Hildegard's Vision: The Red Head of God, Zealous for Justice; a Found Poem

The Zeal of God (for justice) / Scivias

In this vision
Hildegard sees two walls
coming together
with a fiery red head
at the corner
where the walls join

She tells us that
the walls, which are two
of the four walls
of the celestial building
or the celestial city
are there for our
strength and defense

One wall is smooth and solid
and very bright
The other
is made up of stones

Hildegard says that
the first wall
shines in the brightness
of the light of day
and is called
speculative knowledge
because through it
a person sees and judges
his own actions

The second wall
symbolizes our works
Where the two walls meet
there is a zealous red head

Hildegard describes this head
as having a fiery color
shining red
like a flame of fire…
It had a terrifying face

It had three wings
of amazing breadth and length
which were white
as a shining cloud
and these wings grew larger
as they beat and beat

The head itself
did not speak
and did not move…
Christ, however, spoke

This head signifies
the zeal of the Lord
Hildegard says

The zeal of God
is essentially
justice-making…
it comes about when we are
aroused by injustice

In mirror
[that is, speculative*]
knowledge
and in human work
there is a common boundary
of injustice
Hildegard tells us

God cares so much for justice
that in the past
under the Old Law
of Abraham and Moses
as well as in the present
under the New Law of Christ

the divine zeal was always
and continues to be
for justice


*Speculative knowledge refers to mirror-knowledge, or self-knowledge, according to the old definition. A specular or speculum was/is a mirror

From VISION: The Life and Music of Hildegard von Bingen, compiled and edited by Jane Bobko, with text by Barbara Newman and commentary by Matthew Fox, Penguin Books, 1995.