The Book of Divine Works (Fathers of the Church: Medieval Continuations)
Digital Logos Edition
Overview
Declared a Doctor of the Church in 2012, St. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) is one of the most remarkable figures of medieval Latin Christianity. A visionary theologian and prophetic reformer, as well as composer, artist, and natural scientist, her voice echoes across the centuries to offer today an integrated vision of the relationship between cosmos and humanity.
Completed in 1173, The Book of Divine Works (Liber Divinorum Operum) is the culmination of the Visionary’s Doctor’s theological project, offered here for the first time in a complete and scholarly English translation. The first part explores the intricate physical and spiritual relationships between the cosmos and the human person, with the famous image of the universal Man standing astride the cosmic spheres. The second part examines the rewards for virtue and the punishments for vice, mapped onto a geography of purgatory, hellmouth, and the road to the heavenly city. At the end of each Hildegard writes extensive commentaries on the Prologue to John’s Gospel (Part 1) and the first chapter of Genesis (Part 2)—the only premodern woman to have done so. Finally, the third part tells the history of salvation, imagined as the City of God standing next to the mountain of God’s foreknowledge, with Divine Love reigning over all.
For Hildegard, the Incarnation is the key moment of all history, willed from eternity to complete God’s Work. God’s creative capacity and loving mission are thus shared with the humans he made in his image and likeness—for Hildegard, the incarnate Christ’s tunic and the Word’s creative rationality, respectively. Containing all creation within ourselves, we are divinely called to cooperate in the Creator’s work, to enter into a fruitful and sustainable relationship with creation. The scope of Hildegard’s visionary theology is both cosmic and close—reflections of God’s loving self-revelation are both grand and utterly intimate as the Work of God reaches from the very heart of infinity down into every smallest detail of the created world.
In the Logos edition, this volume is enhanced by amazing functionality. Important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Perform powerful searches to find exactly what you’re looking for. Take the discussion with you using tablet and mobile apps. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.
Key Features
- Explores the intricate physical and spiritual relationships between the cosmos and the human person
- Examines the rewards for virtue and the punishments for vice, mapped onto a geography of purgatory, hellmouth, and the road to the heavenly city
- Discusses the history of salvation, imagined as the City of God standing next to the mountain of God's foreknowledge, with Divine Love reigning over all
Contents
- Part I
- Vision 1: Theophany of Divine Love
- Vision 2: The Cosmic Spheres and Human Being
- Vision 3: Macrocosm of Winds, Microcosm of Humors
- Vision 4: Cosmos, Body, and Soul: The Word Made Flesh
- Part II
- Vision 1: The Earth: Life’s Merits, Purgatory, and Commentary on the Creation
- Part III
- Vision 1: The City of God and the Mirror of the Angels
- Vision 2: The City in Salvation History: Creation to Incarnation
- Vision 3: The Fountain of God’s Work: Theophany of Divine Love, with Humility and Peace
- Vision 4: Wisdom and the Ancient Counsel Unfolding in God’s Works
- Vision 5: Divine Love upon the Wheel: Eternity and History
Product Details
- Title: The Book of Divine Works
- Author: St. Hildegard of Bingen
- Translator: Nathaniel M. Campbell
- Series: Fathers of the Church
- Publisher: Catholic University of America
- Publication Date: 2018
- Pages: 543
- Christian Group: Catholic
- Resource Type: Anient Texts
- Topic: Early Church