R263: Volmar von Disibodenberg an Hildegard von Rupertsberg
Salutation of a Spiritual Son
Volmar greets Hildegard with deep reverence as his beloved mother, holy teacher, and servant of God, professing humble obedience on himself and his community.
Volmar, provost of Saint Robert's, to his beloved mother, to Hildegard, revered lady, sweetest mother, most holy teacher, and servant of God in the monastery of blessed Robert, most faithful and most approved, Volmar. Her son, though unworthy, and all the harmonious flock of her young women with the others who cling to her, serving God and Saint Robert — even if lukewarmly! In due subjection.
Longing for a Heavenly Mother’s Comfort
He asks for due obedience and consolation from Hildegard’s maternal affection, that her spiritual gifts may lead them to the heavenly homeland after this exile.
In due obedience. and to be consoled in the affection of the daughters, with due love, from the breasts of her consolation in the present age, in the midst of our sojourning here. so that they may become partakers of the heavenly homeland. after this our sojourn of exile. Although, O sweetest mother, daily we see you with bodily eyes. with bodily ears we hear you. and to you daily, as is right, let us cling devoutly. and through you let us understand the Holy Spirit speaking to us.
Grief at Her Coming Absence
Volmar mourns the future loss of Hildegard’s presence, seeing that her absence will turn their present joy into greater grief when mortal life takes her from them.
We can't bring up your absence without tears. But sometimes, as it pleases God, we don't hesitate to lean on you. When we see you now no longer with bodily eyes. There is no one who will live and not see death. Then indeed our grief and misery will be greater! than our joy is now. Where then is the answer?
Where Are the New Prophecies?
He laments that with her passing the rare gifts of scriptural interpretation, new song, prophetic insight, and revelation of creatures and times will be lost.
So where is this new interpretation of the Scriptures? So where is this new interpretation of the Scriptures? So where is the unheard voice of melody? And the unheard voice of a new language? So where are these new and unheard discourses for the feasts of the saints? So where is the revelation about the souls of the dead? So where is the manifestation of things past, present, and future? So where is the exposition of the diverse natures of creatures?
God’s Compassion and Human Vanity
Volmar marvels at God’s compassion shown in Hildegard’s humble, maternal character and rebukes those who chase distant teachers and empty labors instead of recognizing God’s gift.
By divine grace given, we have recognized in you the most gentle and humble character, and a maternal affection toward all that overflows from your deepest heart. O how great is the divine compassion in its gifts! O empty cares of human beings! O vanity of vanities.✦ Why do so many, through the hardships of travel in distant regions of the world, vainly attempt the teachings of various people! What thirst! Hunger! Cold!
The Futility of Laborious Disputing
He describes how many afflict themselves with debates, vigils, and opinions, yet their mixed motives and pride quench the Spirit and leave them spiritually empty.
Afflicted. by the contentious disputing of debates, by the vigils of nighttime hours, they sweat over the depth—indeed the enigmas—of opinions, yet truly we know that all these things are not done with a single-eyed intention, but are put forward perhaps for the sake of simoniacal corruption, and so they advance little or not at all by progressing, and barely grasp what they set out to do. Instead, through stubbornness the spark of God's Spirit in them is quenched, by which they think themselves to be something.
God Chooses the Weak and Simple
Volmar explains that God works prophetic and visionary gifts through fragile vessels, fulfilling His choice of the weak to confound the wise, and insists they do not envy Hildegard’s grace.
They completely extinguish their very being. So much so that the knowledge given to them from above, through the modern scholars, is misused to their own shame. And the spirit of prophecy and of vision, revived in a vessel of more fragile clay, without any outward support of an instrument, brings forth such things as they cannot grasp by any reason. For whatever he wills, he instructs. And where he wills, he breathes. Whence also here what was said is most manifestly seen to have been fulfilled: that God has chosen the foolish and weak things of the world, to confound the wise and the strong. We ourselves bring forth such things. Not so that, most beloved mother, we, moved by the flame of envy, would detract from so great a gift bestowed on your simplicity, because of the zeal of practical experience.
Not Envy, but Inner Teaching
He denies any desire to detract from her gift, disclaims empty glory, and insists that no outward teacher profits unless the Spirit inwardly shapes the hearers’ hearts.
Not so that we who are especially yours on that account and those of us who remain with you often and we diligently listen to your voice. We do not seek to glory in empty glory. so as to match the diligence of those in their labor. before the goodness and piety of chastity, for the subtlety of true teaching to be investigated and attained. we would show ourselves to avail little. Because a teacher outside moves his lips in vain.
Admiration, Not Proclamation
Volmar acknowledges the many signs and miracles of the Spirit in Hildegard, yet says their role is not to preach her praise but to admire, revere, and love her, and then be silent.
unless the Spirit is within, shaping the hearts of those who hear. For there are many signs of virtue, and many of God's miracles and of the Holy Spirit appear at work in you—more than we could ever say or even want to. For it is also for others to praise you and proclaim your works! but ours is to admire you, revere you, and love you. Since you have come to know all these things better than we have, through firsthand experience of the matter itself. And because few things are enough for the wise person to understand the many. we will say no more.
Thanksgiving and Blessing for the Church
He gives thanks to God for giving them Hildegard and enlightening her, and prays that God may grant her health and pour out her gift abundantly for the whole Church.
And we give thanks to God, who is able to do all things. who gave you to us. And who, through his own Spirit, has enlightened you for the glory of his name and for the salvation of many! Humbly and earnestly beseeching him, asking that he may grant you health of body and strength of mind, so that he may abundantly pour out for the building up of the whole Church the gift he has already poured into you.
Read the original Latin
Volmarus prepositus sancti Roberti dilectę matri suę. hildegardi. Hildigardi dominę reuerendę matri dulcissimę. magistrę sanctissimę. et simistę dei in cenobio beati Roberti ueracissimę et probatissimę. Volmarus. filius eius licet indignus omnisque concors grex puellarum ipsius cum ceteris sibi adherentibus et deo ac sancto Roberto quamuis tepide famulantibus! in debita subiectione.
in debita obeditione. et in affectu filiarum debita dilectione ab uberibus consolationis eius in psenti seculo ita consolari. ut celestis patrię participes efficiantur. post huius incolatum exilij. Quamuis o mater dulcissima cottidie carneis oculis te uideamus. carneis auribus te audiamus. tibique cottidie ut iustum est deuote adhereamus. et spiritum sanctum per te nobis loqui intelligamus.
absentiam tuam quod non sine lacrimis proferre possumus. aliquando tamen prout deo placuerit nobis incumbere non dubitamus. cum te iam a modo carnalibus oculis non uidebimus. Non est homo qui uiuet! et non uideat mortem. Tunc enim maior erit meror et miseria nostra! quam nunc sit leticia. Ubi tunc responsum.
de uniuersis casibus suis querentium? Vbi tunc noua interpretatio scripturarum. Vbi tunc uox inauditę melodię! et uox inauditę linguę? Ubi tunc noui et inauditi sermones in festis sanctorum? Vbi tunc ostensio de animabus defunctorum? Ubi tunc manifestatio preteritorum presentium et futorum? Vbi tunc expositio naturarum diuersarum creaturarum?
diuina dante gratia cum suauissimis et cum humillimis moribus et cum materna affectione circa omnes affluentibus uisceribus in te nouimus? O quanta diuina miseratio in donis suis est. O inanes curę hominum. O uanitas uanitatum. Quare plurimi per difficultates uiarum in longinquis regionibus mundi doctrinas diuersorum inaniter pretemptant! quare siti. inedia. algore.
afflicti. per litigiosam declamationem disputationum. per uigilias nocturnalium horarum. profunditati immo enigmatibus sententiarum insudant. Certe certe scimus quia quod hęc omnia non simplici oculo intentionis. sed uel causa symoniacę prauitatis perferunt. ideo parum aut nichil proficiendo minime propositum comprehendunt. immo scintillam spiritus dei in ipsis per contumaciam qua aliquid ipsis uidentur.
esse prorsus extinguunt. ita quod ad erubescentiam modernorum scolasticorum scientia desuper sibi data abutentium. spiritus prophetię et uisionis in organo massę fragilioris absque amminiculo instrumenti exterioris resuscitatus talia proferat quę nulla possint capere racione. quoniam quę uult instruit. et ubi uult spirat. Vnde et hic manifestissime hoc impletum uidetur esse quod deus stulta et infirma mundi ut sapientes et fortia confundat dicitur elegisse. Proferimus quidem talia. non ut uel mater dilectissima moti face liuoris propter tantum donum tuę simplicitati pre studio exercitatis collatum derogemus.
nec ut inde nos qui specialiter tui sumus. et qui frequenter tecum manemus. et uocem tuam sedulo audimus. inani gloria gloriari queramus. ut illorum laboris sedulitatem. pre castitate bonitatis et pietatis ad subtilitatem uerę doctrinę inuestigandam et adipiscendam. parum ualere demonstremus. quia frustra doctor foris mouet labra.
nisi sit intus spiritus qui auditorum informet corda. Plura enim uirtutum insignia. plura miraculorum dei et sancti spiritus in te apparent opera quę nos dicere possimus aut uelimus. Nam et aliorum est te laudare et predicare! nostrum autem te mirari uenerari et diligere. Quoniam autem hęc omnia ipsius rei experimento melius nobis cognouisti. et quia pauca ad intelligentiam plurium sufficiunt sapienti. plura dicere omittimus.
et deo qui omnia potest grates referimus. qui te nobis dedit. et qui te ad gloriam nominis sui et ad salutem multorum spiritu suo illuminauit! ipsum humiliter et obnixe deprecantes. quatenus sanitatem corporis et corroborationem mentis tibi conferat. ita ut donum suum quod in te effudit ad edificationem totius ęcclesię habundanter distribuat.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Eccl.1.2 — Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
Epistolae: Letters to Frederick Barbarossa and Henry II of England companion
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