Sister of Wisdom: St.Hildegard of Bingen's Theology of the Feminine

by Barbara Newman

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.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Religion, Feminism, Spirituality, Medieval History, Christianity

332 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

Reviews

[adele · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me feel like a scholar! I read this for my medieval studies class (specifically for my presentation on female mystics in the middle ages), and I knew absolutely nothing about St. Hildegard before picking it up. Suffice to say I learned a lot! Newman writes effectively, and although I am relatively unversed in Christian mysticism, she made it easy to understand.

Overall, good vibes from St. Hildegard and this book (although she was classist and had some ~interesting~ views about the roles of women which is not good vibes)!!

4/5 mystical stars (I don't think that actually makes sense but pretend that it does).

Also, this book is violently blue, and the orange-ish/yellow-ish fonts are really something else. Not a real critique, but someone had to say it.

[Sruthi]

sruthi read a book not for school this summer challenge not going well :(

[Hanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really fascinating look at Hildegard von Bingen, and some very apt ruminations on how she understood the feminine divine as part of Christianity as a whole. I have to confess that I did skim quite a bit - but the second chapter specifically on the feminine divine was my favorite, and Newman’s discussions regarding Eve and Mary and the dichotomy of the virgin and the mother within Christian practice were incredibly interesting.

[Kathryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Summary: The theology and philosoy of Hildegard von Bingen.

Review: I didn't make it all the way through this book. It went from very interesting to very crazy in no time flat. after the third or so time that we went to crazy town, I had to give up.

[Alaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extensively researched work on the writings of medieval mystic, St. Hildegard of Bingen. The theological symbolism is richly described, using pertinent information from the time period and Hildegard's monastery to add context. The scientific and biological writings were fascinating for the time period. All told, this is a scholarly work, but not necessarily a spiritually enriching book.

[Ella]

Read for primary tutorial: Medieval Female Mystics

[Cassian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deeply learned scholar--book has not aged well in a few spots, particularly in the odd psychological comments, which seem to have little or no psychological grounding. I also feel that attempts to place Hildegard into a larger Christian theological history, while important to make, also have a inadvertent tendency to obscure the fact that she was also heir to what must have been rich non-Christian oral traditions local to the region in which she lived. Due to the fact that we have so few sources on those traditions (writing was a largely Christian technology in medieval Europe, so much of what comes to us is Christian). It is unlikely that we will ever know whether Hildegard's particular theological expression is due to the uniquely forceful creativity and intellect of one woman in the Rhine, supported by the likes of Frederick Barbarossa, Bernard of Clairvaux, and others, or (yes, please do enjoy this run-on sentence, for which apologies in advance) whether she is the rare exemplum of a writer steeped in traditions unknown to us, passing the filter of Church scrutiny to reach us today. Perhaps, the dichotomy is not necessary and she can be both.

[Ck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and engaging, not in the least because Hildegard forcefully argues for the critical place of femininity in spiritual realm, while upholding misogynistic hierarchies in the temporal.

Newman pieces together Hildegard's prolific visions and imagery to deduce a semi-systematic theology of the Incarnation and femininity. She also succeeds in making the medieval mind, with all its idiosyncrasies, accessible to the modern mind.

I recommend this book to those curious, in an intellectual way, about the Christian Western tradition and its view of the divine, of nature, and of gender roles.