1997 Articles

The Privileging of Visio over Vox in the Mystical Experiences of Hildegard of Bingen and Joan of Arc

Obermeier, Anita; Kennison, Rebecca R.

Even
 though
 medieval
 women
 mystics
 have
 enjoyed
 increased
 attention
 in
 recent
 scholarly
 discussion,
a
 topic
 that
 still
 has
 not
 been
 tackled 
is
 the
 possible
 difference
 between
 seeing
 a
 vision
 and
 hearing
 a
 voice
 during
 a
 mystical
 experience
 and
 the
 ramifications
 of
 this 
difference 
in
 the
 context 
of 
medieval
 text
production
 and 
in
 the
 status
 of
 mystics
 as
 authors.
 When
 a
 mystic
 relates
 a
 mystical
 experience,
 she inevitably 
creates 
a 
text 
and 
becomes
 an 
author. 
In 
the 
Christian Middle
 Ages,
 medieval
 text
 creation
 hinged
 on authority
 and
 authorization,
 as
 an
 imitation 
of 
the 
creative
 power 
of 
God, 
the 
Master 
Author 
and 
the 
Logos 
(Word) 
itself,
 and 
thus 
has 
religious 
consequences 
for 
an 
aspiring
author. 
Bernard
 McGinn
 points
 to
 this
 logocentrality
 of
 medieval
 writing:
 “Jesus
 the
 preacher
 of
 the
 message 
became
 Jesus
 the 
preached 
message
 and 
soon
 Jesus 
the 
written 
message, 
as elements
 of
 his
 preaching
 and
 the
 stories
 about
 him,
 especially
 the
 account
 of
 his
 sacrificial 
death
 and
 rising,
were
fixed 
in
written
form”
.