Утраченная целостность: звук, слово и образ в синкретическом мышлении Хильдегарды фон Бинген

<jats:p>This article examines the syncretic character of the thought of Hildegard of Bingen (1098–1179), one of the most remarkable figures of medieval intellectual culture. Particular attention is paid to the interrelation of sound, word, and image in her visionary, natural-philosophical, and musical works. It is argued that the various modes of expressing knowledge—text, visual representation, and music—do not exist in isolation in Hildegard’s oeuvre but rather constitute an integrated system grounded in the idea of the intrinsic unity of creation. The study analyzes key aspects of Hildegard’s cosmology and anthropology as presented in Scivias, Liber Divinorum Operum, Physica, and Causae et Curae. Special attention is devoted to the concept of viriditas, understood as a universal life force that links nature, humanity, and the cosmos. The article demonstrates that health, knowledge, and spiritual life are interpreted by Hildegard as manifestations of a single order of creation based on the harmonious interaction of the elements and the forces of nature. A separate section is devoted to Hildegard’s musical legacy. Music is examined not as an autonomous art form but as a particular mode of human participation in the divine order of the world. The article discusses Hildegard’s understanding of the soul as anima symphonialis, the connection between music and the memory of humanity’s primordial state, and the role of musical experience in restoring the lost harmony between humankind and creation. It is shown that musical, poetic, and visual images in her works form a unified symbolic space directed toward the apprehension of hidden relationships between the earthly and the heavenly realms. The study concludes that Hildegard of Bingen’s oeuvre constitutes a coherent system of knowledge in which theological, natural-philosophical, medical, and musical ideas are united by the overarching concept of the interconnectedness of all creation. The aspiration to recover the lost wholeness of the world and the human being serves as the fundamental principle underlying the unity of her intellectual legacy.</jats:p>