Julian of Norwich: Revelations of Divine Love
• first certain piece of writing in English by woman
• first English woman visionary
Biographical details
b. 1342. Prob gentry. Revelations May 1373, prob secular at
time.
1388 additional revelation. Poss going through anchoritic
enclosure at this time.
Became anchoress in anchorhold in St Julian’s parish church,
Norwich. Vibrant medieval city. High local reputation. Visited in
old age by Margery Kempe.
Writing in visionary genre, particularly used by women in Middle
Ages.
• Famous continental woman visionaries whose visions
translated and circulated in England: Hildegard of Bingen, St
Bridget of Sweden, St Catherine of Siena, Elizabeth of Hungary,
Mechthild of Hackeborn. But no English tradition on which to
draw.
• A genre based on personal experience. Suited to women
excluded from Latinate clerical culture. Hence, Julian doesn’t
cite bible or patristic writers. Authority claimed from divine
revelation.
• Visionary in cataphatic sense: about what can be seen and
heard. As opposed to apophatic: about what is not known
about God. Cloud of Unknowing only example of this in
England.
• Claims made by critics: these are not only visions but also
vernacular theology. Argued that Julian should be viewed
as a formidable vernacular theologian.
• Subjects her visions to layers of interpretation and exegesis
(ie uses scholastic hermeneutics)
• Julian describes herself as ‘unlettered’, prob only means
couldn’t read Latin. Theological knowledge poss from
vernacular anthologies.
• Remarkably, not addressing monks/nuns, but apparently
general Christian audience. A demotic theology.
Unprecedented to write theology in vernacular for laity.
Two texts:
• Short Text (1388). Just the series of visions of Christ on
cross. Largely factual. Julian describes herself as ‘lewed and
feeble’ woman.
• Long Text (1390s-1416). 6 x longer. Many additional layers
of commentary and interpretation. Lord and servant
parable, and ‘motherhood of Christ’ added at this stage.
Deletes gender refs.
• Virtually unknown through 15th and 16th c., unlike other
English mystics (Richard Rolle, Walter Hilton, Cloud author)
• 1 mid-15th c MS of short text, read exclusively within
Carthusian milieu.
• 1 MS with excerpts of Long Text (1500). + 2 17th c MSS
copied in English Benedictine convents in France.
Unknown until 20th c.
• Edited and translated into modern English in 1901
• Known to modern age through TSEliot’s quotation of her:
‘All shall be well’, in Four Quartets.
• Since 1950s, increasing in popularity, both in academic
circles, and in Anglican and Catholic devotional culture.
• Many popular editions, epitomising her sayings,
constructing her in various ways (feminist, ecumenist,
interfaith, monastic, mystic)