Cosmic Partnership: Hildegard of Bingen’s vision of an integral ecology

Though Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179), Benedictine Abbess and polymath, canonized and proclaimed Doctor of the Church in 2012, has been named a patron of ecology, only fragments of her ecological philosophy exist. This article attempts to introduce Hildegard’s polyphonic work by outlining her theology of viriditas as the green thread that connects her cosmological, anthropological, and ethical theory and to show how it constructs the relationship between humanity and creation as a cosmic partnership. Hildegard's striking visual style is not only inspired by her appreciation of the natural world, but deeply grounded in her theology. This theology entails an ethical obligation for humans to live in harmony with creation and to take on the task to become co-creators in God’s garden, culminating in a symphonic life in harmony with all creation. Thus, Hildegard offers not only a theory but also a practice towards an integral ecology.