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 them
   €  The Book of Life's Merits, visionary work
   €  The Book of Divine Works, a work of cosmology and anthropology
   €  Natural History, a record of plants, animals, and minerals, translated here into English for the first time
   €  Causes and Cures, a compendium of her writing on natural medicine
   €  Symphonia, her songs and poetry
   €  Biographical works
   €  Selected letters