide a fascinating glimpse at life in tumultuous twelfth-century Germany, beset with schism and political unrest. This first volume includes ninety letters to the highest ranking prelates in Hildegard's world--popes, archbishops, and bishops. Three following volumes will be divided according to the rank of the addressees.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Every library supporting a women's studies program should have this useful and seminal volume."--Choice

"I think this is the translation of Hildegard's letters that medievalists have been waiting for. It is based on a reliable edition, movingly and accurately translated, and will be useful to many scholars."--Elizabeth A. Petroff, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

"Baird and Ehrman's translation is at once accurate and smooth, rendering Hildegard's Latin in an English style as idiomatic as her quirky language permits....This is an excellent starting point for readers who want to sample the writings of this great monastic in small doses before dipping into her formidable visionary tomes."--Reviews for Religious

"This first volume...makes available for the first time in English 90 letters to and from both the upper echelon of church and state and lesser ecclesiastical figures." --Theological Studies

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Latin --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (August 6, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195121171
• ISBN-13: 978-0195121179
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,594,167 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mediaeval Masterpiece, March 9, 2007

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This review is from: The Letters of Hildegard of Bingen: Volume III (Hardcover)

Here, in the third volume of a three volume set

is the translation of the written correspondence

between Hildegard of Bingen and many of her contemporaries.

Included among her pen pals are some of the most well-known

figures in history.

If you have any interest in Medieval history

and Christian theology/philosophy,

these letters from one of the greatest Christian mystics,

spiritual masters, theologians, artists, musicians

and intellectuals of all time must be included in your library.

You will read it again and again.

It is the kind of book that is hard to stop reading.

Because the letters are short, you can sample the book

for only a few minutes at a time.

A visionary, having received private revelations

from God from the age of five years,

she kept them mostly to herself until in her 40's

when instructed by the Pope to share them.

Many of her letters contain revelations that may not

be recorded elsewhere. How cool is that!

Unfortunately, all three volumes of her letters

in the English translation are out of print.

Get them if you can find them.