Books by Georgina Rabassó
Barcelona: Diputació de Barcelona - Institut d'Estudis Catalans, 2018
The main objective of this book is to trace the continuities and breaks shaping Hildegard of Bing... more The main objective of this book is to trace the continuities and breaks shaping Hildegard of Bingen’s representations of the universe, by means of a descriptive, interpretative and comparative analysis of the cosmological scheme in her extensive corpus.
A cura di Cecilia Panti e Nicola Polloni.
The present volume collects twenty-eight original essa... more A cura di Cecilia Panti e Nicola Polloni.
The present volume collects twenty-eight original essays by
colleagues and friends of Michela Pereira offered on the occasion
of her seventieth birthday. As a pioneer of the re-evaluation of
fundamental areas of the Western philosophical and scientific
tradition, starting with alchemy, Michela Pereira has dedicated
important studies to Hildegard of Bingen, Roger Bacon, Ramon
Llull, in addition to being one of the most authoritative interpreters
of the feminist movement in the modern world. «Seeing
in the shadow», the title of this volume, recalls a suggestive image
coined by Hildegard to establish a connection between the work
of creation, human nature and prophetic knowledge, three contexts
around which the interests of Michela Pereira turn. The essays of
the volume interpret these topics in many thought-provoking
ways. Covering a wide temporal arc, from late Antiquity to Early
Modern Times, and ranging from alchemy and medicine to spirituality,
prophecy and myth, from the body-soul relation to performative
arts, such as theatre and music, they also include brief
editions of unedited medieval texts and an updated bibliography
of Michela Pereira’s publications.
[cat] L’objectiu principal de la present Tesi doctoral és mostrar les línies de continuïtat i les... more [cat] L’objectiu principal de la present Tesi doctoral és mostrar les línies de continuïtat i les ruptures que articulen les representacions de l’univers d’Hildegarda de Bingen per mitjà de l’anàlisi descriptiva, interpretativa i comparativa dels plantejaments cosmològics que apareixen en el seu extens corpus. Dues premisses i tres hipòtesis guien la recerca. La primera premissa és el fet que Hildegarda concep l’univers material i temporal com una realitat creada per Déu on transcorre la història de la salvació. La segona premissa consisteix en què el discurs de l’autora no és específicament filosòfic (ni ho pretén ser), sinó que tot articulant diversos sabers modela un relat al·legòric i visionari on reflexiona sobre qüestions filosòfiques des d’un prisma singular. Des d’aquest punt de partida es desenvolupen les hipòtesis de la recerca. La primera sosté que la teologia de la creació d’Hildegarda es basa en una filosofia de la natura subjacent. És a dir, existeix un substrat de filosofia natural implícit que fonamenta les descripcions al·legòriques de l’univers d’Hildegarda, i aquest substrat té un sentit complet en ell mateix –encara que l’autora estableix un vincle ferm entre la cosmologia, la teologia i l’antropologia. Aquest discurs sobre la natura és explícit a la Physica i va ser desenvolupat posteriorment en el tractat Beate Hildegardis Cause et cure (s. XIII). Si bé cal subratllar, sobretot, que aquest tipus de discurs és latent en tots els escrits on l’autora parla de l’univers. La segona hipòtesi precisa quin és el recorregut dels plantejaments cosmològics d’Hildegarda tot al llarg del seu corpus, i es fonamenta en una anàlisi comparativa del rerefons filosòfic de les «visions» còsmiques, amb especial atenció al Sciuias i al Liber diuinorum operum. L’anàlisi detallada de les modificacions que efectua en els seus plantejaments permet de mesurar conceptualment la transfiguració de l’univers que descriu. Per tant, la present no és només una anàlisi sistemàtica de les teories cosmològiques exposades en els dos llibres (ja que d’ella se’n deriva una única concepció de l’univers que és fictícia), sinó que es complementa amb un vessant històrico-biogràfic. Finalment, la tercera hipòtesi indaga, en concret, la influència de la literatura timaica en el Liber diuinorum operum, i el paper decisiu que la filosofia de la natura platònica, sumada a l’estoica, hauria tingut en la reelaboració de la seva imago mundi. El resultat més rellevant de la Tesi doctoral és contribuir a situar la concepció de la natura d’Hildegarda de Bingen al panorama de renovació filosòfico-científica que es va començar a configurar a partir de la primera meitat del segle XII.
[eng] The main objective of this PhD Thesis is to trace the continuities and breaks shaping Hildegard of Bingen’s representations of the universe, by means of a descriptive, interpretative and comparative analysis of the cosmological scheme in her extensive corpus. The study is guided by two premises and three hypotheses. The first premise is the fact that Hildegard sees the material and temporal universe as a reality created by God, in which the history of salvation unfolds. The second premise is that her discourse is not specifically philosophical (and does not claim to be so), but articulates various fields of knowledge in giving form to an allegorical and visionary narrative in which she reflects on philosophical issues from her own unique perspective. It is from this starting point that the research hypotheses are developed. The first of these affirms that Hildegard’s creation theology is based on an underlying philosophy of nature, i.e. that it is underpinned by an implicit foundation of natural philosophy which moulds the allegorical descriptions of Hildegard’s universe; and that this substratum has a complete meaning in itself (although she establishes strong links between cosmology, theology and anthropology). This discourse on nature is explicit in the Physica and would later be developed further in the treatise Beate Hildegardis Cause et cure (s. XIII). It is of particular note that this type of discourse is latent in all of Hildegard’s writings on the universe. The second hypothesis clarifies how her cosmological ideas evolve throughout her work, and is grounded in a comparative analysis of the philosophical background to her cosmic “visions,” paying special attention to the Sciuias and the Liber diuinorum operum. This detailed analysis of the modifications she makes to her design enables us conceptually to measure the transfiguration of the universe she describes. This study, then, is not only a systematic analysis of the cosmological theories contained in the two books mentioned above (since this would yield only one –fictional– view of the universe), but is also complemented by a historical-biographical dimension. Finally, the third hypothesis investigates, more specifically, the influence of Timaeic literature on the Liber diuinorum operum, and the decisive role played by both Platonic and Stoic natural philosophy in the reshaping of Hildegard’s imago mundi. The most important result of the Thesis is to contribute to locating Hildegard of Bingen’s views on nature within the spectrum of philosophical-scientific renovation beginning to emerge during the first half of the 12th century.
Barrera, Noemí; Pellissa-Prades, Gemma; Nieto-Isabel, Delfi-Isabel; Sallés Vilaseca, Laia; Rabassó, Georgina; Bellver, Josep; Elies Oliveras, Ivo (eds.), "Spaces of Knowledge. Four Dimensions of Medieval Thought", Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2014, 187 p. ISBN (10): 1-4438-6328-9, ISBN (13): 978-1-4438-6328-5.
Papers by Georgina Rabassó
Revista española de filosofía medieval, Nov 24, 2017
the occasion of the seventh centenary of Ramon Llull's death. The congress has been organized by ... more the occasion of the seventh centenary of Ramon Llull's death. The congress has been organized by the Sociedad de Filosofía Medieval (SOFIME) and the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), the host institution, and particularly by the Department of Philosophy and the Department of Ancient and Medieval Studies. The members of the Steering Committee were Alexander Fidora (ICREA research professor at the UAB), Jaume Mensa i Valls (UAB) and Maria Cabré Duran (UAB), coordinator of the congress secretariat. The inaugural speech by María Jesús Soto-Bruna (University of Navarra), titled 'Relation as a Condition of Diversity: the processio in Eriugena and in Gundisalvi's account', made a comparative analysis of the ontology of these two thinkers based on the concept of processio, considered as the relationship between the first principle (unity) and the various realities stemming from it (multiplicity). Following this talk, Hans Daiber (Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University, Frankfurt am Main) gave a plenary lecture on 'De praedicamento relationis in philosophia arabica et islamica. The Category of Relation in Arabic-Islamic Philosophy'. Daiber outlined a systematic and historical profile of the manifold interpretations which the concept of 'relation' underwent in medieval Islamic philosophy, being one of the pivotal aspects of the reception of Aristotle's Categories, following the dissemination of the Organon by the Alexandrine commentators between the 4 th and the 6 th centuries. The second day of the congress began with a plenary lecture by John Marenbon (University of Cambridge), titled 'Non-Accidental Relations in Earlier Medieval Latin Philosophy'. Marenbon analysed, in the first place, the concept of relation in the medieval Latin tradition from the optic of Aristotle' Categories, where relation appears as one of the nine types of accident. Secondly, Marenbon examined the type of non-accidental relation established by some key Latin thinkers engaging with the problem of Trinitarian relation, starting with Augustine. The relationship between the three persons of the Trinity cannot be accidental, since God does not have accidental properties. Next, the late José Antônio de Souza
Mirabilia: Electronic Journal of Antiquity, Middle & Modern Ages, 2013
Resumen: Hildegarda de Bingen escribió habitualmente desde la perspectiva de su don visionario, p... more Resumen: Hildegarda de Bingen escribió habitualmente desde la perspectiva de su don visionario, pero en ocasiones también reflexionó sobre él. La autora escribe la mayoría de sus obras a partir de una experiencia místico-cognoscitiva determinada. Además, la analiza y elabora, en varios pasajes de sus escritos, una epistemología mística. La base de la mencionada epistemología son los sentidos «interiores», que sitúa en el alma. La vista y el oído «interiores» se encuentran conectados con la racionalidad y con la memoria, mediante los cuales efectúa una actividad intelectiva singular: la contemplación auditiva de la verdad. Así, Hildegarda parte de su experiencia místico-cognoscitiva y llega a formular una teorización sobre una epistemología mística. A su vez, extrae de aquella una propuesta hermenéutica particular que le permite desvelar nuevos «misterios» de las escrituras, contenidos esenciales para los fieles que ni los sabios ni los doctores, a pesar de su erudición, han explicado.
Segni e comprensione, Jul 18, 2016
El objetivo del presente escrito es seguir el rastro weiliano en el pensamiento de Iris Murdoch. ... more El objetivo del presente escrito es seguir el rastro weiliano en el pensamiento de Iris Murdoch. Dicho análisis se basa en los escritos filosóficos de ambas autoras, así como en las anotaciones que Murdoch realizó en los ejemplares que poseía de las obras de Simone Weil y que se conservan en la Kingston University de Londres. En particular, este texto analiza la red conceptual que forman las nociones de atención, contemplación y vacío, entendidas desde una perspectiva epistemológica y también como actitud vital. Pretende asimismo mostrar de qué modo la influencia de Weil transforma la filosofía moral de Murdoch, quien introduce una nueva perspectiva en la concepción del ser humano. * El subtítulo de este escrito se inspira en el método y el título del libro de Fina Birulés y Rosa Rius Gatell (eds.
DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals), Jul 1, 2013
* Vull agrair a Rosa Rius Gatell i a Ramón Andrés els seus comentaris i suggeriments, així com la... more * Vull agrair a Rosa Rius Gatell i a Ramón Andrés els seus comentaris i suggeriments, així com la seva disponibilitat i generositat. Agraeixo també a Myriam Cea la cessió d'obra plàstica reproduïda en aquest volum, entre les paraules del recull poètic "Adiclines". 1 Aquesta suggeridora expressió és una adaptació del títol d'un relat breu de Sandra Cisneros, "Minerva escribe poemas" (Cisneros, 2004: 111-112), adaptació realitzada per Helena González i Francesco Ardolino, coordinadors d'una taula rodona de joves poetes del Centre G
Revista Universum, Dec 1, 2022
Christine de Pizan (ca. 1364-ca. 1430) describe el universo y reflexiona sobre las causas de la g... more Christine de Pizan (ca. 1364-ca. 1430) describe el universo y reflexiona sobre las causas de la generación del cosmos en varios pasajes de sus obras alegóricas. Su interés por la filosofía natural es notorio y, aunque no tuvo acceso a una formación reglada en las artes del quadrívium, aprendió de forma autodidacta a partir de los libros que tenía a su disposición en la corte de Carlos V. En los viajes por la tierra y a través de los cielos que describe tanto en Le chemin de long estude (1402) como en L'Advision-Cristine (1405) reelabora ideas que ha leído en fuentes filosóficas y literarias tanto antiguas y tardoantiguas como medievales. Las enmarca en su propio imaginario y se sirve de ellas para analizar, por analogía, cuestiones ético-políticas que están en el centro de sus propuestas prácticas para restaurar el orden, la paz y la concordia en el reino de Francia tras el ascenso al poder de Carlos VI. De Pizan concibe la naturaleza compuesta por fuerzas vivas sexuadas, femeninas, personificadas como damas de gran autoridad. Por ello, tanto en el plano natural como en el social, Christine de Pizan otorga a las mujeres un papel clave para organizar y dirigir el mundo en todos los planos de realidad imaginables. PALABRAS CLAVE: imaginación científica; filosofía natural; literatura onírica; tradición del pensamiento filosófico femenino; historia de las mujeres.
Public Knowledge Project PLN, Feb 1, 2023
La humanista y religiosa dominica Juliana Morell (1594-1653) tuvo un papel como formadora, escrit... more La humanista y religiosa dominica Juliana Morell (1594-1653) tuvo un papel como formadora, escritora y traductora en la Contrarreforma francesa. Políglota y con estudios en filosofía, teología y jurisprudencia, compuso obras espirituales y dos traducciones del latín al francés con comentarios del Tratado de la vida espiritual de Vicente Ferrer (1350-1419), que contó con dos ediciones (1617 y 1619), y de la Regla de Agustín, publicada póstumamente en 1680. Además, sus Exercices spirituels sur l'éternité (1637) incluyen traducciones y exégesis de pasajes bíblicos. La lectura y sobre todo la traducción, entendidas como diálogo espiritual que orienta hacia la oración, son parte de su dedicación como maestra de novicias y publica sus escritos, por mandato de obediencia, para que los lectores conversen y estén en compañía de las almas cuyas palabras se leen y se traducen.
Mediaevalia Textos e estudos
Geometry has proven to be a valuable resource in the history of philosophy for representing a ran... more Geometry has proven to be a valuable resource in the history of philosophy for representing a range of concepts in the semantic domain of time. A series of segments, lines, circles, polygons and other figures have been used to translate visually and symbolically the ideas of time and eternity for the purposes of understanding them better, fostering reflection, and explaining them in a didactic manner. Time is central to Augustine of Hippo’s thought, and Book XI of the Confessiones is the main vehicle for its transmission. While it is not known whether Hildegard of Bingen read these pages, the Rhenish magistra’s vision of eternity and time shows a notable affinity with aspects of Augustinian thought. The visual representations in Hildegard’s Liber diuinorum operum (I, 2-3; III, 5) are used here to illustrate this possible influence (or confluence). In the visions and the miniatures that accompany them, the circle represents eternity, the diameter represents time, and the dot represen...
Mediaevalia. Textos e estudos, Jan 28, 2016
This paper deals with the mystical and cognoscitive experience, conceptualized as «inner» vision ... more This paper deals with the mystical and cognoscitive experience, conceptualized as «inner» vision and audition, of Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) and with the way in which the auditory relationship with the «heavenly voice» (uox de caelo) emerges in her compositions and in her reflections on music as a mediation of the divine present in the world. Hildegard's theology of music is related to a particular conception of human being, whose «symphonic soul» (symphonialis est anima) harmonises with the celestial harmony. Her conception of harmony thus shows that music constitutes an agent of personal and social transformation.
Ethics, Politics & Society, 2021
The figure and discourse of Diotima of Mantinea in Plato’s Symposium had a decisive influence on ... more The figure and discourse of Diotima of Mantinea in Plato’s Symposium had a decisive influence on the Western tradition of women’s thought and on the foundation of a “hidden” branch of philosophy: Erotics, that is, the philosophical consideration of love, sexuality, gender identity, interpersonal relationships and particularly relationships of philia such as friendship. Although Erotics was not established as one of the canonical subdivisions of philosophy, numerous texts and theories prove its existence from antiquity to the present day. Diotima and other female philosophers make it clear that the Western tradition of women’s thought maintained a constant interest in the issues of Erotics. Making Erotics visible as a branch of philosophy situates the contributions of women thinkers in the philosophical canon, thereby transforming it.
espanolEl discurso de Diotima de Mantinea en el Banquete de Platon (s. V a. n. e. ), asi como los... more espanolEl discurso de Diotima de Mantinea en el Banquete de Platon (s. V a. n. e. ), asi como los escritos de Herrada de Hohenbourg (c. 1125-c. 1195) y Christine de Pizan (1364-1430) muestran la profunda huella que dejo en ellas el estudio de la filosofia, de maneras distintas. El analisis de los textos (y alguna imagen) en los que las autoras significan su relacion con la disciplina filosofica da cuenta de la importancia que otorgaban al quehacer intelectual, al conocimiento y a la reflexion critica, no solo para si mismas, sino como elemento distintivo de la belleza femenina narrada desde las mujeres. Esta aportacion ideologica fue clave en la genesis de conceptos como los de "merito", "nobleza" y "excelencia", mediante los cuales las pensadoras de la querelle des femmes (s. XIV-XVIII) hicieron frente a las auctoritates del genero masculino, quienes dictaminaban que la belleza principal y exclusiva de las mujeres era la corporal y, a veces, la espirit...
espanolHildegarda de Bingen escribio habitualmente desde la perspectiva de su don visionario, per... more espanolHildegarda de Bingen escribio habitualmente desde la perspectiva de su don visionario, pero en ocasiones tambien reflexiono sobre el. La autora escribe la mayoria de sus obras a partir de una experiencia mistico-cognoscitiva determinada. Ademas, la analiza y elabora, en varios pasajes de sus escritos, una epistemologia mistica. La base de la mencionada epistemologia son los sentidos «interiores», que situa en el alma. La vista y el oido «interiores» se encuentran conectados con la racionalidad y con la memoria, mediante los cuales efectua una actividad intelectiva singular: la contemplacion auditiva de la verdad. Asi, Hildegarda parte de su experiencia mistico-cognoscitiva y llega a formular una teorizacion sobre una epistemologia mistica. A su vez, extrae de aquella una propuesta hermeneutica particular que le permite desvelar nuevos «misterios» de las escrituras, contenidos esenciales para los fieles que ni los sabios ni los doctores, a pesar de su erudicion, han explicado....
L’objectiu principal de la present Tesi doctoral es mostrar les linies de continuitat i les ruptu... more L’objectiu principal de la present Tesi doctoral es mostrar les linies de continuitat i les ruptures que articulen les representacions de l’univers d’Hildegarda de Bingen per mitja de l’analisi descriptiva, interpretativa i comparativa dels plantejaments cosmologics que apareixen en el seu extens corpus. Dues premisses i tres hipotesis guien la recerca. La primera premissa es el fet que Hildegarda concep l’univers material i temporal com una realitat creada per Deu on transcorre la historia de la salvacio. La segona premissa consisteix en que el discurs de l’autora no es especificament filosofic (ni ho preten ser), sino que tot articulant diversos sabers modela un relat al·legoric i visionari on reflexiona sobre questions filosofiques des d’un prisma singular. Des d’aquest punt de partida es desenvolupen les hipotesis de la recerca. La primera soste que la teologia de la creacio d’Hildegarda es basa en una filosofia de la natura subjacent. Es a dir, existeix un substrat de filosofia...
Mediaevalia Textos e estudos, 2016
sapientia docet me. hildegarda de bingen y la filosofía
Sonograma Magazine, 2011
Resum La música ocupó un lugar distintivo en la vida, la obra y el pensamiento de Hildegarda de B... more Resum La música ocupó un lugar distintivo en la vida, la obra y el pensamiento de Hildegarda de Bingen, autora polifacética medieval que escribió numerosos tratados y magníficas composiciones. Hildegarda otorgaba a la música—y al canto de alabanzas en ...
ENTHYMEMA, (31), 66–77., 2023
La humanista y religiosa dominica Juliana Morell (1594-1653) tuvo un papel como formadora, escrit... more La humanista y religiosa dominica Juliana Morell (1594-1653) tuvo un papel como formadora, escritora y traductora en la Contrarreforma francesa. Políglota y con estudios en filosofía, teología y jurisprudencia, compuso obras espirituales y dos traducciones del latín al francés con comentarios del Tratado de la vida espiritual de Vicente Ferrer (1350-1419), que contó con dos ediciones (1617 y 1619), y de la Regla de Agustín, publicada póstumamente en 1680. Además, sus Exercices spirituels sur l'éternité (1637) incluyen traducciones y exégesis de pasajes bíblicos. La lectura y sobre todo la traducción, entendidas como diálogo espiritual que orienta hacia la oración, son parte de su dedicación como maestra de novicias y publica sus escritos, por mandato de obediencia, para que los lectores conversen y estén en compañía de las almas cuyas palabras se leen y se traducen.
The humanist and Dominican nun Juliana Morell (1594-1653) played a particular role as a teacher, writer and translator in the French Counter-Reformation. A polyglot who had studied philosophy, theology and jurisprudence, she composed spiritual works and made two Latin-to-French translations with commentaries: Vincent Ferrer’s Treatise on the Spiritual Life (1350-1419), which had two editions (1617 and 1619), and Augustine’s Rule, published posthumously in 1680. In addition, her Exercices spirituels sur l’éternité (1637) includes translations and exegesis of biblical passages. Reading, and especially translation, understood as spiritual dialogue leading to prayer, were part of her work as a teacher of novice nuns, and she published her writings, complying with the obligation of obedience, so that readers could converse with and spend time in the company of the souls whose words were read and translated.
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Books by Georgina Rabassó
The present volume collects twenty-eight original essays by
colleagues and friends of Michela Pereira offered on the occasion
of her seventieth birthday. As a pioneer of the re-evaluation of
fundamental areas of the Western philosophical and scientific
tradition, starting with alchemy, Michela Pereira has dedicated
important studies to Hildegard of Bingen, Roger Bacon, Ramon
Llull, in addition to being one of the most authoritative interpreters
of the feminist movement in the modern world. «Seeing
in the shadow», the title of this volume, recalls a suggestive image
coined by Hildegard to establish a connection between the work
of creation, human nature and prophetic knowledge, three contexts
around which the interests of Michela Pereira turn. The essays of
the volume interpret these topics in many thought-provoking
ways. Covering a wide temporal arc, from late Antiquity to Early
Modern Times, and ranging from alchemy and medicine to spirituality,
prophecy and myth, from the body-soul relation to performative
arts, such as theatre and music, they also include brief
editions of unedited medieval texts and an updated bibliography
of Michela Pereira’s publications.
[eng] The main objective of this PhD Thesis is to trace the continuities and breaks shaping Hildegard of Bingen’s representations of the universe, by means of a descriptive, interpretative and comparative analysis of the cosmological scheme in her extensive corpus. The study is guided by two premises and three hypotheses. The first premise is the fact that Hildegard sees the material and temporal universe as a reality created by God, in which the history of salvation unfolds. The second premise is that her discourse is not specifically philosophical (and does not claim to be so), but articulates various fields of knowledge in giving form to an allegorical and visionary narrative in which she reflects on philosophical issues from her own unique perspective. It is from this starting point that the research hypotheses are developed. The first of these affirms that Hildegard’s creation theology is based on an underlying philosophy of nature, i.e. that it is underpinned by an implicit foundation of natural philosophy which moulds the allegorical descriptions of Hildegard’s universe; and that this substratum has a complete meaning in itself (although she establishes strong links between cosmology, theology and anthropology). This discourse on nature is explicit in the Physica and would later be developed further in the treatise Beate Hildegardis Cause et cure (s. XIII). It is of particular note that this type of discourse is latent in all of Hildegard’s writings on the universe. The second hypothesis clarifies how her cosmological ideas evolve throughout her work, and is grounded in a comparative analysis of the philosophical background to her cosmic “visions,” paying special attention to the Sciuias and the Liber diuinorum operum. This detailed analysis of the modifications she makes to her design enables us conceptually to measure the transfiguration of the universe she describes. This study, then, is not only a systematic analysis of the cosmological theories contained in the two books mentioned above (since this would yield only one –fictional– view of the universe), but is also complemented by a historical-biographical dimension. Finally, the third hypothesis investigates, more specifically, the influence of Timaeic literature on the Liber diuinorum operum, and the decisive role played by both Platonic and Stoic natural philosophy in the reshaping of Hildegard’s imago mundi. The most important result of the Thesis is to contribute to locating Hildegard of Bingen’s views on nature within the spectrum of philosophical-scientific renovation beginning to emerge during the first half of the 12th century.
Papers by Georgina Rabassó
The humanist and Dominican nun Juliana Morell (1594-1653) played a particular role as a teacher, writer and translator in the French Counter-Reformation. A polyglot who had studied philosophy, theology and jurisprudence, she composed spiritual works and made two Latin-to-French translations with commentaries: Vincent Ferrer’s Treatise on the Spiritual Life (1350-1419), which had two editions (1617 and 1619), and Augustine’s Rule, published posthumously in 1680. In addition, her Exercices spirituels sur l’éternité (1637) includes translations and exegesis of biblical passages. Reading, and especially translation, understood as spiritual dialogue leading to prayer, were part of her work as a teacher of novice nuns, and she published her writings, complying with the obligation of obedience, so that readers could converse with and spend time in the company of the souls whose words were read and translated.
The present volume collects twenty-eight original essays by
colleagues and friends of Michela Pereira offered on the occasion
of her seventieth birthday. As a pioneer of the re-evaluation of
fundamental areas of the Western philosophical and scientific
tradition, starting with alchemy, Michela Pereira has dedicated
important studies to Hildegard of Bingen, Roger Bacon, Ramon
Llull, in addition to being one of the most authoritative interpreters
of the feminist movement in the modern world. «Seeing
in the shadow», the title of this volume, recalls a suggestive image
coined by Hildegard to establish a connection between the work
of creation, human nature and prophetic knowledge, three contexts
around which the interests of Michela Pereira turn. The essays of
the volume interpret these topics in many thought-provoking
ways. Covering a wide temporal arc, from late Antiquity to Early
Modern Times, and ranging from alchemy and medicine to spirituality,
prophecy and myth, from the body-soul relation to performative
arts, such as theatre and music, they also include brief
editions of unedited medieval texts and an updated bibliography
of Michela Pereira’s publications.
[eng] The main objective of this PhD Thesis is to trace the continuities and breaks shaping Hildegard of Bingen’s representations of the universe, by means of a descriptive, interpretative and comparative analysis of the cosmological scheme in her extensive corpus. The study is guided by two premises and three hypotheses. The first premise is the fact that Hildegard sees the material and temporal universe as a reality created by God, in which the history of salvation unfolds. The second premise is that her discourse is not specifically philosophical (and does not claim to be so), but articulates various fields of knowledge in giving form to an allegorical and visionary narrative in which she reflects on philosophical issues from her own unique perspective. It is from this starting point that the research hypotheses are developed. The first of these affirms that Hildegard’s creation theology is based on an underlying philosophy of nature, i.e. that it is underpinned by an implicit foundation of natural philosophy which moulds the allegorical descriptions of Hildegard’s universe; and that this substratum has a complete meaning in itself (although she establishes strong links between cosmology, theology and anthropology). This discourse on nature is explicit in the Physica and would later be developed further in the treatise Beate Hildegardis Cause et cure (s. XIII). It is of particular note that this type of discourse is latent in all of Hildegard’s writings on the universe. The second hypothesis clarifies how her cosmological ideas evolve throughout her work, and is grounded in a comparative analysis of the philosophical background to her cosmic “visions,” paying special attention to the Sciuias and the Liber diuinorum operum. This detailed analysis of the modifications she makes to her design enables us conceptually to measure the transfiguration of the universe she describes. This study, then, is not only a systematic analysis of the cosmological theories contained in the two books mentioned above (since this would yield only one –fictional– view of the universe), but is also complemented by a historical-biographical dimension. Finally, the third hypothesis investigates, more specifically, the influence of Timaeic literature on the Liber diuinorum operum, and the decisive role played by both Platonic and Stoic natural philosophy in the reshaping of Hildegard’s imago mundi. The most important result of the Thesis is to contribute to locating Hildegard of Bingen’s views on nature within the spectrum of philosophical-scientific renovation beginning to emerge during the first half of the 12th century.
The humanist and Dominican nun Juliana Morell (1594-1653) played a particular role as a teacher, writer and translator in the French Counter-Reformation. A polyglot who had studied philosophy, theology and jurisprudence, she composed spiritual works and made two Latin-to-French translations with commentaries: Vincent Ferrer’s Treatise on the Spiritual Life (1350-1419), which had two editions (1617 and 1619), and Augustine’s Rule, published posthumously in 1680. In addition, her Exercices spirituels sur l’éternité (1637) includes translations and exegesis of biblical passages. Reading, and especially translation, understood as spiritual dialogue leading to prayer, were part of her work as a teacher of novice nuns, and she published her writings, complying with the obligation of obedience, so that readers could converse with and spend time in the company of the souls whose words were read and translated.
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The present volume collects twenty-eight original essays by colleagues and friends of Michela Pereira offered on the occasion of her seventieth birthday. As a pioneer of the re-evaluation of fundamental areas of the Western philosophical and scientific tradition, starting with alchemy, Michela Pereira has dedicated important studies to Hildegard of Bingen, Roger Bacon, Ramon Llull, in addition to being one of the most authoritative interpreters of the feminist movement in the modern world. «Seeing in the shadow», the title of this volume, recalls a suggestive image coined by Hildegard to establish a connection between the work of creation, human nature and prophetic knowledge, three contexts around which the interests of Michela Pereira turn. The essays of the volume interpret these topics in many thought-provoking ways. Covering a wide temporal arc, from late Antiquity to Early Modern Times, and ranging from alchemy and medicine to spirituality, prophecy and myth, from the body-soul relation to performative arts, such as theatre and music, they also include brief editions of unedited medieval texts and an updated bibliography of Michela Pereira’s publications.