" St. Bernard
craved Hildegarde's prayer, two emperors, popes, bishops and abbots
corresponded with her, requesting her prayer and advice, and the
interpretation of difficult passages of the Scriptures. Hildegarde
replied in an obscure, apocalyptical language: "In the mysteries of the
true wisdom have I seen and heard this."
Prophets predicting the revival of the Gospel of Christ and the
regeneration of the world appeared in the north and south. The Italian
monk and fanatic, Joachim of Floris (about A.D. 1200), preached that
this regeneration was predestined to happen. A precursor of Hegel, he
taught three eras: the dominion of the Father, or the first era,
characterised by fear and the severity of the law; the dominion of the
Son, or the era of faith and compassion; and the dominion of the Holy
Ghost, or the era of love. This last era was beginning to dawn, and in
many places Joachim's words were regarded as the prophecies of a seer.
Thus the monk, Gerhard of Borgo San Domino, claimed for the dawning
third era the preaching of a new gospel of the Holy Ghost, an
unmistakable proof that the spirit of heresy was the outcome of
religious enthusiasm.
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