← Book of Life's Merits / Liber Vitae Meritorum← Hildegard of Bingen

Medieval Writings on Female Spirituality

EditorElizabeth Spearing
FormatCollection / Anthology
LanguageEnglish
Year2002
PublisherPenguin
CountryUnited Kingdom
Pages268
ISBN9780140439250
Medieval Writings on Female Spirituality

Biographies, poetic compositions, works that are mystical, prophetic, visionary, or meditative: the selections here reflect the developments in medieval piety, particularly in the link between female spirituality and the body. Included are the dramatic visionary writings of Hildegard of Bingen; letters and poems by Hadewijch expressing passionate love for God; and Marguerite Porete's allegorical poem "The Mirror of Simple Souls," a dialogue between Love and Soul that was condemned as heretical. Also included are biographies written by male ecclesiastics of women such as Christine the Astonishing, whose extraordinary behavior included being resurrected at her own funeral; revelations received by Bridget of Sweden, the first woman to found a religious order; and excerpts from The Book of Margery Kempe, in which Margery imagines herself as a servant caring for the Virgin Mary in her childhood. This volume, edited by Elizabeth Spearing, who also prepared some of the translations, features a rich introduction to the lives and religious experiences of its subjects, as well as full explanatory notes. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

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CONTENTS Introduction by Elizabeth Spearing vii Suggestions for Further Reading xxxix Acknowledgments and a Note on the Texts xlv Abbreviations xlix HILDEGARD OF BINGEN Extracts from the Vita (translated by Peter Dronke) 3 Extract from a Letter to Guibert de Gembloux (translated by Peter Dronke) 7 Extracts from Scivias (translated by Mother Columba Hart and Jane Bishop) 9 CHRISTINA OF MARKYATE Extracts from The Life of Christina of Markyate (translated by C.H. Talbot) 27 HADEWIJCH Extracts from the Letters (translated by Mother Columba Hart) 46 Extracts from the Poems in Stanzas (translated by Mother Columba Hart) 53 Extracts from the Visions (translated by Mother Columba Hart) 67 CHRISTINE THE ASTONISHING The Life of St Christine the Astonishing (translated by Elizabeth Spearing) 75 MARY OF OIGNIES Extracts from The Life of St Mary of Oignies (translated by Elizabeth Spearing) 87 ELIZABETH OF SPAALBEEK The Life of St Elizabeth of Spaalbeek (translated by Elizabeth Spearing) 107 MARGUERITE PORETE Extracts from The Mirror of Simple Souls (translated by A.C. Spearing) 120 BRIDGET OF SWEDEN Extracts from the Liber Celestis (translated by Elizabeth Spearing) 145 JULIAN OF NORWICH Extracts from Revelations of Divine Love (Short Text) (translated by Elizabeth Spearing) 175 Extracts from Revelations of Divine Love (Long Text) (translated by Elizabeth Spearing) 183 ANONYMOUS A Revelation of Purgatory (translated by Elizabeth Spearing) 207 MARGERY KEMPE Extracts from The Book of Margery Kempe (Book I) (translated by B.A. Windeatt) 226 Notes 255

Contains

Book of Life's MeritsHoly Book of RevelationsThe Mirror of Simple SoulsScivias
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