A Companion to Hildegard of Bingen

224 susanne ruge
An outline is included here to provide a better overview of the repetitive
structure of the fijirst fijive parts of the Liber vite meritorum.
Section One: Visionary description and audition
1) Details on the fijigure of the Man in the Cosmos
2) Description of the fijigures of the vices as well as the words spoken
by the vices and virtues.
3) Description of the fijigure of the zelus Dei and a record of its words
Section Two: Interpretation
1) Audition
2) Interpretation of details regarding the fijigure of the Man in the
Cosmos
3) Interpretation of the description of the fijigures of the vices as well as
the words spoken by the vices and virtues.
4) Interpretation of the description of the fijigure of the zelus Dei and its
words
5) Concluding formula: “Whosoever has the desire to live, he should
receive these words in that [desire] and enshrine them in the innermost
chamber of his heart.”8
Section Three: Place of purifijication and penitential acts for the vices in
each respective part
1) Vision of the penitential punishments with an introduction, in
which the evil spirits acknowledge Satan as their lord and the name
of each vice is stated
2) Suggested penitential acts
3) Reflections about the respective vices
4) Concluding formula: “This is spoken about the souls of the penitents,
which will be purifijied and redeemed, and it is true; the faithful
should attend to this and enshrine it in the memory of good
understanding.”9
The conclusion of the Vite mer. is formed by a sixth part, which has a completely
diffferent structure. It describes the metamorphosis of the world in
8 “Qui autem uite desiderium habet, in illo uerba hec percipiat, ac ea in interius cubiculum
cordis sui recondat.” Vite mer., 1.75, p. 48; 2.56, p. 105; 3.45, p. 155; 4.42, p. 201; 5.39,
p. 245; 6.8, p. 267.
9 “Hec autem de penitentium animabus purgandis et saluandis dicta et fijidelia sunt;
et fijidelis his attendat, et ea in memoriam bone scientie componat.” Vite mer., 1.87, p. 51;
see also, for example, 1.88, pp. 53–54; 2.60, p. 107; 2.63, p. 109; 3.49, p. 156; 3.53, p. 158; 4.46,
p. 203; 4.48, p. 204; 5.42, p. 246; 5.46, p. 248.