Hildegard of Bingen's Unknown Language and Unknown Letters
Sometime in 1153 or 1154, the German nun Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) wrote a letter to the elderly Pope Anastasius IV (1073-1154). Her words were scathing. She called the pope tired and criticized his rule, describing him as too accepting of depraved people and urging him to control the arrogance of those around him. There was corruption in the medieval church, Hildegard asserted, and he, as pope, should be doing something about it.
Hildegard did not hold back her anger; but among her many complaints, she included an unusual throw-away comment – a reference to one of the greatest mysteries of her life: she told Anastasius that she had witnessed a miracle, an experience that led her to create Unknown Letters and to speak an Unknown Language (lingua ignota and litterae ignotae in Latin). These mysterious creations remain little understood today, and scholars continue to debate their purpose.
Hildegard of Bingen
Hildegard of Bingen was one of the greatest thinkers of the Middle Ages and is best known today for her beautiful musical compositions and visionary writings. Born as the tenth child of a wealthy family in 1098, probably in Bermersheim in western Germany, at around the age of 14, her parents sent her to become an anchoress, or religious recluse, at the monastery of Disibodenberg. Once installed within the monastery's tiny convent, she probably expected to experience little else for the rest of her life. But 24 years later, in 1136, the nuns elected her to lead their growing convent. Hildegard immediately reduced her predecessor's austere rules, and more surprisingly, began her rise to fame.
Throughout her life, Hildegard had experienced visions. She had kept these secret from everyone she had met since childhood, except for Jutta of Sponheim (circa 1092-1136) – her predecessor as head nun of Disibodenberg – and a monk named Volmar (died 1173). Now, at the age of 42, she saw a great light descend from the sky and enter her heart and mind. Suddenly, she could better understand the Bible and the writings of saints, and a voice told her to write down everything that she had seen and heard in her visions. Although this thought terrified her, she did as the voice had asked and began to write a book detailing her experiences. This would be known as Scivias and took her ten years to complete. During this time, her work came to the attention of Pope Eugene III (1088-1153), who read a portion of this masterpiece and gave Hildegard his papal seal of approval to continue writing.
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⇒ Hildegard of Bingen's Unknown Language and Unknown Letters
