Hildegard from Bingen
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Hildegard of Bingen
Hildegard of Bingen was born in 1098, in what would today be Germany, to a family belonging to the local nobility of Palantine. She was the tenth child of Hildebert and Matilda, and at birth she was dedicated as a sort of tithe to the church. At the age of eight, she was sent to receive a religious education under an anchoress by the name of Jutta von Spanheim at a convent in Disibodenberg. At the convent, Hildegard led a reclusive lifestyle and was schooled in Benedictine scholarship, arts, and literature. Upon Jutta's death, the 38 year old Hildegard was elected the head of the convent. (Pernoud 1995)
Hildegard had been having visions since early childhood that she confided only to Jutta and an assistant of hers, a monk named Volmar. In 1141 Hildegard had a vision that seems to have changed the course of her life. (Lerman 1995) Apparently, a vision from God gave Hildegard an understanding of the meanings of religious texts, which prompted her to write down everything she observed in her visions. (Lerman 1995) Hildegard expressed some feelings of reluctance to act upon this newly found power of hers, and so hesitated to act upon it. The 12th century was a time when any kind of doctrine could attract a large following...