R47: Philipp I. von Heinsberg an Hildegard von Rupertsberg
Greeting and Longing
The bishop greets Hildegard with grace and charity, expressing his longing to behold God with her in heaven despite the distance that separates them.
The bishop of Cologne. To Hildegard. Philip, by the grace of God, archbishop of the people of Cologne! To Hildegard, beloved sister, marvelously filled with the divine breath. May I see him gloriously in heaven. I long to cling continually to his embrace. Although the distance between us takes away the grace of seeing each other face to face and the joy of desirable conversation. Those whom the love of Christ has joined together.
Joy, Concern, and Prayer
The bishop rejoices at the long-desired opportunity to see Hildegard, shares his distress over her bodily frailty, and explains his efforts to learn of her condition.
Yet the closeness of souls will always hold. That is why it is a most longed-for mother — because in this year, as the journey of the way passes, the grace of seeing you, so long desired, has come to meet us.1 The sickness and frailty of your body — has troubled my heart and struck the hearts of many in our land who embrace you in Christ. We who always pray for the health of your life,2 and truly for the eternity of your salvation. It has pleased us, and we have thought it worthwhile, to seek out certain persons and have them sent back to report on your condition —3 and especially to indicate and make it known to you.
Storms of the World and Gifts of Grace
The bishop laments how worldly tumult hinders heavenly contemplation, yet rejoices that Hildegard is known to be filled with divine grace and lives as a citizen of heaven.
because we are tossed about daily by the whirlwinds and storms of worldly things! so that we scarcely ever manage to lift the eyes of the mind toward heavenly things. But because the diligence of very many knows you to be soaked with the gift of divine grace, through which the faithful assembly of the church rejoices.4 we too, by the measure of our discernment, congratulate you. knowing that you are a person living in the covering of flesh. and, as the apostle says, one whose true home is in heaven. Endowed, therefore, with such a gift —
A Request for God's Words
Comparing Hildegard to a finder of a fine pearl, the bishop humbly asks her to seek God's hidden wisdom and send him words of exhortation, then bids her farewell.
like someone who has found a fine pearl.✦ you may ask about what we seek from the hidden place of God. And would you send us words of exhortation, just as God has given them to you!5 For in wisdom and in the hidden treasure, according to the truthful one, there is no usefulness.6 Farewell.
Read the original Latin
Episcopus coloniensis. hildegardi. Philippus dei gratia coloniensium archiepiscopus! hildegardi sorori dilectę diuino spiramine mirabiliter infusę. illum in celestibus gloriose uidere. cuius amplexibus exoptat iugiter inherere. Quamuis locorum diuersitas mutui aspectus et desiderabilem collocutionis subtrahat gratiam. quos christi caritas coniunxit.
semper tamen tenebit animorum uicinitas! inde est mater desiderantissima quod in hoc anno dum transitus uię et gratia te uidendi diu desiderata occurrit. egritudo et tenuitas tui corporis. cor meum et multorum in terra nostra te in christo amplectentium turbauit et perculit! semper exoptantium uitę tuę sospitatem. uereque salutis eternitatem. Conplacuit ergo et dignum duximus perquiri certosque reddi de statu tuo! et maxime indicare et notificari tibi.
quod turbinibus et procellis secularium cottidie ita perturbamur! quod etiam uix aliquando mentis oculos ad celestia leuare conamur. Sed quia plurimorum nouit industria te perfusam diuini karismatis munere de quo gaudet contio fidelis ęcclesię. et nos pro modulo nostrę discretionis congratulamur. scientes hominem carnis tegmine degentem. et iuxta apostoli uocem. in celo conuersantem. Tali igitur dote dotata.
quasi bonę margaritę inuentrix. ex occulto dei quod petimus inquiras. nobisque commonitoria uerba prout deus tibi donauerit transmittas! quoniam in sapientia et thesauro abscondito iuxta ueridicum non est utilitas. Valete.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Matt.13.45-Matt.13.46 — Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. Matt.13.46 — who, having found one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
Notes
- 1 ↩mater desiderantissima is metaphorical: the longed-for occasion (of seeing her) is personified as a mother. The Latin uię (abbreviated genitive of uia) modifies transitus.
- 2 ↩uitę (abbreviated genitive of uita) modifies sospitatem; the phrase is accusative of exoptantium, a participial clause.
- 3 ↩certosque reddi: 'to have certain persons sent back (as messengers/report-bearers).' The -que is enclitic on certos.
- 4 ↩The clause structure is compressed: the sense is that many people's experience (industria, here 'diligence' or 'active knowledge') recognizes Hildegard as filled with divine grace, and the faithful church rejoices in that grace. The grammar is somewhat elliptical.
- 5 ↩'commonitoria uerba' is a rare collocation; 'commonitoria' may modify 'uerba' (exhortatory words) or stand substantively (exhortations). The translation takes it as an adjective modifying 'uerba'.
- 6 ↩'iuxta ueridicum' is syntactically uncertain. It may mean 'according to the truthful one' (i.e., Christ or Scripture) or function adverbially. The translation takes it as a prepositional phrase with accusative.
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