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Primary sourceBookc. 1163-1174

Liber divinorum operum

Hildegard of Bingen · c. 1163-1174

Hildegard's final and most cosmological visionary work, presenting the human being as a microcosm of the universe.

This is Hildegard's last and most cosmological visionary work, written and explained in her own words near the end of her life.

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Medieval illuminated manuscript miniature of the Universal Man: a nude human figure with outstretched arms stands within a large white circle surrounded by concentric rings, red and gray bands, and a red border. A bearded head crowns the top and a red-footed figure appears below. A small seated scribe at lower left writes at a desk.
The Universal Man, Liber Divinorum Operum, 13th-century copy of a work by Hildegard of Bingen, c. 1163–1174. Ghent University Library.

About this source

What it is

The Liber divinorum operum ('Book of Divine Works') is a written work by Hildegard of Bingen, composed roughly between 1163 and 1174. It is her last major visionary book, held today at Ghent University Library in later manuscript copies.

Why it matters

The text presents the human being as a microcosm reflecting the whole universe, extending the theological and cosmological ideas Hildegard had developed throughout her life. Its opening describes her receiving the vision and feeling 'poor and feeble', afflicted and trembling, yet compelled to write it down, continuing the pattern of divine command and reluctant obedience seen in her earlier works. It shows the full scope of her thought near the end of her life.

Look closer

  • Why does Hildegard emphasize her own weakness and fear in the opening of the text?
  • What might the image of a nude human figure inside cosmic rings be trying to express about humanity's place in the universe?
  • Who copied and preserved this text, and how might that have shaped what survived?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Hildegard of Bingen on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Illuminated manuscript miniature: an oval mandala of gold flame-like rays and dark red and white bands surrounds a blue field with gold stars, a red-and-white sun or disc at top, and a central cosmic diagram of concentric rings with a bluish-white globe and green figures at top and bottom.Book

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Scivias

Hildegard of Bingen · 1151-1152

Detail of a painted medieval miniature in orange, red and gold tones. A figure with flowing red hair sits at a desk, writing with a stylus on a tablet. A second face in profile appears at the right edge.Painting

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Scivias Frontispiece Miniature

12th century

A large open medieval manuscript codex lies on a dark display stand in a glass case, with a metal chain attached to its binding and a white label reading 'Rupert' at the bottom. The pages show black text in columns and red decorated initials.Book

Primary source

Wiesbaden Codex

Hildegard of Bingen · c. 1200

Front cover of an old manuscript volume bound in worn reddish-brown leather with a dark spine featuring raised bands and small gold floral tooling at the corners and gold edge rules. The cover is scratched and stained.Document

Primary source

Dendermonde Codex

Hildegard of Bingen · c. 1175

Grid of about 23 invented glyph-like characters arranged in three rows, drawn in black ink on a white background. The symbols are angular and curly, resembling an unknown alphabet, the Lingua Ignota script.Document

Primary source

Lingua Ignota

Hildegard of Bingen · c. 1200 (manuscript copies)

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