«Umbra viventis lucis»: forme espressive della relazione tra Dio ed uomo in Ildegarda di Bingen

The aim of this paper is to show the evocative interpenetration between light and shadow in the philosophical and symbolical language of Hildegard of Bingen. In place of the classical opposition between those two terms, with the expression umbra viventis Lucis Hildegard describes a relationship of loving reciprocity between individuals and God. Light testifies to the omni-comprehension of everything within the fiery circularity of the Trinity while shadow, rather than representing the darkness of absolute negativity or an intermediate dialectical state which is resolved later in light, is her necessary complement, in a circularity of experience that Hildegard calls amplexio caritatis.