Hildegard of Bingen & her prophecies

Saint Hildegard of Bingen, O.S.B. (German: Hildegard von Bingen; Latin: Hildegardis Bingensis) (1098 – 17 September 1179), also known as Saint Hildegard, and Sibyl of the Rhine, was a German writer, composer, philosopher, Christian mystic, Benedictine abbess, visionary, and polymath.  Elected a magistra by her fellow nuns in 1136, she founded the monasteries of Rupertsberg in 1150 and Eibingen in 1165. One of her works as a composer, the Ordo Virtutum, is an early example of liturgical drama and arguably the oldest surviving morality play.

Hildegard says that she first saw "The Shade of the Living Light" at the age of three, and by the age of five she began to understand that she was experiencing visions.  She used the term 'visio' to this feature of her experience, and recognized that it was a gift that she could not explain to others. Hildegard explained that she saw all things in the light of God through the five senses: sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch.  Hildegard was hesitant to share her visions, confiding only to Jutta, who in turn told Volmar, Hildegard's tutor and, later, secretary.  Throughout her life, she continued to have many visions, and in 1141, at the age of 42, Hildegard received a vision she believed to be an instruction from God, to "write down that which you see and hear."

There are two significant prophecies, the first relates to the two witnesses (Henoch & Elias)...

God shows them the works of men as though they could see these with natural eyes. The two men are therefore, much wiser than all wise men put together. The same force which removed Henoch and Elias from the earth will bring them back in a storm wind at the time when the Antichrist will spread his false doctrine. As long as they will dwell amongst men they will always be refreshed after 40 days. They have the mission from God to resist the Antichrist and lead the erring back to the road of salvation. Both men, distinguished by age and stature, will speak to men: `This accursed one is sent by the devil in order to lead men into error. We have been preserved by God at a secreted place, where we did not experience the suffering of men. We are now sent by God in order to oppose. the heresy of this destroyer. Look, if we resemble you in stature and age.'And because the testimony of both shall agree they will be believed. All will follow these two aged men and renounce heresy. They will visit all cities and towns where previously the Antichrist had sown his heresy, and through the power of the Holy Ghost will work genuine miracles. All the people will be greatly astonished at them. Henoch and Elias will. confuse the followers of Satan with thunder strokes, and destroy. them and fortify the Christians in faith. Therefore, the. Christians will hurry to martyrdom, which the son of evil will. prepare for them like to a banquet, so that the murderers will. grow tired of counting the dead on account of their great. numbers; for their blood will run like rivers. Henoch and Elias have been taught much wisdom and knowledge. in Paradise while awaiting their return to earth. God will. instruct them every forty days while they are on earth. They. will receive exceptional graces and powers from God to use. against Antichrist. / Enoch and Elias will be instructed by God in a most secret manner in paradise. God reveals to them the actions and condition of men that they may regard them with the eyes of compassion. Because of this special preparation, these two holy men are more wise than all the wise men on the earth taken together. God will give them the task of opposing Antichrist and of bringing back those who have strayed from the way of salvation. Both of these men will say to people:This accursed one has been sent by the devil to lead men astray and into error; we have been preserved by God in a hidden place where we did not experience the sorrows of men but God has now sent us to combat the heresy of this son of perdition. They will go into all cities and villages where previously Antichrist had broadcasted his heresies and by the power of the Holy Spirit will perform wonderful miracles so that all nations will greatly marvel at them. This as to a wedding feast, Christians will hasten to death by martyrdom which the son of perdition will have prepared for them in such numbers that those murderers will be unable even to count the slain, then the blood of these martyrs will fill the rivers

The second important prophecy is about the Antichrist...

He will be raised at different secret places and will be kept in seclusion until full grown. When he has grown to full manhood he will publicly announce a hostile doctrine on religion. He will lure and attract the people to himself by granting them complete exemption from the observance of all divine and ecclesiastical. commandments, by forgiving them their sins and requiring of them only their belief in his divinity. He will spurn and reject baptism and the gospel. He will open his mouth to preach contradiction. He will say, `Jesus of Nazareth is not the son of. God, only a deceiver who gave himself out as God; and the Church instituted by him is only superstition'. The true Christ has come in his person. He will say, `I am the Saviour of the. world'. Especially will he try to convince the Jews that he is the Messiah sent by God, and the Jews will accept him as such. His doctrine of faith will be taken from the Jewish religion and seemingly will not differ much from the fundamental doctrine of Christianity for he will teach that there is one God who created the world, who is omniscient and knows the thoughts of man and is just, who rewards the obeyers of his commands and the trespassers he chastises, who raises all from the dead in due time. This God has spoken through Moses and the Prophets, therefore the precepts of the Mosaic laws are to be kept, especially circumcision and keeping the Sabbath, yet by his moral laws he will try to reverse all order on earth. Therefore he is called in Holy Writ the `Lawless One'. He will think that he can change time and laws. He will discard all laws, morals and religious principles, to draw the world to himself. He will grant entire freedom from the commandments of God and the Church and permit everyone to live as his passions dictate. By doing so he hopes to be acknowledged by the people as deliverer from the yoke, and as the cause of prosperity in the world. Religion he will endeavor to make convenient. He will say that you need not fast and embitter your life by renunciation, as the people of former times did when they had no sense of God's goodness. It will suffice to love God. He. will let the people feast to their heart's content so that they will pity the unfortunate people of former centuries. He will preach free love and tear asunder family ties. He will scorn everything holy, and he will ridicule all graces of the Church with devilish mockery. He will condemn humility and foster proud and gruesome dogmas. He will tear down that which God has taught in the Old and New Testament and maintain sin and vice are not sin and vice. Briefly he will declare the road to Hell is the way to Heaven.

Noah (est5590 - 4989)

Many people struggle with the idea that Noah actually existed, and if you are a skeptic, I wish nothing more than you read this article with an open mind, why?  Because the story of the Great Flood is document in over 2000 ancient documents, existing not only in Christian records but many other cultures.

The story of the Great Flood tells us that when Noah was 500 he had three sons Shem, Ham, Japheth.  Noah was given instructions on how to build the ark including size, height, waterproofing (300cubits X 50 cubits X 30 cubits, 3 stories high).  The ark was to hold Noah, his wife, his three sons with their wives, 8 people in all.

(Please note 1cubit=21.88inches)

He was told to gather food for the journey, told to save the animals, and that it will rain for 40 days to cause a flood, the flood happened in his 600th year, the water rose by fifteen cubits? although it states mountains were covered, the waters stayed high for 150 days.

Afterwards, Noah and sons told to replenish the earth, Noah lived 350 years after flood (total 950) and as grandsons and great grandsons were born, they spread out and formed settlements  They are recorded as spreading out to all countries, to the isles, to the east and west.  This links in to an alternative story of Sambethe who is said to have been part of Noah's family, actually rumoured to be Noah's daughter in law, Sambethe moved to Greece and founded the Sibyl sisterhood.  Other documents such as the Book of Enoch tells how Enoch (Noah's grandfather) was the one who was told about the coming flood, and that when Noah was born as an albino, it was seen as a sign that the flood would happen during Noah's lifetime, making him to be the one to survive the Great flood.

Most non-believers call this story nonsense, despite the existence of the Ark being noted during the Greek Empire, in fact scientists are said to have identified sites which could be the Ark, found in Turkey near the border with Afghanistan.  The picture above is from the first site, and I have actually attended a lecture from the discoverer of the site.  His arguments and evidence are surprisingly believable.  The second site was supposedly discovered by a Chinese expedition to the area, the video below is supposed to be what they found.

These claims have been totally rebuked by the scientific community, first claiming that the Chinese built a wooden structure on the mountain and then froze it with ice, how convenient, especially when the site is located on a cliff far above where machinery can go!(at 12000ft)  So when that argument failed, they moved on to other ways to call it into disrepute.  I want to ask why !!  Here is a valid theory and a valid site to investigate, isn't that the job that scientists are supposed to do??

Hellespontine Sibyl (est600B.C.)

This sibyl(prophetess) also known as the Trojan Sibyl resided at Dardania (Greece) and is said to have been born in the village of Marpessus (within the boundaries of Troad). It is said that this Sibyl predicted the Crucifixion, and because of that, images depicting her normally show her standing beside a cross.

It is said that she lived during the lifetimes of Solon and Cyrus the Great which works out as about 600B.C. It is said that the Sibylline Books were written by this Sibyl, which were then stored at the temple in Gergis(Troas, Greece) before they passed to the possession of Erythraean Sibyl.

However one theory is that the Phrygian Sibyl, the Hellespontine Sibyl and the Erythraean Sibyl are all one in the same, and as the Sibyls often got named after the place where they resided it is possible that they are one in the same, but that cannot be taken as a fact but a theory.

The Libyan Sibyl (est350B.C.)

The Libyan Sibyl, also named as Phemonoe, was a prophetic priestess at the Siwa Oasis in the Libyan dessert. Her mother is said to have been Queen Lamia who originated from the Chaldeans from Babylonia. There are many myths about her mother, been seeing as evil and close to that of a vampire (may even be there origin of vampire stories as mothers used to threaten their kids with the story of Lamia).

However, Phemonoe managed to gain a lot of attention herself, she was talked about by Pausanias, Serapion, and Euripides and was even depicted in a painting by Michelangelo. The most interesting story of her however is by Plutarch as he tells the story of Alexander the Great marching to the Oasis, and the sibyl confirming him as the legitimate Pharoah of Egypt, this would place her as living around the year 350 B.C.

The Erythraean Sibyls (est1300-150 B.C.?)

The first Erythraean Sibyl is said to have been the daughter of a sheperd. She lived in Erythrae, Ionia (Asia Minor), on the Aegean Sea, and is often confused with the Cumaean Sibyl (St. Augustine, in his "City of God," speaks of this).

What makes this woman important to Christians is her prediction of Christ, given in the form of an acrostic poem which formed the words, 'Ihsous Xristos Qeou uios spthr, which means, "Jesus Christ the Son of God, the Saviour." And in some ways she was remembered through her dipiction in a floor mosaic in the Cathedral of Siena and in a painting by Michelangelo. It is said that she also predicted the Trojan War (est1200 B.C.) saying that Troy would be destroyed and that Homer (est 850 B.C) would write falsely. It is also said that she prophesied Alexander the Great's(est 300 B.C.) divine parentage.

However it seems that Erthrae may have become a permanent base for a succession of Sibyls, as the daughter of Berossus (est 300 B.C.) became one, Berossus was a scholar and an astrologist who, according to Vitruvius de Architectura, is said to have moved in later like to the island of Kos to set up a school of Astrology. Further evidence to this idea is that Appollodorus (est180 B.C.) still references a Sibyl of Erthrae many years later. Therefore I am referencing to them here in the plural and to have existed from 1300-150 B.C.

Upon further examination of other documents(incl the Suidas), it appears that the Erythraean Sibyl (the original) spent the greater part of her life on the Greek Island of Samos and became known as the Samian Sibyl, or Phyto (meaning 'wandering'). It is possible that she originally settled in Erthrae and set up a base for other sibyls before moving to Samos to spend the rest of her life there, or maybe she originated from the island itself and just traveled to Erthrae at some point in her life. The Samian Sibyl is recorded as existing during the building of the city of Byzantium (around 600B.C.??)

Cumaean Sibyl (est1500-500 B.C.)

The Cumaean Sibyl lived in Cumae (now Cuma) which was the first Greek colony founded in Italy, which is about twenty miles from Naples. Her home was a grotto under the ground which can still be seen to this day in a volcanic region where vapours would issue from the ground.

Her existence is recorded from two main sources, the first is from the manuscript Aeneid by Virgil where he writes about the mysterious woman;

“Arriv'd at Cumae, when you view the flood
Of black Avernus, and the sounding wood,
The mad prophetic Sibyl you shall find,
Dark in a cave, and on a rock reclin'd.
She sings the fates, and, in her frantic fits”

Also during his visit, she took him on a tour of the underworld where he questioned her about her existence, asking if she was an immortal goddess, to which she answered that she was not a goddess and she was mortal yet she had been granted a long life, yet the long life was not that of eternal youth but one where her body will fade until all that is left is her voice, living for a thousand years.

In other manuscripts it is recorded that she went to king Tarquin with nine books that contained the destiny of his kingdom and the world, they were called the Sibylline Books, the king refused and the sibyl burned three books in a fire, when he refused the second time she burned three more, but the king eventually bought the last three books for 300 coins. The books are recorded to have been destroyed in a fire in 83 B.C. This led to the Roman Emperor demanding that the collection to be reformed from other copies which became the Sibylline Oracles.

It is possible that this is the Sibyl in which Naevius spoke about in his books about the Punic War, yet he called her the Cimmerian Sibyl or Carmentis as he recorded the same place near Lake Avernus in Italy as being the place where she resided.

Old Document Review 'Prognostications'

This fantastic document was originally published in 1536 A.D and was written by Paracelsus (d.1541). It contains 32 images with very cryptic statements to go with them. Paracelcus was originally born as Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim and was a German-Swiss, in his life time he was a physician, a botanist, an alchemist, astrologer and occultist. He was famous for many things, he gave zinc its name and contibuted greatly to the development of medicine.

The 32 predictions are of mundane events, ecclesiastical affairs and political upheavals, yet they are so cryptic that has made them almost impossible to interpret. The Past, Present and future are described as three separate entities yet there are the same. Like a Trinity of time itself, and Paracelsus claims that it is through divine intervention that he has been shown things, as nothing is impossible through the Trinity of God. He speaks many times of Magic, yet by magic he means divine power. Magic and Occultism at his time ran the risk of being tried for heresy, yet in reading extracts of his various writings, the only thing that comes clear is that he was a devout believer in God, a spiritual person with a great understanding of the nature of God.

An example of the text from the book;'What a thing is internally is shown by its outward sign. As Nature signs her own so does Magic. You have been signed as a devourer of all who have to do with them'

As you can see the text is very cryptic and quite hard to understand yet some scholars claim that several of the prophecies have been fulfilled. They interpret seperate words from the texts just as one would do with interpreting dreams, for example the bear is Russia, the lion is England and so on.

There are a couple of interesting things I found in the document; the first is a reference in Figure 26 to Sibyl, meaning the Sibylline Oracles perhaps, or maybe he had access to other writings from the Sibyls that is now lost to time. Secondly; In the third figure, the image contains beams of sunlight 6 on the left, 7 on the right, is this possibly a reference to the same beliefs that the Mayans had of the sevens days of existence (seven days and six nights) making the number thirteen.

The Sibyllines Oracles

Prophet Name:The Sibyl sisterhood, the prophetesses

Origin & Message:
The Sibyls were a set of prophetesses who uttered oracles which were recorded, their advice was much sought after (by the Roman Empire and also the early church) and their influence is mentioned in many cultures such as the Greeks and the Anglo-Irish.
It is believed that the very first Sibyl was a daughter of Noah, or it may even have begun with Noah's wife whom is said to have been the grand-daughter of Enoch (Enoch is mentioned further in my analysis of the Book of Giants). Enoch was supposedly a man of great power vision and an apostle, and therefore some of his natural talents may have passed on down through the generations. Noah's daughters name Sambethe is mentioned in the preface of the surviving writings, and it is said that she moved Greece where she started writing oracles.

Supporting documentation:An early Arab document Kitab al-Magall gives the names of Noah and his daughters, and supports the stories told in the surviving 12 books. There are various authors of these oracle books, yet it is known that other book did exist, in particular The Sibylline Books which were owned by the Roman Emperor and mentioned several times in history, however those books are said to have been destroyed in a fire in 83B.C. The documents of the Sibylline oracles were believed to have been put together (as a collection) between 200B.C. and 500 A.D. They are further mentioned in many other documents dating from around the same time.

Content of the Oracle Books:Some of the books just contain the history of mankind, these are not written exclusively from the Christian viewpoint as they often contain Greek history for example and also Asian kings and even Alexander. Other books contain oracles for specific people such as rulers and kings and warriors and kingdoms.
Some of the books also describe prophecies of the events leading up to the last day on Earth. Book Two describes the events leading up to the last day of Earth, the day of destruction where fire from the sky, stars from the sky will fall and destroy life on earth. With the slight reprieve that some get saved from the flames. Book Three says how in the end times there will be a great war, of dust clouds that cover the earth so that the suns light is darkened and the moons light appears as red as drops of blood. Seems to describe nuclear war. Book Eight is much more prophetic about the end times, it is mentioned about the stars in the sky effecting our weather causing a giant hurricane that desolates the earth.

Validity:
I find these books fascinating, most profound is how they nearly always write in future tense which actually makes me quite confused. It is possible that the Oracles written are just fakes, that someone decided to try and replace the original documents which were destroyed in the fire. Another theory is that after the fire had destroyed the original works, that sections of the original documents had been made (in order to pass on to people etc) and that someone gathered all this information back and compiled them into this set of works in the hope to at least keep some of the original information. This would give the impression that these works would have been very highly valued, and the sibylline oracles were famous in their time for their predictions. Lastly a third theory in which these documents are total fakes, designed to fool people, that they only foretell things that had already happened. For me I like the second theory best.