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 themThe Book of Life's Merits,visionary workThe Book of Divine Works,a work of cosmology and anthropologyNatural History,a record of plants, animals, and minerals, translated here into English for the first timeCauses and Cures,a compendium of her writing on natural medicineSymphonia,her songs and poetry Biographical works Selected letters

Sabina Flanagan, Ph.D., is a visiting research fellow at the Universities of Adelaide and Melbourne, Australia. A scholar of Hildegard for many years, she is the author of the standard biography, Hildegard of Bingen: A Visionary Life.