Texts and the Christian Tradition: Hildegard’s Scivias course
Come to Sarum College for a week of deep exploration of a specific text as it relates to the Christian Tradition.
This is an opportunity to have a week study break in the beautiful Salisbury Cathedral Close, where residential participants enjoy full board, access to the library and to the pattern of liturgy at Salisbury Cathedral. During the week, you will engage critically with the text using particular lenses to enable deeper consideration of its meaning, significance, impact and longevity for the Christian spiritual tradition, its adherents, and/or the wider cultural context.
The 2025 edition of the module will focus on the work, Scivias, by the monumental 12th-century theologian and polymath, Hildegard of Bingen, also drawing on her wider work where relevant.
The speakers include:
Dr Michael Hahn, who will introduce Hildegard’s context and think about how we study medieval women writers as theologians, as well as drawing out some of the major mystical-theological themes in Scivias.
Lauren Cole who will examine Hildegard’s writing on nature and medicine as well as thinking about the dissemination of Hildegard’s texts.
Dr William Flynn will teach on musicology in Hildegard’s texts and how Hildegard’s understanding of music and composition sat within her wider theology.
Mary Sharratt will focus on how to write historical religious women into fiction, speaking particularly about her book, Illuminations: A Novel of Hildegard von Bingen.
Auditors are participants who learn alongside postgraduate students but are not required to complete an essay or earn academic credit.
What does it mean to audit a course?
There is also an option to choose to participate in a module as an assessed auditor for those who would like to add discipline and tutor feedback to their study but aren’t sure about taking on a full degree programme.
Joining this course is an opportunity to have a study break in the beautiful Salisbury Cathedral Close, where residential participants enjoy full board, access to the library and to the pattern of liturgy at Salisbury Cathedral.
Whether it’s cultural events, sightseeing (Stonehenge is nearby for example) or shopping — there’s plenty to do if you’d like to extend your stay the weekend before and after the course. For ideas, visit Salisbury Cathedral Close attraction websites to see what’s on Sarum’s doorstep. Visit the Wiltshire Creative website to view events at nearby Salisbury Playhouse and the Salisbury Arts Centre. The Experience Salisbury website has an excellent city-wide listing of forthcoming events around the city.
The In Our Time feature on Hildegard de Bingen is available on the BBC website here
Need financial assistance? View our list of grantmaking trusts
Learn more about postgraduate study in Christian Spirituality
Learn more about postgraduate study in Theology, Imagination and Culture
Enrolled students also may attend teaching weeks for modules in addition to the modules which they are studying for credit, by permission of the Programme Leader. The audit fee and hospitality prices are reviewed annually with any changes effective from 1 July.
