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by Matthew Fox (Author)
In May, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI formally declared 12th century Benedictine nun Hildegard of Bingen a canonized saint, with the canonization ceremony scheduled for October. He regards her as one of the great thinker who has helped shape the thought of the Catholic Church.
Today there are many websites and Hildegard groups that celebrate and honor Hildegard's teachings, philosophy, art, and music. Author Matthew Fox writes in Hildegard of Bingen about this amazing woman and what we can learn from her. In an era when women were marginalized, Hildegard was an outspoken, controversial figure. Yet so visionary was her insight that she was sought out by kings, popes, abbots, and bishops for advice. A sixteenth century follower of Martin Luther called her "the first Protestant" because of her appeals to reform the church. As a writer, composer, philosopher, Christian mystic, Benedictine abbess, healer, artist, feminist, and student of science, Hildegard was a pioneer in many fields in her day. For many centuries after her death Hildegard was ignored or even ridiculed but today is finally being recognized for her immense contribution to so many areas, including our understanding of our spiritual relationship to the earth--a contribution that touches on key issues faced by our planet in the 21st century, particularly with regard to the environment and ecology.Author Biography
Matthew Fox is the popular and controversial theologian and author of more than 25 books that expose the corruption and patriarchal hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church and invite us to return to a more mystical experience of Christianity. He is founder and director of the Institute of Culture and Creation Spirituality in Oakland, CA. A member of the Dominican Order for 34 years, Fox was silenced by the Vatican in 1989 and formally dismissed in 1993. Now an Episcopal minister, he travels extensively sharing his radical vision of a Christianity that leans toward mysticism rather than orthodoxy, and Divine Feminism rather than patriarchy.
