Barbara Newman reintroduces English-speaking readers to an extraordinary and gifted figure of the twelfth-century renaissance. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) was mystic and writer, musician and preacher, abbess and scientist who used symbolic theology to explore the meaning of her gender within the divine scheme of things.With a new preface, bibliography, and discography, Sister of Wisdom is a landmark book in women's studies, and it will also be welcomed by readers in religion and history.

Illustrations Abbreviations Preface (1997) Preface (1987) 1. "A poor little female" Biographical sketch Survey of Hildegard's works Theology and the problem of feminine authority 2. The Feminine Divine Theophany and the bride of God The mirror of providence, the virgin spring, and the tree of life The eternal counsel Wisdom as creatrix and anima mundi Wisdom's vesture The chastisements of charity 3· The Woman and the Serpent Made in God's image The garment and the mirror The bright cloud and the shadow Eve and Satan 4· Daughters of Eve Women's sexuality and character God, Satan, and fertility Gynecology Healing and magic 5· The Mother of God Mary and the ancient counsel Eve and Mary Atonement through the virgin birth Mary as the feminine ideal Mary, the Church, and the priesthood 6. The Bride of Christ The Church eternal in heaven Synagogue and Church The wedding on Calvary Christ's virgins and the virgin Church Mother Church and the motherhood of God "An effeminate age" 7· Sister of Wisdom Theology and gender revisited Sapiential thought through the twentieth century Feminism and the future of Sophia Texts of Hildegard's Poetry Bibliography Discography Index