Julian of Norwich
Julian of Norwich | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 8, 1342 |
| Died | c. 1416 |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Communion, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America |
| Major shrine | Church of St Julian in Norwich |
| Feast | May 13 (Roman Catholic), May 8 (Anglican, Lutheran) |
Julian of Norwich (c. November 8, 1342 – c. 1416) is considered to be one of the greatest English mystics. Little is known of her life aside from her writings. Even her name is uncertain, the name "Julian" coming from the Church of St Julian in Norwich, where she was an anchoress, meaning that she was walled into the church behind the altar during a mass for the dead. At the age of thirty, suffering from a severe illness and believing she was on her deathbed, Julian had a series of intense visions. (They ended by the time she overcame her illness on May 13, 1373.)[1] She recorded these visions soon after having them, and then again twenty years later in far more theological depth. They are the source of her major work, called Sixteen Revelations of Divine Love (circa 1393). This is believed to be the first book written by a woman in the English language[citation needed]. Julian became well known throughout England as a spiritual authority: Margery Kempe mentions going to Norwich to speak with Julian.[2]
Although she lived in a time of turmoil, Julian's theology was optimistic, speaking of God's love in terms of joy and compassion as opposed to law and duty. For Julian, suffering was not a punishment that God inflicted, as was the common understanding. Julian's ground-breaking theology was that God loved and saved us all. Popular theology magnified by current events including the Black Death and a series of Peasant Revolts assumed that God was punishing the wicked. In response, Julian suggested a far more optimistic theology, universal salvation. Because she believed that beyond the reality of hell is yet a greater mystery of God's love, she has also been referred to in modern times as a proto-universalist.[citation needed]Even though her views were not typical, local authorities did not challenge either her theology or her authority to make such faith claims because of her status as an anchoress.
As part of her differing view of God as compassionate and loving, she wrote of the trinity in domestic terms and compares Jesus to a mother who is wise, loving, and merciful.(See Jesus as Mother by Carolyn Walker Bynum.) Similarly, she connects God with motherhood in terms of 1)"the foundation of our nature's creation, 2) "the taking of our nature, where the motherhood of grace begins" and 3) "the motherhood at work" and speaks metaphorically of Jesus in connection with conception, nursing, labor, and upbringing. She, like many other great mystics, used female language for God as well as the more traditional male pronouns.
Her great saying, "...All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well", reflects this theology. It is also one of the most individually famous lines in all of Catholic theological writing, and certainly one of the most well-known phrases of the literature of her era. It was quoted in T.S. Eliot's "Little Gidding", the fourth of his Four Quartets.
She was Roman Catholic, as was all of western Europe, but her work is a clear precursor to Martin Luther and other Reformation writers,[citation needed] which gives her honored status in both churches. The Roman Catholic Church canonized her and she is honored by both the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Anglican Church.
A modern statue of her has been added to the facade of the Anglican Norwich Cathedral.
The song "Julian of Norwich" by Sydney Carter commemorates her optimistic philosophy.
Works
References
- ^ ""Julian of Norwich"". Encyclopedia Britannica Profiles. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2006-06-13.
- ^ "The Book of Margery Kempe, Book I, Part I". The Book of Margery Kempe. TEAMS Middle English Texts. 1996. Retrieved 2007-08-19.
External links
- The Julian Site
- Luminarium: Julian of NorwichLife, works, essays
- Revelations of Divine Love Text in various formats from ccel.org
- Mother Julian of Norwich - Selected prayers and poems
- Biographical sketch with portrait
- Short appreciation with historical background
- Julian of Norwich
- All is Well Audio CD / MP3 with readings from Revelations of Divine Love with original music.
- Julian of Norwich: presented by Gloriana's Court Extensive essay on Julian's spirituality, quotations from her writings with footnote explanations.