Initial chapters
The Long Text of Revelations of Divine Love is divided into 87 chapters, if a postscript written by a medieval scribe is included as a final chapter, as in the edition by Grace Warrack. The first three chapters comprise the introduction. All the remaining chapters except chapter 87 describe Julian's revelations, each of which is given between one and twenty-two chapters. [85]
The first chapter begins: This is a Revelation of Love that Jesus Christ, our endless bliss, made in Sixteen Shewings, or Revelations particular. This is followed by a sentence or two describing each of the sixteen visions in turn.[86] The second chapter is partly autobiographical. Julian mentions her illness, but in a spiritual manner. She reflects on three 'gifts' from God: meditation on the Passion of Christ, meditation on her own suffering, and the gift of greater piety (which she calls 'wounds').[87] In the third chapter, which concludes the introduction, Julian writes more concretely about the events of her illness and her preparation for death by receiving the last rites. The introduction ends with Julian's recounting of her sudden recovery as she lay on her deathbed gazing at a shining image of the cross.[88]
The revelations
"And in þis he shewed me a lytil thyng þe quantite of a hasyl nott. lyeng in þe pawme of my hand as it had semed. and it was as rownde as eny ball. I loked þer upon wt þe eye of my vnderstondyng. and I þought what may þis be. and it was answered generally thus. It is all þat is made. I merueled howe it myght laste. for me þought it myght sodenly haue fall to nought for lytyllhed. & I was answered in my vnderstondyng. It lastyth & euer shall for god louyth it. and so hath all thyng his begynning by þe loue of god. In this lytyll thyng I sawe thre propertees. The fyrst is. þt god made it. þe secunde is þet god louyth it. & þe þrid is. þat god kepith it."
And in this he showed me a little thing, the quantity of a hazelnut, lying in the palm of my hand, it seemed, and it was as round as any ball. I looked thereupon with the eye of my understanding, and I thought, 'What may this be?' And it was answered generally thus: 'It is all that is made.' I wondered how it could last, for I thought it might suddenly fall to nothing for little cause. And I was answered in my understanding: 'It lasts and ever shall, for God loves it; and so everything has its beginning by the love of God.' In this little thing I saw three properties; the first is that God made it; the second is that God loves it; and the third is that God keeps it.
Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love, chapter V "Westminster Cathedral Treasury, MS 4"
- Julian sees "red blood trickling down from under the Crown of Thorns" on a crucifix.[89] She comprehends that the Holy Trinity is understood when Jesus appears. She sees his mother Mary as a young girl, and comprehends her nature.[90] Jesus shows Julian "a little thing, the size of a hazelnut" as a sign of his love.[91]
- Julian sees a part of the Passion of Jesus upon his face, and her understanding is deepened by being guided down to the bottom of the sea.[92]
- Julian observes God and understands that he is present in all things, and does everything.[93][94]
- Julian sees Jesus's blood covering him as it flows from his wounds, flowing through Hell, Heaven and Earth. She writes that her sins are better washed away with his blood than with water.[95]
- The Devil is defeated by the death of Jesus on the cross.[94] Julian sees "our Lord scorn his malice and discount his powerlessness".[93]
- God reigning in his house in heaven expresses his appreciation of Julian's service and suffering.[94] He shows her the "three degrees of bliss which every soul shall have in heaven who has willingly served God".[96]
- Frequent alternating experiences of joy and sorrow are revealed to Julian, who understands that "it is helpful for some souls to feel in this way".[97]
- Jesus approaches death, and his body decays as it dries. Julian resists the temptation to put herself in danger by looking away from the cross.[94] She is shown "the essence of natural love and pain".[98]
- Jesus declares his pleasure at having suffered for Julian, and that he would suffer more. He shows her three heavens:[94] the pleasure; the joy; and the delight of the Trinity.[99]
- Jesus is revealed to Julian as he gazes into his own wound.[100]
- Jesus shows Julian his mother Mary, now "high and noble and glorious".[101]
- Jesus shows himself to Julian, and speaks words she confesses are beyond her understanding.[102]
- A long revelation (13 chapters), in which Jesus informs Julian that "sin is befitting",[102] but that "all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well". (shall = 'must'; befitting = necessary'). God is more satisfied with Man's atonement than he regarded the fall of man as being harmful.[103]
- Within the 22 chapters of this long revelation about prayer, it is revealed to Julian that God is always merciful if he receives prayers.[104]
- Jesus promises Julian that her suffering will stop and that she will go to heaven. She sees a body, from which a soul in the form of a child arises.[105]
- God reassures Julian that her revelations are authentic.[103]
Analysis
Distribution of the number of chapters in each revelation, and breakdown of the chapters by size, based on Warrack's edition. At over 4000 words long, the 51st chapter is by far the largest in the book.Modern translations of Revelations of Divine Love all include commentaries on Julian and her writings. Other separately published commentaries include those by Father John-Julian's Love's Trinity: A Companion to Julian of Norwich (2009),[106] and Veronica Mary Rolf's Julian's Gospel: Illuminating the Life and Revelations of Julian of Norwich (2013).[107] Scholars of Julian all acknowledge that her writings are neither only a record of her experiences, nor solely devotional,[108] and that she fully intended them to be accessible to others.[109]
According to the translator Grace Warrack, the central theme of her book is God as love: "To Julian, the only shewing of God that could ever be... ...was the Vision of Him as Love."[110] Philip Sheldrake notes that her teachings focus on "a God whose meaning is love and only love", and that Julian uses "feminine, specifically motherly imagery for God".[111]
Differences between the Long Text and Short Text
Much of the content of Julian's Short Text is repeated in the Long Text. Some passages were re-written, but much of the wording and many of the phrases of the Short Text were retained in the Long Text.[112] It can be considered as a commentary on the Short Text, with extensive meditations on each of the revelations written as additional passages, woven by Julian into the fabric of her original words.[113] More than 80% of the Short Text is "reproduced verbatim" in the Long Text, while less than 5% of the Short Text is "rewritten but recognizable" in the Long Text, and less than 10% of the Short Text seems to have been "deliberately omitted."[114]
The Short Text has the character of a narrative of an experience of revelation,[115] but Julian's later writings bear witness to her later perception of God, of herself, and of her evencristens ('fellow Christians'), all being developed during her years as a recluse.[116] Missing from the Short Text is the parable of the Lord and the Servant, and the chapters on Christ our Mother.[117]
Julian's writings reveal almost nothing about her home, her life or the times she lived in: the few details in the Short Text that involve other people included (such as the boy accompanying the priest on his visit to Julian during her illness) were removed during the process of writing the Long Text.[118]
The style of Julian's prose
Most of the chapters in the Long Text begin with a short abstract of what Julian saw, followed by details of her experiences and a commentary section.[119] The longest chapter, Chapter 51, is an 'exemplum', which was used, according to the author Philip Sheldrake, to "inform, edify, persuade and motivate the listeners".[120] The chapter contains Julian's parable of the Lord and the Servant, considered by Sheldrake to be important for helping the reader to understand Julian's theology.[109] The final chapter is a reflection of all of the previous ones, as explained by Julian: "This book has been begun by God's gift and his grace, but it has not yet been completed, as I see it. We all pray together to God for charity, thanking, trusting and rejoicing by the working of God. This is how our good Lord wills that we pray to him, according to the understanding I drew from all of what he intended us to learn and from the sweet words he spoke most cheerfully, 'I am the ground of your beseeching.'"[119]
Each of the revelations is composed of visual images, fully articulated words and spiritual events. Most of the images focus on aspects of the Passion of Jesus, for example as in Chapter 4, when Julian depicts Jesus' blood flowing from the crown of thorns: "In this sodenly I saw the rede blode trekelyn downe fro under the garlande hote and freisly and ryth plenteously, as it were in the time of His passion that the garlande of thornys was pressid on His blissid hede".[121] However, her visions of the Passion leave out much of the Biblical story.[122] She discusses the nature of God, sin, and prayer, and the theology of creation, and speaks of the Trinity at length.[123] Her commentaries include a discussion of the idea of 'Jesus Christ as Mother': without describing Jesus as a woman, she understands him to embody the qualities of motherhood.[119] Secular images in the text include Julian's vision of the hazelnut placed in the palm of her hand.[124]
Julian's revelations vary in length, type and content. Some (e.g. the first, second and eighth revelations) provide a detailed description of Christ's face and body. Contrasting with these is one such as the short twelfth revelation, a single chapter of a few hundred words, which lacks any imagery. According to Julian, this revelation transcended her wits "and all my understanding and all my powers... ".[125]
Translators of Julian's book have had to deal with her obscure words by modernising them, sometimes by correcting spellings into recognisable words without realising that their meanings have shifted over time. Windeatt notes the difficulties for any translator wishing to maintain Julian's original content, whilst still producing a text suitable for a contemporary audience.[126] According to Georgia Ronan Crampton, Julian's writing displays an intellectualism such as a "conspicuous meticulousness in [the] disposal of prepositions", an indication that Julian was highly literate.[123]
A section from Chapter 3 of the Long Text can be used as an illustration of how the translation of Julian's words has been approached by different editors:
| Middle English | Collins, 1877 (p. 10) | Warrack, 1907 (p. 7) | Windeatt, 2015 (p. 43) |
|---|---|---|---|
| After this my sight began to failen and it was all derke about me in the chamber as it had be night, save in the image of the Cross wherein I beheld a com[m]on light, and I wiste not how. All that was beside the Cross was uggely to me as if it had be mekil occupyed with the fends. After this the other party of my body began to dyen so ferforth that onethys I had ony feleing, with shortnesse of onde; and than I went sothly to have passid.[127] | After this my sight began to fail; it waxed as dark about me in the chamber as if it had been night, save in the image of the cross, wherein I beheld a common light, and I wist not how. All that was beside the cross was ugly and fearful to me, as it had been much occupied with fiends. After this the over part of my body began to die, so far forth that scarce I had any feeling; my most pain was shortness of breath, and failing of life.[128] | After this my sight began to fail, and it was all dark about me in the chamber, as if it had been night, save in the Image of the Cross whereon I beheld a common light; and I wist not how. All that was away from the Cross was of horror to me, as if it had been greatly occupied by the fiends. After this the upper part of my body began to die, so far forth that scarcely I had any feeling;—with shortness of breath. And then I weened in sooth to have passed.[129] | After this my sight began to fail and all grew dark around me in the room, as though it had been night, except for the image of the cross in which I saw a light for all mankind—I did not know how. Everything apart from the cross was ugly to me, as if it had been much crowded with fiends. After this the upper part of my body began to die to such as extent that I hardly had any sensation. My greatest pain was my shortness of breath and the ebbing away of life.[89] |
Julian's style of English appears simple in form and lacks more complicated sounding words, but she expresses complex ideas and deep emotions. According to Windeatt, "a subtle patterning of words and clauses contributes to Julian's meaning".[130] Windeatt notes that to modern readers, Julian's sentences can seem overlong, as she wrote in such a way that ideas "appear to circle their subject in building towards an accumulated understanding".[131] She evolved her ideas after years of contemplation upon her visions.[132]
