R259: Domkapitel von St. Martin an Hildegard von Rupertsberg
Greeting from St. Martin
The chapter opens with a formal greeting from certain priests of St. Martin to Hildegard, their beloved mother in religion.
Some priests, to Hildegard, lady and mother from the monastery of blessed Robert, venerable and beloved. A., E., H., Alas — priests in name only, together with the other brothers of their community living under the protection of blessed Martin. The deepest affection of both people with the innermost depths of devotion.
Hildegard's Renown for Holiness
The writers praise Hildegard's fame for holiness and the healing fragrance of her life, and recall their own calling to sacred orders.
Because, O chosen and beloved servant of holiness, and dearest mother of the many who pursue holiness, we have heard much about you, you whose fragrance of life brings healing to many.1 And so we take refuge in your support,2 asking from you the things that are of God, from you with a thirsting heart, For we who from boyhood are consecrated to the service of God — so that we may also faithfully serve our Creator in the sacred orders of His divine office.
The Priestly Ideal and Failure
They contrast the high duties of the priesthood—contemplation, obedience, discernment, truth, and good works—with their own failures to live up to them.
When we reach the priesthood, where we ought to live worthily and blamelessly, we often neglect the things that are of the spirit.3 And the things that are of the flesh we do.4 For since we ought to be the eye of contemplation to God's people,5 the ear of obedience, the nose of discernment,6 the mouth of truth,7 the hand of just work,8 and a foot set on the path of uprightness and an example of the virtues.9
Confession of Sin and Scandal
The writers confess that they have become a scent of death and scandal rather than a firm rock, having fallen from the sanctuary into sin.
We are more of a smell of death and a scandal of offense to them than a rock of solidity. And many evils have found us, whence they come.10 Because, as we may say, out of the sanctuary of the Lord we fall into the mud of filthiness.11
Appeal to Hildegard as Spiritual Mother
They turn directly to Hildegard as a mother in God, begging her to hear, admonish, and teach them out of her prophetic gift.
But you, O pious mother and one who shares the knowledge of the secrets of God.12 Hear us as we earnestly and humbly beseech you. So that you may bring forth to us the words of divine admonition.13 Rebuke us and admonish us. Because, even if we may have even a modest knowledge of the Scriptures.
Desire for Hildegard's Teaching
The letter closes by contrasting Hildegard's divine teaching with human learning, expressing longing to hear her, and commending her to God's outpouring.
You, however, receive true and wonderful understanding from the highest teacher, and not from any human being. Most devoutly we long to hear you. Now may God pour himself out for you! What you may pour out for us as we thirst devoutly.14 Farewell.
Read the original Latin
Quidam sacerdotes. hildegardi. Hildigardi dominę et matri de cenobio beati Roberti uenerandę ac diligendę. A. E. H. heu solo nomine sacerdotes cum ceteris societatis suę fratribus sub defensionem beati Martini degentibus. sincerissimum utriusque hominis affectum cum uisceribus intimę deuotionis.
Quia o electa et dilecta sanctitatis famula et mater plurimorum sanctitatem sequentium carissima. de te plura audiuimus. quę odorem uitę multis conferunt. et ideo ad almitatem tuam confugimus. ea quę dei sunt. a te sitibundo corde postulantes. Nos enim qui a puericia ad seruitutem dei consecramur. quatenus etiam sacris ordinibus diuini officij creatori nostro fideliter seruiamus.
cum ad sacerdotium peruenerimus ubi digne et irreprehensibiliter uiuere deberemus. ea quę spiritus sunt sepius negligimus. et ea quę carnis sunt facimus. Nam cum populo dei deberemus esse oculus contemplationis. auris obeditionis nasus discretionis. os ueritatis. manus iustę operationis. et pes in uia rectitudinis et exemplum uirtutum.
illi magis odor mortis et scandalum offensionis sumus quam petra soliditatis. Vnde et multa mala inuenerunt nos. quoniam a sanctuario domini ut ita dicamus in lutum feditatis cadimus. Tu autem o pia mater et conscia secretorum dei. audi nos te obnixe et humiliter deprecantes. ut uerba diuinę admonitionis ad nos proferas. nos corripias et admoneas. quia quamuis uel modicam scientiam scripturarum habeamus.
te tamen ueram et mirabilem intelligentiam a summo doctore et non ab homine accipientem. deuotissime audire desideramus. Nunc deus tibi infundat! quę pro nobis sitientibus deuote esfundas. Vale.
Notes
- 1 ↩The relative pronoun is rendered from the Latin 'quę' (nom. pl. fem. or nom. pl. neut.); the antecedent is understood as Hildegard herself, so the clause is rendered as a relative modifying 'you.'
- 2 ↩'almitatem' is a rare word; rendered as 'support' based on context of seeking aid.
- 3 ↩The token 'quę' is uncertain; normalized as 'qu' with low confidence. The translation assumes the intended reading is 'quae' (relative pronoun, nominative plural neuter), yielding 'the things that are of the spirit.'
- 4 ↩Same token uncertainty as s2: 'quę' normalized as 'qu'. Translation assumes 'quae'.
- 5 ↩'oculus contemplationis' — metaphorical body-part construction: the priesthood as the 'eye of contemplation' for the people of God.
- 6 ↩Asyndetic continuation of the body-part metaphor series begun in s4. 'obeditionis' is a rare form; classical Latin prefers 'oboedientia'.
- 7 ↩Continuation of the body-part metaphor series.
- 8 ↩The form 'iustę' is uncertain; possibly 'iustae' (genitive singular feminine agreeing with an implied genitive modifier of 'operationis') or an abbreviated form. Translation assumes 'just' modifying 'operationis' (work/action).
- 9 ↩Polysyndetic structure with repeated 'et'. 'rectitudinis' is a late/medieval Latin formation. 'exemplum uirtutum' stands in apposition to 'pes'.
- 10 ↩'Vnde' can mean 'from where' or 'whence/so that'; here rendered with a sense of consequence tied to the source of the evils.
- 11 ↩'a sanctuario domini' can suggest movement 'from' or 'away from' the sanctuary; rendered to keep that moral-spatial sense.
- 12 ↩'conscia secretorum dei' is rendered as 'one who shares the knowledge of the secrets of God' to preserve the interior, privileged sense of 'conscia'.
- 13 ↩'diuin' is a manuscript abbreviation/uncertain form; normalized as 'diuinę' and rendered 'divine'.
- 14 ↩Surface qu likely truncated for quae; esfundas normalized to effundas. Sense: relative clause with you as subject of pouring out on behalf of the thirsting community.
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