Twelfth-Century Protofeminism: Hildegard of Bingen

Abstract

This paper aims to address several elements of protofeminist thought in the life and writings of the medieval German mystic and prolific writer Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179), which have been of interest to contemporary feminist theory and theology. The elements addressed in the paper are, namely, her transcending of the culturally imposed gender norms by assuming the prophetic role, the positioning of some of her writings in the context of sapiential literature, and lastly, her affirmative views on the physical and material nature of the created world through representations of the mystical union of spirit and matter achieved through the process of greening (viriditas).