Hildegard of Bingen · Theology

A Poor Little Figure of a Woman

Hildegard called herself a <em>paupercula feminea forma</em> - a poor little figure of a woman, unlearned and weak - and on exactly that ground claimed the authority to preach in public, rebuke bishops and popes, and write theology, science, and medicine: not by her own office or learning, which the age denied a woman, but as the mouthpiece of God, whose strength is made perfect in weakness.

What you'll be able to recall

You learned that Hildegard named herself paupercula feminea forma (a poor little figure of a woman) and grounded her authority not in office or schooling - closed to women - but in God speaking through her weakness; that this let her preach in public, rebuke prelates and rulers, and write natural science and medicine;…

Leads to Bernard of Clairvaux.

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