In her Revelations, Julian shows great charm in the childlike, tender quality of her expression. She sees God as one Who delights in His creation and desires that we would recognize this and participate. Julian's attitude regarding the "all shall be well" largely depends on acceptance of the limitations of our own vision and the knowledge that the vastness of divine providence is mysterious. Julian has remained a continual evolving manuscript for numerous individuals both of the laity, clergy and scholastic vocations. This is quite remarkable, since the flip side of this story is the "Ladder of Perfection" by Walter Hilton OSA, which many contend was written to Julian. This work has a life of its own and is continually resurfacing. Julian emphasizes numerous points of doctrine, with an exquisite joy, focusing on "the bliss and glory" rather than the idea of earth's being a battleground for good and evil. This is one thing which sets her apart from many others, regardless of their gender.
The most engaging and complete collection available of this 14th century English mystic The Revelations of Julian of Norwich is the first book written in English by a woman – in this case, by a 14th century recluse who recounts the poignant, subtle, and radical insights granted to her in sixteen visions of the crucified Christ as she lay on what was believed to be her deathbed. Julian's miraculous recovery from that illness then led to twenty more years of reflection and contemplation on those revelations and finally to her writing a detailed account of her mystical experience. Her work – in the same Middle English as her contemporary Geoffrey Chaucer – is dense, deeply intuitive, and theologically complex. The Complete Julian is the first book to offer a modern translation of all of Julian's writings (including her complete Revelations), a complete analysis of her work, as well as original historical, religious, and personal background material that helps the reader comprehend the depth and profundity of her life and work. "[Julian's Revelations] may well be the most important work of Christian reflection in the English language." — Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury
The fourteenth-century anchorite known as Julian of Norwich offered fervent prayers for a deeper understanding of Christ's passion. The holy woman's petitions were answered with a series of divine revelations that she called "shewings." Her mystic visions revealed Christ's sufferings with extreme intensity, but they also confirmed God's constant love for humanity and infinite capacity for forgiveness. Julian of Norwich's Revelations of Divine Love have had a lasting influence on Christian thought. Written in immediate, compelling terms, her experiences remain among the most original and accessible expressions of medieval mysticism. This edition contains both the short text, which is mainly an account of the shewings and Julian's initial analysis of their meaning, and the long text, completed some 20 years later and offering daringly speculative interpretations.
For centuries readers have comfortably accepted Julian of Norwich as simply a mystic. In this astute book, Denys Turner offers a new interpretation of Julian and the significance of her work. Turner argues that this fourteenth-century thinker's sophisticated approach to theological questions places her legitimately within the pantheon of other great medieval theologians, including Thomas Aquinas, Bernard of Clairvaux, and Bonaventure.Julian wrote but one work in two versions, a Short Text recording the series of visions of Jesus Christ she experienced while suffering a near-fatal illness, and a much expanded Long Text exploring the theological meaning of the "showings" some twenty years later. Turner addresses the apparent conflict between the two sources of Julian's theology: on the one hand, her personal revelation of God's omnipotent love, and on the other, the Church's teachings on and her own witnessing of evil in the world that deserves punishment, even eternal punishment. Offering a fresh and elegant account of Julian's response to this conflict--one that reveals its nuances, systematic character, and originality--this book marks a new stage in the century-long rediscovery of one of the English language's greatest theological thinkers.
Unlike other brief summaries of Julian's life in 14th-century Norwich, England, this book goes in-depth to uncover the political, cultural, social and religious milieu that formed and deeply influenced her development as a woman and a Christian mystic.
Julian of Norwich, an anchoress of the fourteenth century, has captured the imagination of our time in a remarkable way. She shares with her readers the deepest and most intimate experiences of her life through her writings.This detailed study of Julian attempts not only to penetrate her theological ideas but also brings to life her world and her life as an anchoress. Grace Jantzen has more than an academic interest in Julian's writings and sets out to integrate scholarly findings with contemporary spirituality. There is much in the thought of this extraordinary woman mystic which is excitingly relevant; her insights into spiritual growth and wholeness foreshadow the modern interest in psychotherapy and her image of Christ as mother has resounding implications for Christian feminist theology.In a new introduction to this edition, the author explores what it might mean to be an anchoress in post modernity, and how reflections on Julian of Norwich and her desire for God can enable us to become the space of divine transformation.This is a book not only for those who have a scholarly interest in Julian, but also for anyone drawn to Christian mysticism and the place of women within that tradition.Julian of Norwich, an anchoress of the fourteenth century, has captured the imagination of our time in a remarkable way. She shares with her readers the deepest and most intimate experiences of her life through her writings.
'All shall be well and all manner of things shall be well'. - but what else do we know of ths fourteenth -century a chlorite beyond the fact that she lved somewhere near Norwich and was an early universalist and feminist (God as mother as well as father ...).? Nothing, except that her intimate beautiful writings bring us nearer than perhaps, our own selves. Another in the Callender Peace Studies, and Mediaeval Texts.
The first woman known to have written in English, the fourteenth-century mystic Julian of Norwich has inspired generations of Christians with her reflections on the "motherhood" of Jesus, and her assurance that, despite evil, "all shall be well." In this book, Denise Baker reconsiders Julian not only as an eloquent and profound visionary but also as an evolving, sophisticated theologian of great originality. Focusing on Julian's Book of Showings, in which the author records a series of revelations she received during a critical illness in May 1373, Baker provides the first historical assessment of Julian's significance as a writer and thinker. Inscribing her visionary experience in the short version of her Showings, Julian contemplated the revelations for two decades before she achieved the understanding that enabled her to complete the long text. Baker first traces the genesis of Julian's visionary experience to the practice of affective piety, such as meditations on the life of Christ and, in the arts, a depiction of a suffering rather than triumphant Christ on the cross. Julian's innovations become apparent in the long text. By combining late medieval theology of salvation with the mystics' teachings on the nature of humankind, she arrives at compassionate, optimistic, and liberating conclusions regarding the presence of evil in the world, God's attitude toward sinners, and the possibility of universal salvation. She concludes her theodicy by comparing the connections between the Trinity and humankind to familial relationships, emphasizing Jesus' role as mother. Julian's strategy of revisions and her artistry come under scrutiny in the final chapter of this book, as Baker demonstrates how this writer brings her readers to reenact her own struggle in understanding the revelations. Originally published in 1994. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
