Overview
Julian of Norwich
English Christian Mystic
1342- sometime after 1416
“Julian’s interpretation of her God-experience is unlike the religious views common for much of history up to her time. It’s not based in sin, shame, guilt, or fear of God or hell. Instead, it’s full of delight, freedom, intimacy, and cosmic hope.”
—Richard Rohr
Julian of Norwich was a 14th century English woman and a Christian mystic. When she was just over 30 years old she became gravely ill and received 16 Showings or Divine Revelations from God related to Christ on the cross. She recorded her experience of the Showings in two texts. She wrote The Short Text not long after she recovered from her illness. She wrote The Long Text some 20 years later. We will read The Long Text as translated by Mirabai Starr.
A few notes on her life:
Julian lived in a period of time during which a plague commonly called the black death killed as much as 50% of the population in Europe. She was surrounded by intense suffering for much of her early life.
We do not know Julian’s real name. We call her Julian of Norwich because she was an anchoress attached to St. Julian’s Church in the medieval city of Norwich in England. Julian was a common name for a girl in those days, so it is possible that her true name was Julian though not necessarily likely. We do not know exactly who the church was named for though some scholars suspect it was 4th century Christian saint Julian the Hospitaler.
An anchoress is a person who lives in solitude for religious reasons usually taking a vow of stability of place. That is, they generally did not move around.Julian was permanently enclosed in a cell attached to St. Julian’s Church in Norwich. Her cell, long since destroyed, had two windows. One opened out to the bustling city street so that she could receive visitors who came to her for spiritual guidance and the other opened into the church sanctuary so that she could see and participate in the eucharist.
Julian of Norwich’s writings are the earliest surviving writings of a woman in English.
Very few biographical details are known about Julian. Some scholars speculate that she was a Benedictine nun before she became an anchoress. Mirabai Starr wonders if she was married with children, lost her family to the plague, and was thus thrust by her suffering into the anchoress’ cell where she devoted herself to God and her neighbor’s spiritual needs. The only relative she mentions in her work is her mother.
When Julian was young she prayed for 3 “graces.”
To participate in the suffering of the crucified Christ
To endure a life-threatening illness
To “receive the triple wound of humble heart, kind compassion, and an all-consuming longing for God.”
On May 8, 1373 Julian lay dying, having received last rites from the parish priest and easing closer and closer to death while she gazed on a crucifix held up before her she entered a two day stretch during which she received 16 showings from Jesus. Julian recovered by May 13th and shortly thereafter recorded the text describing her showings. 20 years later she wrote further reflections on the 16 showings.
“[God] did not say: You will not be assailed, you will not be belabored, you will not be disquieted, but he said: You will not be overcome. God wants us to pay attention to his words and always to be strong in our certainty, in well-being and in woe, for he loves us and delights in us, and so he wishes us to love him and delight in him and trust greatly in him, and all will be well.” Julian of Norwich - Short Text end of Chapter 22