Penn State University Pressis collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access toMystics Quarterly.
http://www.jstor.orgFaith: Hildegard von Bingen and Some of the Modern Theologians 
Author(s): Bruce W. Hozeski 
Source: Mystics Quarterly,Vol. 17, No. 1 (March 1991), pp. 20-26Published by: Penn State University PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20717031Accessed: 26-11-2015 12:00 UTCYour use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/ 
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Penn State University Pressis collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access toMystics Quarterly.
http://www.jstor.orgFaith: Hildegard von Bingen and Some of the Modern Theologians 
Author(s): Bruce W. Hozeski 
Source: Mystics Quarterly,Vol. 17, No. 1 (March 1991), pp. 20-26Published by: Penn State University PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20717031Accessed: 26-11-2015 12:00 UTCYour use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/ 
info/about/policies/terms.jspJSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content 
in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. 
For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.


Faith: Hildegard von Bingen 
and Some of the Modern Theologians 
Saint Paul tells us that "There are in the end three things that last: faith; 
hope, and love; and the greatest of these is love/7 (1 Corinthians 13:13). 
Maybe Saint Paul thought-and rightly so-that love is the greatest of 
these, but for the purpose of this presentation, faith will be the center of our 
attention. Further, we have all heard various definitions of faith, but many 
of us recall in particular the one from The New Baltimore Catechism: 
291. What is faith? 
Faith is the virtue by which we firmly believe all the truths God 
revealed, on the word of God revealing them, who can neither 
deceive nor be deceived.1 
Many of us now think of that definition as too restricted, too limited; and 
Hildegard would have, too, if she had been alive. 
James Fowler has given us a more complete and more modern definition 
of faith.2 During the past ten years he has emerged as an international 
leader in Faith Development, with his pioneering research in the field, 
including his development of a stage theory of Faith Development.3 As he 
approaches the topic of faith from a theological perspective, his findings are 
grounded in extensive interviews with hundreds of people. He writes: 
The term 'faith7 denotes a rich, multilayered phenomenon. My own effort concep 
tually to grasp and unify these many dimensions owes a great deal to theologians 
Paul Tillich, H. Richard Niebuhr, and Fr. William Lynch, and to historian of relig 
ion, Wilfred Cantwell Smith. From these various sources and others and from per 
sonal observation and reflection, I have come to see faith as a complex phenom 
enon integrating at least the following characteristics: 
1. A dynamic disposition of the total self giving character to a person7s way of 
moving in life . . . 
2. Arising from and correlated with a comprehensive image of the conditions of 
existence taken as a whole . . . 
3. With both (1) and (2) being shaped by the person7s commitments of trust in and 
loyalty 
to a center or centers of value, an image or images of power, and a master 
narrative or narratives, which orient her/him to patterns of order, coherence, and 
meaning characterizing the ultimate conditions of existence. 
10 


4. Like selfhood, faith takes form and is sustained in community; it is inherently 
relational Our relations in faith are triadic and covenantal in form. Our invest 
ments of trust in and loyalty to other persons, and of theirs with us, are,deepened 
and ratified by our shared commitments to centers of value, images of power, and 
master stories that transcend and include us and them, conferring value, signifi 
cance, and truth in our lives. 
5. Faith shapes its initiatives and responses in our lives on the bases of modes of 
knowing which combine imagination, valuing, or affections and reasoning in a 
complex logic of conviction. The symbols, rituals, stories, and teachings of relig 
ious traditions as well as other ideological systems can become the mundane causes 
of faith's awakening and growth. 
6. Faith, with the characteristics represented in (1) through (5), undergoes forma 
tion and transformation in the interaction of persons with the changing events and 
circumstances that constitute the force-field of their lives. As an 
ongoing process 
faith includes times of doubt, darkness, loss of orientation and meaninglessness, as 
well as times of disclosure, ecstasy, and profound intuitional participation in the 
character of ultimate reality. A person's self-awareness, intentionality, and con 
scious grasp of the elements of dynamics of his/her faith vary in accordance with 
the person's developmental level. 
When viewed in these ways faith is not to be equated with religion or belief. Faith, 
so described, is a generic or universal feature of human struggle for identity, com 
munity, and meaning. Religious traditions are the living, cumulative representa 
tions of the faiths of persons or groups in the past and present.4 
Wilfred Cantwell Smith, a historian of religion, gives a more religious 
definition of faith, but does not in any way contradict Fowler;s more 
generic definition: 
Faith is deeper, richer, more personal. It is 
engendered by 
a 
religious tradition, in 
some cases and to some degree by its doctrines; but it is a quality of the person, not 
of the system. It is an orientation of the personality, 
to oneself, to one's neighbors, 
to the universe; a total response; a way of seeing whatever one sees, and of handling 
whatever one handles; a capacity to live at more than a mundane level; to see, to 
feel, to act in terms of a transcendent dimension.5 
Obviously both Fowler and Smith have given us more complex defini 
tions than The New Baltimore Catechism, and, moreover, see faith as part of 
the universal human struggle for identity in relation to self, neighbor and 
the universe-and even to a transcendent dimension beyond the universe. 
Turning to Hildegards ideas on faith, we find that, as is so typical of Hilde 
gard, she was far ahead of her time, and had an understanding of faith very 
much in line with these and other modern scholars. 
But before turning to Hildegards writing, we need to consider the 
Christocentric dimension of faith, as articulated by John Hick, The Sage 
School of Philosophy at Cornell University, in his Faith and Knowledge: A 
Modern Introduction to the Problem of Religious Knowledge: 
11 


As we study the Christian claim concerning Christ, it will make for clarity if we dis 
tinguish within it two movements or phases, which we may call (for want of a 
more elegant terminology) faith 'in7 Christ and faith 'from7 Christ. There is, first, 
faith directed upon the person of Christ himself in an act of interpretation which 
sees him as the unique Son of God; this is faith 'in7 Christ. And there is, second, 
faith surveying the world from this new-found standpoint, and interpreting life and 
all that it brings in the light of the revelation of Christ; this is faith 'from7 Christ. In 
this second movement of faith Christ acts as the spiritual catalyst for a reinterpreta 
tion of the believer7s experience as a whole.6 
Hick sees the faith "in77 Christ as centering around the doctrine of the 
Incarnation, whereby Jesus Christ is mediating the divine presence; and 
faith "from77 Christ as the resulting reinterpretation of all life in the light of 
Christ, together with his various teachings. 
We can now examine Hildegards Scivias for her statement on the virtue 
of faith. The Scivias, written by the saint to teach the clergy of her time, 
develops her views on the universe, the theory of microcosm and macro 
cosm, the structure of man; and birth, death, and the nature of the soul.7 
The Scivias also refers throughout to the various virtues and ultimately 
ends with the Or do Virtutum (Bk. III, V. 13), which is a dramatization of the 
fall and rebirth of a particular soul, and, in a sense, of all souls. The virtues 
are the main personages of the Ordo. 
Hildegard discusses faith generally and in detail primarily in Books I and 
III of the Scivias, where the following pattern emerges: she presents some 
visual imagery regarding faith, then relates it to the individual-particularly 
in relation to baptism; to the community-Christ and the church; then to 
salvation-again Christ and this time the other virtues; then to the Anti 
christ, and finally to the Last Judgment. It will be noted this is the same pat 
tern established by Fowler and by Smith in particular, who speaks of faith 
as "an orientation of the personality, to oneself, to one's neighbors, to the 
universe; a total response.778 
In Bk.I, V.3, Hildegard tells us: 
After this I saw a very large, round and shady object. It was like an egg, with the top 
part narrower, the middle part fuller, and the lower part compressed. On the outer 
edge of this circular object, there was a bright flame which had a darker layer under it. 
She continues: 
Under the darker layer, there was the purest of air. This signifies that under the 
snares of the ancient destroyer, there shines forth the serenest of faith. This faith 
has none of the uncertainty of unfaithfulness concealed in it because this faith did 
not found itself but rather comes from a dependency on Christ. In this purest of air, 
I saw that very large globe of reddish fire. This truthfully shows the unconquered 
church which is shining white in the innocent brightness of faith. And the church 
ZZ 


holds out honor to you. That very large globe of reddish fire has above itself those 
torches. The outer layer and the air restrained that globe so that it could not go 
beyond them. This signifies that the church is guided in heavenly matters to the 
divine precepts by the two published testaments, clearly the old and the new. The 
testaments guide the church so that it does not overextend itself in a variety of 
diverse ways, for the old and new testaments show the church the blessedness of its 
heavenly heredity. (Bk.I, V.3-11) 
She then states that this very pure air has many spheres everywhere which 
signify the "very many and splendid works of piety... everywhere in the 
purity of faith77 (Bk.I, V.3-12). And finally, she tells us a wind blows this 
very pure air about, which she interprets: 
This means that through the unity of faith, very strong words-spreading with the 
aid of people through their true and perfect commands-spread throughout the 
whole world very swiftly (Bk.I, V.3-13). 
Do we not find here the imagery that Fowler refers to when he says that 
faith is "arising from and correlated with a comprehensive image (or 
images) of the conditions of existence taken as a whole .. .77?9 Hildegards 
imagery primarily equates the purity of the air with the purity of faith. 
And the egg-shaped object and the many spheres are the environment of 
faith, the acts of piety of the people of faith in the church. Fowler tells us 
that "Like selfhood, faith takes form and is sustained in community_7710 
And Hildegard uses the wind to move the pure air, which denotes the 
spreading of faith throughout the world. Again the movement is from the 
individual to the community. 
In Bk.III, V.2, Hildegard describes a four-cornered building that is built in 
the likeness of a city, stands upon a mountain, and is like a fortress. Com 
menting on the building, she again refers to faith: 
The fortresses are higher than the walls of the building. Why? Because when a per 
son looks at the summit of a good mind, then that person builds high walls of faith 
with the virtues and the work of God. That person can ascend above understanding 
through faith, clearly knowing God to exist by the power of God's divinity. So 
with faith, that person builds a higher and more distinguished fortress. How can 
this be? For the person builds higher and stronger virtues and therefore is not just 
dependent upon himself or herself. The person does not only hold onto his or her 
faith in God, but climbs up a green palm, which is from virtues into vinue. With the vir 
tues, the most righteous faith is exalted and embellished, just as a city is with for 
tresses. (Bk.III, V2-26) [italics mine] 
Hildegard is not only bringing out the relationship of faith and the other 
virtues and the work of God, but, more importantly, tells us that a person 
can ascend above understanding through faith, thus adumbrating Fowler: 
"Faith shapes its initiatives and responses in our lives on the bases of modes 
23 


of knowing which combine imagination, valuing, or affections and rea 
soning in a complex 'logic of conviction/7711 
Hildegard then describes a house inside the four-cornered building, and a 
figure sitting at the end of the house7s wall: 
This image was sitting upon a stone which had been placed upon the pavement like 
a seat. This means that the replacement of the old law of the ancient people with 
the beginning of the new law of faith was begun by the true Trinity. For when God 
prepared all the virtues, faith appeared through God;s work. And faith in God will 
be within the people right up to the end of the world. (Bk.III, V.6-26) 
A paragraph later, she adds: 
And she was looking toward the column of the true Trinity. This means that she 
stretches her thoughts out to the Trinity since the fact that the Trinity is three per 
sons ought to be thought about continuously. Everyone thinking about God should 
think about the Trinity most carefully, and they should not forsake their thinking 
about the Trinity. (Bk.III, V.6-26) 
Hildegards connecting of faith to the Trinity is very much in line with 
Smith, who says that faith is "a way of seeing whatever one sees, and of 
handling whatever one handles; a capacity to live at more than a mundane 
level; to see, to feel, to act in terms of a transcendent dimension.12 
In Bk.III, V.8,9,10, Hildegard presents a thorough discussion of the rela 
tionship of faith to good works, which, however, is so detailed that it is 
beyond the purview of this essay. 
In Bk.III, V.ll, Hildegard foretells the persecution of the faithful who 
will suffer at the hands of the Antichrist, and predicts that the faith of the 
institution of the church will be held in doubt: 
The faithful will suffer persecution from the Antichrist right up to the time of the 
teaching of the two witnesses, Enoch and Eli, who despise earthly things and put 
their own work aside for the sake of heavenly desires. And because of the persecu 
tion, the faithful will doubt the institution of the church, and full of grief will say: 
'Are the things spoken about Christ true or not?7 (Bk.III, V.ll) 
She describes the Antichrist attacking the faithful as follows: 
The raging son of destruction will come with the same deceitfulness as at the first 
seduction of Adam and Eve. He will come with monstrous ugliness and with the 
blackest of evil. He will have fiery eyes, the ears of an ass, and the nostrils and 
mouth of a lion. He will send people into rages and fill them with contradictions, 
pouring out the worst stink upon their senses and tearing the institution of the 
church to pieces with the crudest of greediness, crushing it with his great jaw and 
biting it with his horrible teeth. (Bk.III, V.ll-14) 
This, of course, will be followed by the Last Judgment where some will 
have been signed in faith and some not. Those signed in faith will have the 
24 


works of faith filled with the brightness of wisdom and will be brought to 
eternal happiness: 
Certain ones of them will have been signed with faith; certain others, however, will 
not have been. The consciences of the ones showing the works of faith will shine 
with the brightness of wisdom; the consciences of the others will appear in the 
darkness of the neglect which has been openly discerned in them. This is because 
some filled up their works with faith whereas the others extinguished the faith in 
themselves. The ones without the sign of faith did not want to have any knowl 
edge of the living and true God in the old law nor in the new grace. (Bk.III, V. 12-14) 
Hildegard concludes the Scivias with the Ordo Virtutum, wherein she 
places the character of Faith in the second of three choruses, grouped with 
Contempt of the World, Discipline, Patience and Modesty. Faith speaks 
when the chorus speaks, but she also speaks individually: "I am faith, the 
mirror of life (1 Cor. 13:12): venerable daughter, come to me, and I will 
show the flowing fountain to you;; (Bk. III, V. 13). Hildegards correlation 
of faith to life and salvation parallels FowlerS "Faith is a generic or univer 
sal feature of human struggle for identity, community, and meaning77 and 
Smith7s "Faith is an orientation of the personality, to oneself, to oneS 
neighbors, to the universe; a total respoinse.7714 
That Hildegard had a strong faith is not surprising. What is remarkable is 
that her understanding of faith anticipated the findings of modern scholars 
working to understand and define this important theological virtue. 
Bruce W. Hozeski 
Ball State University 
Notes 
1. Rev. Francis J. Connell; The New Baltimore Catechism: No. 3 (New York: Benziger 
Brothers, 1943), 72. 
2. James Fowler is Professor of Theology and Human Development, and Director 
of the Center for Faith Development at Candler School of Theology, Emory Uni 
versity, in Atlanta. 
3. Fowler defines his concept of "Stage" as "a Time/ 'Phase/ 'Season/ or 'Passage7 
of one7s life characterized by an age-related set of existential issues or challenges, 
and by the inner growth and outer changes required to meet them. Closely tied to 
biological aging and to bioculturally established 'life-tasks/ psychosocial stages 
come more or less on schedule and cannot be avoided/7 in Faith Development in the 
Adult Life Cycle, ed. Kenneth Stokes (New York: W. H. Sadlier, 1982), 186. 
4. Fowler, 179-80. 
25 


5. Wilfred Cantwell Smith, Faith and Belief (Princeton: Princeton Univ. Press, 
1979), 12. 
6. John Hick, Faith and Knowledge (Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press, 1957), 197-98. 
7. Hildegard von Bingen, Hildegard Scivias, 2 vol., ed. Adelgundis Fuhrkotter, 
(Turnholt, Brepols, 1978). All translations are my own. 
8. Smith, 12. 
9. Fowler, 180. 
10. Fowler, 180. 
11. Fowler, 180. 
12. Smith, 12. 
13. Fowler, 180. 
14. Smith, 12. 
Z6