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Primary sourceBook1151-1152

Scivias

Hildegard of Bingen · 1151-1152

Hildegard's first visionary theology, written 1141–1152, describing 26 religious visions with their meanings and illustrated with miniatures.

This is Hildegard's own first visionary work, written and explained by her, establishing her authority as a theologian.

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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.
Hildegard of Bingen, Scivias, c. 1151–1152. Illustration from the Rupertsberg tradition, reproduced from the Eibingen copy.

About this source

What it is

Scivias is an illustrated theological work by Hildegard of Bingen, completed around 1151 or 1152. Its title comes from the Latin 'Sci vias Domini' ('Know the Ways of the Lord'). It describes 26 visions in three parts, each followed by the explanations Hildegard said she heard as the 'voice of heaven'. It survives in several medieval manuscripts, including the lost Rupertsberg copy.

Why it matters

The preface tells how Hildegard was commanded in a vision to write down what she saw and heard, and how she hesitated out of fear and humility until illness pushed her to obey. Her monk Volmar and nun Richardis von Stade helped prepare the text, and Pope Eugene III approved it after it was read at the Synod of Trier. The work established her authority as a visionary and theologian in a church largely run by men.

Look closer

  • Why might Hildegard describe her reluctance to write before describing her visions?
  • What does papal approval of her writings tell us about how authority worked in the 12th century?
  • What is left out of a vision account like this that a modern reader might want to know?

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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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

Primary source

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

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.Book

Primary source

Liber divinorum operum

Hildegard of Bingen · c. 1163-1174

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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