R45: Arnold I. von Valcourt an Hildegard von Rupertsberg
Salutation and Heavenly Kinship
The bishop greets Hildegard with familial love, affirming that true friendship grows even in old age.
The bishop of Trier. To Hildegard. Arnold, by the grace of God, humble chosen one of the church of Trier! To his beloved kinswoman in Christ. To Hildegard of Saint-Robert. Greetings and love from the one who is salvation and love. Friendship by heavenly kinship is real. Because old age is no obstacle to it.
True Friendship versus Flattery
The bishop contrasts true friendship with flattery, citing Scripture to warn against the oil of the sinner.
But it contributes. and where it is true, it does not know how to stand. but it grows in someone. and makes progress day by day. Since, then, from the earliest age we have embraced you in the arms of true love, we wonder why you hold a flatterer in higher regard than a true friend, since the prophet says, The oil of the sinner!✦ it will not anoint my head.
Claiming the Role of a True Friend
The bishop insists he is a true friend rather than a flatterer, testifying that his dignity has never tempted him.
We consider our brother, the provost of Saint Andrew here, to be your flatterer! But we ourselves want to be understood as true friends. Because we know that our increase is the source of your joy. Therefore, through God's grace, we have judged it right to signify to your love that we have returned prosperously. But because nothing is blessed to anyone that he himself regards as punishment! We say this before God and you. For the dignity to which we have been called— against our will, God as witness—it has never enticed us, as it commonly does.1
Anxiety Over a Reluctant Calling
The bishop confesses his frailty and anxiety about his ministry, longing for the assurance that God began a good work in him.
It has never been soothed. And for this reason — because of our own ignorance. Our frailty bewails its own insufficiency! It laments its own unworthiness. But because we don't know by whose calling we are to such a ministry. This is what especially fills us with anxiety. If only we knew we were from God. We would believe that the one who began a good work in us would bring it to completion!
God's Salvation and a Request for Prayer
The bishop acknowledges God's saving work in Hildegard, asks for news of her liberation, and requests her intercession.
Since it is more out of necessity than virtue that we propose to advance to the priesthood. And we know that God, in His holy place, has worked salvation among you. He has mercifully freed the besieged one by delivering her!2 He has visited His people.3 Therefore, write back to us about the manner of the besieged one's liberation.4 And by gazing more often upon the true light, May something of saving grace be imparted to us more often through your letters.5 And so that you may lift up your hands to the rock of refuge on our behalf, interceding in the example of Moses.
Intercession in the Valley of Misery
While fighting against Amalek in worldly misery, the bishop earnestly asks Hildegard to send a reply through the abbot of Saint Eucharius.
While we fight against Amalek in the valley of worldly misery,✦ we ask you most earnestly: But when these things were being written down in the presence of the abbot of Saint Eucharius, our faithful and beloved friend, he himself, coming to our aid with his own sweetness, seasoned our words. Therefore we want that you send us a reply through it.
Read the original Latin
Episcopus treuirorum. hildegardi. Arnoldus dei gratia treuirorum ęcclesię humi ęcclesię humilis electus! dilectę in christo cognatę suę. hildegardi de sancto roberto. salutem et dilectionem ab eo qui est salus et dilectio. Amicicia cognatione celestis est. quia senium ei non obest.
sed confert. et ubi uera est stare nescit. sed in aliquo crescit. et proficit cottidie. Cum autem ab ineunte etate ulnis ueri amoris uos amplexati simus. miramur cur uos adulatorem plus uero amico diligatis cum dicat propheta. Oleum autem peccatoris! non impinguet caput meum.
Fratrem nostrum prepositum sancti Andreę hic adulatorem uestrum reputamus! nos autem uerum amicum intelligi uolumus. Quia uero prouentum nostrum gaudij uestri materiam esse scimus. ideo per dei gratiam prospere nos rediisse uestrę dilectioni significandum duximus. Sed quia nichil est beatum alicui quod ipse pro pena reputat! coram deo et uobis dicimus. quod dignitas ad quam uocati sumus. contra nostram teste deo uoluntatem numquam ut fieri solet nos allexit.
numquam permulsit. et ideo hoc quia nostra inscicia. nostra fragilitas suam deflet insufficientiam! suam deplangit indignitatem. Sed quia nescimus cuius uocatione simus ad tale ministerium. hoc maxime anxietatem nobis infligit. Si ex deo esse sciremus. crederemus quod qui cepisset in nobis opus bonum et perficeret!
cum necessitate magis quam uirtute ad sacerdotium promoueri proponamus. Et scimus quod deus in loco sancto suo apud uos salutem operatus. obsessam misericorditer liberando! uisitauerit plebem suam. Vnde ut modum liberationis obsessę nobis rescribatis. et sepius in uerum lumen aspiciendo. sepius nobis aliquid salutaris gratię per litteras uestras imperciamini. et ut manus uestras ad petram refugij pro nobis interpellando exemplo moysi leuetis.
dum nos contra amalech in ualle mundanę miserię pugnamus. attentissime rogamus. Cum autem hęc coram abbate sancti eucharij fideli et dilecto nostro conscriberentur. ipse opitulando dulcedine sua uerba nostra condiuit. Uolumus ergo! ut per ipsum rescriptum uestrum nobis transmittatis.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Ps.140.5 — Keep me safe, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; guard me from the violent, who have plotted to make me stumble.
- ↩Exod.17.8-Exod.17.16 — Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. Exod.17.9 — Moses said to Joshua, "Choose men for us, and go out and fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand." Exod.17.10 — Joshua did as Moses had told him, to fight against Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. Exod.17.11 — And it was, when Moses raised his hand, Israel prevailed, and when he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. Exod.17.12 — Moses' hands grew heavy, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side and one on the other, and his hands were steady until the sun went down. Exod.17.13 — And Joshua disabled Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. Exod.17.14 — Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write this as a record in the book and place it in the ears of Joshua, for I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven." Exod.17.15 — And Moses built an altar and called its name, "The LORD Is My Banner." Exod.17.16 — And he said, 'A hand upon the throne of the LORD! The LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.'
Notes
- 1 ↩The Latin is compressed and slightly awkward: 'contra nostram teste deo uoluntatem numquam ut fieri solet nos allexit.' The ablative absolute 'teste deo' ('God as witness') is interwoven with 'contra nostram... uoluntatem' ('against our will'). The sense is that the dignity did not entice them against their will, as such things commonly do. The clause 'ut fieri solet' ('as is accustomed to happen / as commonly happens') modifies the enticement. The sentence is grammatically complete but rhetorically compressed; the exclamation mark in the source suggests emotional emphasis.
- 2 ↩obsessam is a substantized perfect participle (accusative feminine singular) — 'the besieged / oppressed one.' The subject and auxiliary verb are understood from context. The antecedent is presumably Hildegard herself or the community under siege.
- 3 ↩uisitauerit is ambiguous between perfect subjunctive and future perfect indicative. The perfect subjunctive reading ('has visited') is chosen as more natural in this declarative context of praising God's accomplished act.
- 4 ↩obsessę is a truncated or abbreviated form, likely obsessae (genitive singular feminine), modifying an understood noun — 'of the besieged (woman).' The antecedent is presumably Hildegard or her community.
- 5 ↩imperciamini is a rare form (possibly from impercio, 'to impart/grant'). The meaning is uncertain; the translation 'be imparted' reflects the passive sense of receiving something through the recipient's letters. gratię is an abbreviated form of gratiae (genitive singular).
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