The school of Chartres

Hildegard of Bingen’s relationship with philosophy is paradoxical. On the one hand she states that she was not trained by philosophers, and does not claim to write like them. Also, she sees philosophy as a mere "humana scientia" and considers that philosophical reason is incapable of apprehending God as an indivisible unity. Both in the "Scivias" and the "Liber divinorum operum", however, she implicitly uses philosophical concepts in describing the constitution and workings of the universe by means of a visionary narrative inspired by a "vox de caelo". This paper progressively unravels this paradox, at the same time analysing the Cistercian influence which permeates her view of philosophy and her theory of knowledge. We also reflect on her hypothetical philosophical library, in particular outlining some elements of a further comparative analysis correlating her visionary cosmological narrative with the "fabula" in the School of Chartres, and the "Liber divinorum operum" with the "Timaeus".

Keywords: "magisterio", epistemology, Hildegard of Bingen, cosmology, philosophy, "Timaeus".

Ancient and Medieval Authors: Plato, Bernard of Clairvaux, Hildegard of Bingen, Embrico of Mainz, Guibert of Gembloux, Odo of Soissons, Elisabeth of Schönau, Herrad of Hohenbourg.

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La relación de Hildegarda de Bingen con la filosofía es paradójica. Por un lado, afirma que no ha sido instruida por filósofos ni pretende escribir como ellos. Además, considera que la filosofía es una mera "humana scientia" y que su particular uso de la racionalidad es incapaz de aprehender a Dios como una unidad indivisible. Por otro lado, en cambio, tanto en el "Scivias" como en el "Liber divinorum operum" la autora se sirve implícitamente de motivos filosóficos al describir, mediante un relato visionario inspirado por la uox de caelo, la constitución y el funcionamiento del universo. El presente artículo va desgranando esta paradoja y, asimismo, reflexiona sobre la huella cisterciense que impregna su concepción de la filosofía y su teoría del conocimiento, sobre su hipotética biblioteca filosófica, y, en particular, señala algunos aspectos en pos de un análisis comparativo entre el relato cosmológicovisionario y la "fabula" en los pensadores de Chartres, y entre el "Liber divinorum operum" y el "Timaeus".

Palabras clave: "magisterio", epistemología, Hildegarda de Bingen, cosmología, filosofía, "Timaeus".

Autores antiguos y medievales: Platón, Bernardo de Claraval, Hildegarda de Bingen, Embrico de Maguncia, Guiberto de Gembloux, Odo de Soissons, Elisabeth de Schönau, Herrada de Hohenbourg.

Medieval conceptions of creaturality may be reduced to two distinct positions. The first, by far hegemonic within medieval history, can be tracked down to Paul (1 Cor, 13, 12) and especially Augustine. It states that creatures mantain a vestigium Dei, which must be actively researched – but this research eventually leads to discard creatures, which are seen as simple tools and not as something that can be sought in itself. Indeed, they are nothing in themselves, being pure outcomes of God’s will. The second position, essentially represented by Bonaventure, considers on the contrary creatures as essentially capable to be perfect theophanic places of God’s self-manifestation. Videre in speculo means to see God in creatures, which in turn leads to the admission of the possibility to reach the state of beatitudo already in this life – though it is a special privilege granted only to extremely selected chosen ones, such as Francis of Assisi.

The myth of creation of the world in the Timaeus is a typical example of dianoia or dianoetic thought as Plato characterized it in the Republic. The article takes into account three Christian texts of the 12th century:  Rupert of Deutz, Thierry of Chartres and  Peter Abelard. It tries to show that this medieval thinkers were well aware of the limits of dianoetical thought  on  creation and tried to overcome them.