Episode Details

In this episode of pplpod, we explore the extraordinary life of Hildegard of Bingen (c. 1098–1179), a German Benedictine abbess who stands as one of the most significant figures of the High Middle Ages. Known as the "Sibyl of the Rhine," Hildegard was a true polymath: a mystic, composer, philosopher, medical writer, and the founder of scientific natural history in Germany.

Join us as we discuss:

• A Visionary Life: How Hildegard experienced visions of the "Shade of the Living Light" from the age of three, eventually receiving a divine command at age 42 to record what she saw and heard, leading to her famous theological work, Scivias.

• Breaking Barriers: Her election as magistra in 1136 and her bold fight against her abbot to move her community of nuns to an independent monastery at Rupertsberg. We also cover her four preaching tours across Germany, where she publicly denounced clerical corruption—a rare feat for a woman of her time.

• Music and Medicine: Her legacy as one of the best-known composers of sacred monophony, including the earliest surviving morality play, Ordo Virtutum. We also dive into her medical writings, which combined holistic spiritual healing with practical remedies—including the first recorded reference to using hops as a preservative in beer.

• Secret Codes and Legacy: Her invention of the Lingua Ignota, a constructed language and alphabet.

• Modern Saint: Her long journey to being named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012 and her enduring relevance in modern feminist and queer studies.

Tune in to hear how this "unlearned" woman used her voice to amplify her authority and leave a mark on theology, medicine, and music that lasts to this day .