Today it's Egeria vs. Hildegard of Bingen. The world's original "Mystery Worshipper" vs. a 12th century renaissance woman. Both have had a major impact upon the Christianity we have inherited, yet only one will advance to the Saintly Sixteen. We're expecting a flurry of comments on this. Let the agonizing over votes begin!
But first, speaking of comments, sometime during yesterday's battle between Jackson Kemper and Margery Kempe, we passed the 20,000 comment milestone on the Lent Madness website. That's a lot of conversation about holy people, don't you think?
Oh, and Kemper trounced Kempe 74% to 26% meaning he'll face the winner of Bernard Mizecki vs. Margaret of Antioch in the Saintly Sixteen.
Egeria
Egeria gives us the earliest glimpse we have into organized Christian practice and belief.
We don’t know much about who she was, exactly. Many say she was a Spanish nun, which makes sense given her unusually high level of literacy — and the way she addressed those she wrote to as sisters. Others point out she must have been an unusual sort of nun, if she was a nun at all. Her letters were detailed and practical, betraying none of the fascination with the miraculous and fanciful that some other clerical pilgrims loved. And what sort of nun was free to travel around the known world for years at a time? Possibly this made her a sort of wandering monastic — additionally unusual for her time. Or maybe she was a very devout noblewoman, called to pilgrimage, who wrote letters home to other devout women at her church.
Egeria traveled across much of the known world during 381-384 CE to Jerusalem, Mount Sinai, Constantinople, and Edessa. Her letters were collected in monasteries and copied, then copied again. They were housed in the library of Monte Cassino, and the oldest surviving copies were made there in the eleventh century.
Egeria recorded everything: she stayed in Jerusalem to witness an entire liturgical year and wrote down the liturgical practices of the local Christians. She described the holy sites on the Mount of Olives and the rituals around Holy Week. She told of the ritual of the eucharist as practiced in Jerusalem, and Egeria applauded the practice of reading from the Old and New Testaments as well as passages from the gospels. She described the process by which catechumens were taught the faith and baptized. It is from Egeria that we know about Holy Week rituals like the veneration of the Cross and the procession of the palms on Palm Sunday. It is also from her that we hear for the first time of the Easter Vigil and lighting of the first fire of Easter.
She described liturgical practice at a time when Christian beliefs were just becoming unified across the known world. Remember, the Second Ecumenical Council met in 384 CE, so Egeria was traveling and writing about liturgical practice before the formalization of the Nicene Creed, much less other traditions of the Church.
Through her bravery, her wandering feet, and her meticulous eye for detail, Egeria connected our liturgical practice with that of our earliest sisters and brothers in Christ.
Collect for Egeria
Jesus, our brother, as we, like Egeria, dare to follow in the steps you trod, be our companion on the way. May our eyes see not only the stones that saw you but the people who walk with you now; may our feet tread not only the path of your pain but the streets of a living city; may our prayers embrace not only the memory of your presence but the flesh and blood who jostle us today. Bless us, with them, and make us long to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God. Amen.
Hildegard
Hildegard of Bingen is one of the most accomplished women in church history. The twelfth-century abbess was a mystic, theologian, composer, cloistered nun, and autodidact who wrote one of the largest bodies of letters to survive from the Middle Ages.
Born into a noble family and sickly from birth, Hildegard experienced visions beginning in early childhood. Perhaps because of them, her family dedicated her to the church; her fellow brides of Christ recognized her gifts for leadership, unanimously voting her abbess.
At the age of forty-two, Hildegard received a divine vision to“write down that which you see and hear.” Hesitant to do so, she resisted and became physically ill. “But I, though I saw and heard these things, refused to write for a long time through doubt and...in the exercise of humility, until, laid low by the scourge of God, I fell upon a bed of sickness; then, compelled at last by many illnesses...I set my hand to the writing.”
Later, she commissioned an ornate manuscript of her writings, including images of her visions. The original was lost in World War II, but its images were preserved in a copy painted in the 1920s. Notably, these theological works contain one of the earliest descriptions of purgatory.
Hildegard’s musical compositions make up one of the largest extant medieval collections in the world. Her medical writings demonstrate her vast experience in the monastery’s herbal garden and infirmary. Physica and Causae et Curae provide a rare view into the practical medicine employed primarily by medieval women. Hildegard believed there was a vital connection between the natural world and human health. Her reputation as a medical writer and healer was used in early arguments for women’s right to attend medical school. Hildegard also invented an alternative mystical language, the Lingua Ignota, perhaps to strengthen the bonds among her nuns, and potentially as a result of all that time she spent in her herb garden.
On September 17, 1179, Hildegard died, and two beams of light were said to shine across the sky and into her room. Her relics are housed in her parish in Eibingen, Germany. In Anglican churches, she is commemorated on the day of her death.
Modern feminist scholars have drawn attention to the way Hildegard strategically belittled herself and other women in her writing, and thus claimed her wisdom had solely divine origin, giving her the authority to speak in a time and place where few women could do so. She also stated that, “woman may be made from man, but no man can be made without a woman.”
In space, the minor planet 898 Hildegard is named for her, which only seems fair, given her astronomical intellect and accomplishments.
Collect for Hildegard
God of all times and seasons: Give us grace that we, after the example of thy servant Hildegard, may both know and make known the joy and jubilation of being part of thy creation, and show forth thy glory not only with our lips but in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Vote!
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364 comments on “Egeria vs. Hildegard”
As both a musician and physician, I can only vote for Hildegard of Bingen. Although Egeria described many liturgical practices that are used today in a variety of churches, she did NOT develop those practices. She only wrote about what she observed! Hildegard wrote music (as well as hymns) and actually worked as a healer to provide for human health at a time when medicine was very primitive. That gets my vote!
I've appreciated the contributions of Hildegard for many years. Today was my first intro to Egeria. She appeals to the anthropologist in me who yearns to know more about our earliest Christian beginnings. Someone commented earlier that Egeria's contributions could just as easily have been made by others as well. If so, where are they? Today I'm glad to cast my vote for another lesser known saint who deserves our deepest gratitude. Thank you, Egeria! And thank you everyone for your thoughtful, helpful comments!
As a music historian and church musician, I really have no choice. Hildegard and her accomplishments would be amazing today, but the fact of what she was able to accomplish in her time is simply astounding. Truly a woman completely in tune with the Spirit. Thanks to those who have shared some of her music here. That should be adequate to sway the fence-sitters!
I like early. Thankful for the few contemporary documents that have survived. A great race this time although I am not predicting a photo finish. Congrats on the 20,000 milestone.
As a singer, church musician, clergy, hospital chaplain, student of healing prayer, history, herbs, and nutrition, and mystic, I have found in Hildegard von Bingen a true patron saint. It was an easy vote for me. However, I am grateful to have met a new source of inspiration! Thank you for Egeria's story.
I feel like Hildegard is the favorite here, but I gotta go with Egeria. To travel, to spend a YEAR in Jerusalem so you can record a whole liturgical calendar, to write in meticulous detail and preserve those writings.... It was a vocation, of some strange and beautiful kind. To know that Veneration of the Cross was part of the Good Friday liturgy by the fourth century, almost immediately after St Helen discovered the True Cross, reminds me again of the richness of our Catholic Tradition and just how unbroken it is from such early times. Go Egeria! Whomever you were!
I have trouble remembering whosies name so I have decided to think of the Swiss Alps Eiger, Jungfrau and Monch., and then say, "did Eugenia visit Algeria?" It worked!!
However, much as I am inclined to help elevate awareness of wonderful
Egeria, I am planning to vote for Hildegard. It will be, in part, in honor of her herb garden.
When we moved into our new home in 2002, we had a neighborhood "House Blessing" instead of a house warming party. A very dear new neighbor came. She is now well into her nineties and drives herself into nearby New Haven to help feed the hungry. Interestingly, she is the grand-daughter-in-law of the landscaper Frederick Olmstead who once had a farm by her modest home. She brought us a framed poem with pressed flowers at the bottom. I keep it on the side-board.
It reads:
The kiss of the sun for pardon...
the song of the birds for mirth...
You are nearer God's heart
in a garden
than any where else on earth.
I treasure friendship, modesty, kind thoughtfulness and such a loving gift.
This was also tough for me but I ultimately voted for Egeria. Hildegard is better-known and I went into this competition today just sure she would get my vote. But, then I read about Egeria and I was inspired by her pilgrimage and her letter-writing which has left us with images of the early church's liturgical practices. I was also sure that Egeria would be the underdog in this one, so I wanted to give her a boost! I'm glad to know something about her!
I've known of Hildegard for a long time. And I thought I'd vote for her. She's an herbalist, among other attributes. And I do love my herbs -- ever since Cadfael.
But, having learned a bit about Egeria, I vote for her.
Thank you Cassandra for the beautiful music by Hildegard, but I still had to vote for Egeria, who has done a great deal and is little known.
Hildegard whose visions included a reverence for our green verdant earth needs to be honored now.
A very close race!!! It was difficult by I like Egeria mostly since I knew nothing abut her. As others have commented, it is great to learn about new saints.
I agree that this was one of the closest contests yet and I commend the SEC for its pairing on this one. I typically go with the mystic saints over the practical ones, but this time I voted for Egeria. I have read a lot about the early church lately, and recognize now just how important Egeria's writings were to spreading to the early church our most important ancient practices. Thank you Egeria! I have learned an incredible amount about some incredible people/saints and its just round one!
Like Deborah, I was torn between these two wise and independent women. Having never heard of Egeria, I now want to read her writings. Since I love the Easter rituals and Lent Madness, my vote is for Egeria.
This isn't fair. Egeria and Hildegard are both worthy of votes. I was inspired by their faith and accomplishments and hope that today's loser will be in next year's bracket.
I voted for Egeria, partly because I'd never heard of her before and I am thrilled to learn of the enormous contribution to the history of the church she provided. Also to see the important role women played in the early church. I loved reading Eusebius and the diversity of practice he describes. Now I must find Egeria's writings! Wonderful! Hildegard has her merits to be sure, but she has had more than her share of attention.
This was IMPOSSIBLE!! I almost refused to vote between two iincredible women both of whom should be awarded the halo. However I wanted to compliment Egeria's collect. A prayer to use for more than just today.
I voted for Egeria because I actually think it should be a tie & I'd assumed everyone would be going for the rightly-beloved Hildegard. We need BOTH inspiration & tradition, both reverent attention to our sacred liturgy and a mystic immersion in the music of unpredictable Spirit. Indeed, perhaps Spirit will nudge us to a precise tie - and what would you do then, SEC??
For more on Hildegard as seen by a contemporary doctor and author who includes Hildegard and her medical approaches in her book, see GOD'S HOTEL, by Victoria Sweet, MD.
I had never heard of Egeria before this. What an amazing gift she gave us all! I wonder if she was part of the groundswell leading to the Creed (and related body), or if she actually shaped it through her observations and writings. I rarely have an interest in reading Early Christian writings - too messy and not yet shaped by the needed dialogue. However, this chronicle I would love to see.
In Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest," Canon Chasuble, bidding adieu to Miss Prism and Cecily, says, "But I must not disturb Egeria and her pupil any longer." Of course, he's referring to a different Egeria, but no doubt the pagan semi-goddess is the namesake of the Christian saint. I was inclined to go with Egeria anyway, but that sealed the deal. What's good enough for Dr. Chasuble is good enough for me!
100% voting for Hildegard!
As a Divinity student we have read and talked about Egeria -- although Hildegard has not actually gotten any mention in any of my history courses (although I am already knowledgeable of her -- my favorite saint).
Hildegard's music is the the most beautiful I think I have ever heard.
She was THE ONLY WOMAN granted permission to speak in front of mixed audiences by the pope. She is LEGIT.
And although her role model and mother figure was overly ascetic and harmed her body -- Hildegard had the highest respect for it. Even writing about what is considered the first written description of the female orgasm! Do we even need any more convincing!?
Thank you, Hildegard, for your ethereal, celestial music. Egeria would have loved it, too. Egeria got my vote because of her dauntless documentation of her fearless exploration of her world.
I am ashamed to admit that I had forgotten all I knew about Egeria, and thus had marked Hildegard on my bracket. But Megan did such an outstanding job telling Egeria's story that I changed my mind and my vote. Without Egeria, we might not know of the Easter Vigil, and the first fire, and thus I might not be able to sing the holiest hymn in creation, the Exultet, which brings me so close to God at the Vigil that I am always ready to weep. Egeria, thank you for helping us to know the ancient traditions. Megan, thank you for a wonderful write-up.
We would certainly still know of the Easter Vigil and the fire and the Exultet, because these liturgical celebrations continued quite independently of Egeria's descriptions of them. Had there been no Egeria, the Easter liturgy would still have celebrated, the Exultet still sung -- we moderns just wouldn't know how early those traditions developed!
I think we should nuance the idea that "we wouldn't have the liturgy" without Egeria. While her descriptions of early liturgy have certainly been very important for modern historians, they were not constitutive of liturgy in the fourth and fifth centuries -- that is, the liturgy existed quite independently of her descriptions of it, and it would have continued to exist (and grow!) whether she wrote about it or not. Egeria did not create the liturgy in the Holy Land -- it existed already, and she wrote down what she experienced.
Really a toughie, the SEC should be chastised for this matchup, they both deserve to forward to the Golden Halo! Egeria finally won out 4me.
Team Hildegard! Great to see two such inspiring and accomplished women go head to head!
Calling Forward Movement (Scott, this means you):
Any chance that Forward Movement might consider publishing a booklet with Egeria's descriptions of the Holy Week liturgies, to serve as handy, pocket-sized reference during the season?
Egeria gets my vote, without her we might not know the shape of the liturgy.
Some of us don't have visions. Some of us can't compose. Some of us plod through appreciating, loving, noting. That may be our gift. Today I vote for Egeria, a faithful believer and reporter. Bless her and those who follow in her footsteps. We may not be imaginative but we see, hold in our heart and share with our words.