Physica - Hildegard von Bingen

...such a thing does not exist. Also the fact that the first book on plants is not immediately followed by the book on trees, but that these two are interrupted by the non-specific chapters on elements, rivers, and earths—which were only later recognized as a distinct book (Book II)—suggests that in the initial phase of her work, Hildegard had not yet developed a complete conception of the whole. Instead, she likely had only a partial aspect in mind, which at that point still excluded the animal kingdom (the later Books V–VIII).

This is also supported by her remarks in the Preface to Book I original: "Praefatio zu Liber I", which actually hint at the themes of Books I–IV. According to this, the earth is the foundation of the divine act of creation; the earth from which humanity was created is assigned a special quality, while the variety of plants also emerging from the earth serves as a symbol for the complexity of the human being. The trees, with their sap-bearing wood, can be compared to human veins, while stones, by contrast, are compared to bones. This could explain why the book on stones follows directly after the book on trees, even before the animal kingdom. However, it is inconsistent that Hildegard places the book on metals at the very end of her work, even though she speaks in its preface about how metals also originated from the earth in combination with fire and water (gold), water and water (silver), and air and water (iron). These processes, she suggests, correspond exactly to the working of the Divine Spirit, just as they did in the creation of humanity and the endowment of plants and trees through their greening power viriditas: Hildegard’s central concept of the "greening power" or life-force inherent in all living things, reflecting the vitality of God's creation. original: "viriditas".

Following the prefaces to the eight individual books are the tables of contents, which in the manuscripts are usually written in two or three columns. The numbering in these lists sometimes does not match the numbering in the text. This suggests that the numbering was not yet present in the original manuscript, which was entirely consistent with the medieval practice of retrospective—but often neglected—rubrication The process of adding red ink for titles, chapter numbers, or decorative initials to guide the reader. of chapter numbers and initials. In the primary manuscripts—the "FW" group on one hand and "PV" on the other, representing the two branches of tradition that were separate from the beginning—the chapter numbering is nevertheless largely identical. Thus, a certain consistency in textual structure can be granted to the original. However, there is one serious reservation that can only be addressed if one grants the original a special status in terms of page layout: Hildegard’s secretary Volmar Volmar of Disibodenberg (d. 1173) was Hildegard’s closest collaborator, confidant, and primary scribe for decades. must have—certainly in agreement with Hildegard—left half of the space empty when writing on his parchment pages...