Hildegard and the Devil

Hildegard’s seventh vision in book 2, concerning the Devil, surprised me in a lot of ways. I am familiar with a contemporary image of the Devil that paints him as a wary partner of God; jealous, but ultimately willing to help God by punishing sinners on His behalf (a few hip youth pastors have used the word ‘frenemy’ to describe their relationship). I never questioned this image of Satan because it made sense in the context of the fire and brimstone tradition I came from. Sinners deserved to be punished, so God gave Lucifer the job because He was worried Lucifer was plotting against him and wanted more power. So, Hildegard’s vision of the Devil not as a beautiful angel but a vile worm-like creature, suffering and chained down, was incongruous to me at first. At first, I thought I understood the images she presents: next to the worm is a marketplace “which displayed human wealth” (293) where some hurry through and others pause to buy and sell. Surely this represents the temptations of earthly pleasures and wealth, and only those who do not pause to buy and sell get to see God. Not quite! The marketplace is composed of the Devil’s evil works. Here I realized I needed to throw out my previous conceptions of the Devil, just as I have had to throw out all of my previous conceptions of Christian theology to be able to understand the medieval perspective (the word previous here is temporally misleading, as the medieval theology is more accurately previous to my quasi-modern understanding of the faith). Hildegard is concerned with the intellect; that giving into sin and the Devil’s “fraudulent riches and delights” (295) will distract the soul from being able to know and see God. I will try to understand her vision of the Devil through this lens, that turning away from God is a rejection of the ability to understand.

It is important to first unpack her understanding of the fall of the angels.  Hildegard understands the Devil, Lucifer, as being “cast forth from celestial glory” (74) because of pride. She locates his pride arising from Lucifer being “so great at the moment of his creation that he felt no defect either in his beauty or his strength” (74). As punishment for wanted to shine as God does, God reached “out in fiery blackness, cast him down with all his retinue, so they were made burning instead of shining and black instead of fair” (74). This seemingly answers one of my first questions about Lucifer: if he was so beautiful and strong, why is he now so hideous? But she elaborates that Jesus so thoroughly defeated Death that Satan can no longer exert his full strength, which is why the worm is deformed and in pain (296). The incarnation has loosened the devils grip on humanity. Indeed, ‘the might of God has broken the Devil’s strength to do what he wants…he is not able by inner or outer means to take away redemption from the faithful” (297). But a few things still bother me: why did the Devil ever have the power to tempt the faithful and keep them out of heaven? And why does God let Satan lead anyone astray?

These are big questions, the kind one could struggle with for a lifetime. Hildegard’s focus on the intellect provides a potential answer. If God gave us reason and free will, then we should justly be able to turn away from Him. But I think that is me slipping back into a more contemporary theology. Hildegard writes that “People who expel God from their hearts by their wicked and damnable deeds are overwhelmed by His innocent and mighty works…They taste and eat what is evil. Hence in their deeds they do not know the way that ascends in the sunlight” (298). Thus, in turning away from God they are punished by not experiencing the beauty of His works. I wonder if this itself is punishment enough. If the goal of Christianity is to see God, then turning away from God means you cannot see Him. Hell still remains. Is it meant to punish those “who pursue worldly affairs” (299)?

I was hoping that in writing this blog post I could reach some clarity. Hildegard hints at answers to some of them, especially in discussing the kinds of people the Devil is able to lead astray: those who “follow the longing of his flesh and neglects the good desires of his spirit” is said to despise God (302). Hildegard also makes room for repentance, saying that even if someone sins, they can withdraw “repenting from these vices” and “rise again to life” (302). It is possible that even the very concerns I have are too modern, and in thinking about Hildegard we must take certain things for granted. She certainly makes a compelling case for avoiding the Devil, grotesque and horrific, and following a beautiful God.

--CHM

Hildegard of Bingen, Scivias, trans. Mother Columba Hart (New York: Paulist Press, 1990) [ISBN 978-080913103] [BV5080 .H54130 1990]