R140: Hildegard von Rupertsberg an Hermann von St. Martin in Mainz
Greeting and Mystic Address
Hildegard opens with a mystical salutation, recognizing Hermann as a man of God seen in darkness yet emerging into glowing light.
A reply of Hildegard. Mystic of God! These words bring it forth. O man of God, through the bond of the law! God knows you in the dark shifting of certain works. But nevertheless you look from afar, as if in mere opinion! as if emerging light! of a glowing light.
Warning Against Duplicity and Flight
Hildegard urges Hermann to act without duplicity, to receive God's protecting hands, and not to flee from divine discipline, acknowledging his misdirected paths.
Run, then — so that you may do good works without the insolence of duplicity in two ways: namely, where the sound of the mouth is one thing, another [is that] of the mind. Take care, too, that God may love you by your doing good. For he himself reaches out to you the hands of his protection! But you are weak — and you run away. Beware, then: do not hide yourself from that protection, lest God strike you with his rod! Since he himself seeks you out. For those paths that you wished to run — you did not foresee them rightly.
Humiliation, Permission, and Promise of Dawn
Hildegard describes Hermann's fall from heavenly ascent into shaken humiliation by God's permission and diabolic arts, yet promises he will not fully fall and that dawn will come.
When you ascended into heaven, But now you are shaken in two parts— namely, by God's permission and by diabolical arts. And God gives you a slack rope so that you may know what you are! But nevertheless you will not fall entirely into the pit of sorrow. Now pray and trust that God will not abandon you! And dawn will quickly come to you in liberation.
Read the original Latin
Responsum hildegardis. Mistica dei! hęc uerba proferunt. O homo dei per ligaturam legis. deus scit te in nigra uicissitudine aliquorum operum. Sed tamen a longe aspicis uelut in opinione! quasi egredientem lucem! rutilantis lucis.
Curre enim ut bona opera facias sine contumelia duplicitatis duarum uiarum scilicet ubi sonus unus est oris. alius mentis. Prouide etiam quod deus te amet bona faciendo. quia ipse porrigit ad te manus protectionis suę! sed tu infirmus es et fugis. Caue ergo ne abscondas te a protectione illa ne deus uirga sua te percutiat! quoniam ipse te requirit. Nam itinera illa quę currere uoluisti non recte preuidisti.
quando in celum ascendisti. Sed nunc in duabus partibus concuteris. scilicet permissione dei et diabolicis artibus. Et deus tibi funem solutum dimittit ut cognoscas quid sis! sed tamen omnino non cades in foueam tristicię. Nunc ora et confide quod deus non derelinquat te! et aurora cito ad te in liberatione procedet.
Epistolae: Letters to Frederick Barbarossa and Henry II of England companion
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