Sister of Wisdom: St. Hildegard's Theology of the Feminine [Paperback]

Barbara Newman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 8, 1989 | ISBN-10: 0520066154 | ISBN-13: 978-0520066151

Barbara Newman reintroduces English-speaking readers to an extraordinary and gifted figure of the twelfth-century renaissance. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) was mystic and writer, musician and preacher, abbess and scientist who used symbolic theology to explore the meaning of her gender within the divine scheme of things.
With a new preface, bibliography, and discography, Sister of Wisdom is a landmark book in women's studies, and it will also be welcomed by readers in religion and history.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"At long last there has appeared an English-language book worthy of the person it studies. . . . Hildegard of Bingen was an exuberantly complex visualist and thinker; Dr. Newman's book is an excellent way of being introduced to Hildegard's sapiential visuals and thought." -- Adris Newsletter

"Newman analyzes carefully and critically the unique contributions that Hildegard, a twelfth-century abbess, mystic and scientist, made to the theology of her age, while at the same time successfully situating her within that very period." -- Alice J. Laffey, R.S.M., America

"Newman brilliantly analyzes the feminine motifs that appear in the writings of the remarkable Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) who was a prophet, visionary, scientist, cosmologist, counselor, and reformer. . . . This is the first book on Hildegard in English and the only work of any length on her theology of the feminine." -- A. McDowall, Choice

"Newman's penetrating study of Hildegard's theology of the feminine fills a great need. . . . Although her stated subject is theology, the evidence she brings to bear on her subject comes from the whole range of Hildegard's writings: scientific, lyrical, doctrinal, epistolary. Newman's translations are her own and rich; they are from Latin, not from German translations of the text. Her detailed critical apparatus not only grounds her insights and arguments firmly in clearly identified primary sources, but also provides a rich bibliography." -- Barbara Lachman Grant, Mystics Quarterly --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Inside Flap

"This is simply the best book ever done on St. Hildegard in English--a well-conceptualized work of remarkable erudition and vigorous style. Medievalists will love it, and it will generate debate in the field."--Robert I. Burns, S. J. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press (February 8, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520066154
• ISBN-13: 978-0520066151
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,424,483 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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4.0 out of 5 stars Readable, January 27, 2012

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This review is from: Sister of Wisdom: St. Hildegard's Theology of the Feminine, With a New Preface, Bibliography, and Discography. (Paperback)

This book is wonderfully readable considering that it leans toward the academic. Some of Newman's arguments reveal how very difficult it is to comprehend Hildegard's theology when we cannot fully appreciate her situation. But at least you won't feel that Newman is too sympathetic with Hildegard!

A fun read, but not one that I would take as a definitive source.