Bridget of Sweden (1303 to 1373; also Birgitta of Vadstena, Saint Birgitta, was a mystic and saint, and founder of the Bridgettines after the death of her husband of twenty years. She was also the mother of Catherine of Vadstena. As a child, she had already believed herself to have visions; these became more frequent, and her records of these "Celestial revelations" which were translated into Latin by Matthias, canon of Linköping, and by her confessor, Peter, prior of Alvastra, obtained a great vogue during the Middle Ages. Her visions of the Nativity of Jesus had a great influence on depictions of the Nativity of Jesus in art. Shortly before her death, she described a vision which included the infant Jesus as lying on the ground, and emitting light himself, and describes the Virgin as blond-haired; many depictions followed this and reduced other light sources in the scene to emphasize this effect, and the Nativity remained very commonly treated with chiaroscuro through to the Baroque. Other details often seen such as a single candle "attached to the wall," and the presence of God the Father above, also come from Bridget's vision. This edition contains all that is known today of the visions and prophecies of Saint Brigdet and most of her prayers.
Bridget also known as Birgitta of Sweden received revelations from Almighty God and these are recounted in several books. 1.The Prophecies and Revelations of Saint Bridget (Birgitta) of Sweden volume 1 (books 1-3) 2.The Prophecies and Revelations of Saint Bridget (Birgitta) of Sweden volume 2 (Book 4) 3.The Book of Questions of Saint Bridget (Book 5) 4.The Prophecies and Revelations of Saint Bridget (Birgitta) of Sweden volume 4 (Books 6*, 7, 8*, 9*) 5.The Book of the Angel (Book 11) 6.The Life and Prayers of Saint Bridget * indicates part of the book is missing.
"God is disgusted by the fall and ruin of his holy Church ... drops of burning and smoking sulfur are dripping from the roof; the walls are as revolting to look at as pus mingled with rotting blood." These are startling words, and they are from one of the many revelations received by St Bridget (or "Birgitta") of Sweden (1303-1373): wife, mother of eight, widow, social and Church reformer, mystic, and foundress of the Order of the Most Holy Savior, also known as the Brigittine Order. The world has witnessed in recent years a rapidly growing interest in St Bridget among Catholics as well as Protestants, and even non-Christians, scholars and the general population alike. Pope John Paul II declared St Bridget Co-Patroness of Europe (1 Oct 1999) and called her a Model for Today's Woman (3 Oct 2002), seeing in her life and in her writings a powerful witness to the Gospel, an "icon" as it were, reflecting the beauty, goodness and loving mercy of God - as well as his justice - to our modern world in great need, like the Prodigal Son, of coming to its senses and returning to its Father. St Bridget is best known for the Revelations, the divinely inspired messages she received from God the Father, Jesus, the Virgin Mary and numerous saints over a period of almost 30 years. Although the Revelations consist of twelve books and hundreds of pages and treat of a wide variety of subjects, including visions and messages Bridget received regarding the infancy, life and sufferings of Christ which are not found in the gospels, there can also be found throughout the work messages which are of utmost pertinence for today, showing the "actuality" of St Bridget for the Church and for the world in our times. This collection of Books 1-5 of the Revelations is large, 8"x10" and 418 pages and contains most of the important revelations given to the saint, and it is priced low for wide distribution of these timeless messages pertinent to our times as much as or even more so than St Bridget's. See also my book, "The Revelations of St Bridget and Church Reform."
This book consists of The Revelations of Saint Bridget of Sweden, Book 11: "The Sermon of the Angel," on Salvation History from Adam and Eve to Christ, including much on the Blessed Virgin Mary; Book 12: "Four Prayers" which were divinely revealed to Saint Bridget; plus The 15 "Magnificent Prayers of Saint Bridget" to Our Suffering Lord Jesus Christ. The reader will find in it a fruitful source of prayer and meditation, as have so many people throughout the centuries since they were first revealed to the holy mystic and visionary. See also "The Revelations of St Bridget and Church Reform" and the edited "Revelations of Saint Bridget of Sweden: Books 1-5." St Bridget (or "Birgitta") of Sweden was born in June 1303 in the castle of Finsta near Uppsala in Sweden; her father Birgen Persson was the governor of the region of Upplan, her mother Ingeborga was also of noble lineage. Bridget married very early, had several children, and then in 1341, Bridget and her husband decided to celebrate their Silver Anniversary by going on a pilgrimage to Santiago of Compostella. This event marks a decisive turning point in the life of the two spouses, who for some time were already living their matrimony in chastity. During the return trip, Ulf, her husband, decided to embrace the religious life and was received into the Cistercian Abbey of Alvastra, where he died only a few years later. Bridget, having completed her mission as wife and mother, decided to transfer herself to an outbuilding to the monastery at Alvastra, where she remained for almost three years until 1346. It was the beginning of the most extraordinary phase of her life; after a period of austerity and of meditation on the Divine Mysteries of the Passion of the Lord and the Sorrows and Glories of the Virgin, she began to have visions of Christ, Who in one of these visions elects her "Messenger of the Great Lord." To her spiritual directors, such as Fr. Matthias, Bridget dictated her famous "Revelations," sublime intuitions and supernatural illuminations, which she had all her life and were then collected in eight volumes. Afterwards she went to Rome and here, under the dictation of an Angel, wrote "The Hymn of the Angel" or "Angelic Sermon." It deals with twenty-one Letters to be read every day of the week during the morning Masses in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Saint Bridget, during one Eucharistic celebration, has a revelation of the Angels in Eucharistic Adoration: "After the priest had pronounced the divine words over the bread, it seemed to me that that same bread took on three figures, although it remained in the hands of the priest. That Bread became a living Lamb, in the Lamb was seen the face of a man and on the inside and on the outside of the Lamb and of that face there was an ardent flame. As I was watching the face with attention, without averting my eyes, in it I saw the Lamb. And looking at the Lamb I also saw that same face in the Lamb. A Crowned Virgin was sitting with the Lamb and all the Angels were attending to her; the Lamb emanated a marvelous splendor. Also the multitude of holy souls was so numerous that my eyes could not contain it all, not in length, not in width, not in depth" (Book 8, 54). Later on, the Saint is a witness to a conversation between Jesus and the Virgin about the creation of the world and of all things visible and invisible. Among these the Angels, who at the moment of their creation, in complete liberty, were given the choice either to accept God and His love, or to refuse Him.
Saint Bridget of Sweden was a mystic and saint, and founder of the Bridgettines after the death of her husband of twenty years. As a child, she had already believed herself to have visions; these became more frequent, and her records of these "Celestial revelations" obtained a great vogue during the Middle Ages. Her visions of the Nativity of Jesus had a great influence on depictions of the Nativity of Jesus in art. This edition contains all that is known today of the visions and prophecies of Saint Brigdet and most of her prayers.
Fifteen famous, inspiring and powerful prayers composed by St. Bridget of Sweden after her visions of the Passion and death of Jesus. Prayers are over 500 years old!
St. Birgitta of Sweden (d. 1373) is one of the most celebrated female visionaries and authors of the Middle Ages and a central figure in the history of late-medieval religion. An aristocratic widow, Birgitta left her native country in 1349 and settled in Rome, where she established herself as an outspoken critic of the Avignon Papacy and an advocate of spiritual and ecclesiastical reform. Birgitta founded a new monastic order, and her major work, The Heavenly Book of Revelations, circulated widely in a variety of monastic, reformist, and intellectual milieus following her death. This volume offers an introduction to the saint and the reception of her work written by experts from various disciplines. In addition to acquainting the reader with the state of the scholarship, the study also presents fresh interpretations and new perspectives on Birgitta and the sources for her life and writings. Contributors: Roger Andersson, Nirit Ben-Aryeh Debby, Unn Falkeid, Anna Fredriksson, Birgitta Fritz, Ann M. Hutchison, F. Thomas Luongo, Maria H. Oen, Anders Piltz, and Pavlína Rychterová.
From divine visions to self-tortures, some strange mystical experiences have shaped the Christian tradition. Full of colourful detail, this book examines the mystical experiences that have determined the history of Christianity.
An examination of awareness of the ecclesiastical doctrine of discretio spirituum, the means of testing whether visions were truly of divine origin, in the works of medieval women visionaries from Bridget of Sweden to Joan of Arc.
Throughout the Hebrew Bible, God guides and saves his people through the words of his prophets. When the prophets are silenced, the people easily lose their way. What happened after the incarnation, death and resurrection of Christ? Did God fall silent? The dominant position in Christian theology is that prophecy did indeed cease at some point in the past -if not with the Old Testament prophets, then with John the Baptist, with Jesus, with the last apostle, or with the closure of the canon of the New Testament. Nevertheless, throughout the history of Christianity there have always been acclaimed saints and mystics -most of them women-who displayed prophetic traits. In recent years, the charismatic revival in both Protestant and Catholic circles has once again raised the question of the place and function of prophecy in Christianity. Scholarly theological attitudes toward Christian prophecy range from modest recognition to contempt. Mainstream systematic theology, both Protestant and Catholic, has mostly marginalized or ignored the gift of prophecy. In this book, however, Niels Christian Hvidt argues that prophecy has persisted in Christianity as an inherent and continuous feature in the life of the church. Prophecy never died, he argues, but rather proved its dynamism by mutating to meet new historical conditions. He presents a comprehensive history of prophecy from ancient Israel to the present and closely examines the development of the theological discourse that surrounds it. Throughout, though, there is always an awareness of the critical discernment required when evaluating the charism of prophecy. The debate about prophecy, Hvidt shows, leads to some profound insights about the very nature of Christianity and the church. For example, some have argued that Christianity is a perfect state and that all that is required for salvation is acceptance of its doctrines. Others have emphasized how God continues to intervene and guide his people onto the right path as the full implementation of God's salvation in Christ is still far away. This is the position that Hvidt forcefully and persuasively defends and develops in this ambitious and important work.
