You are holding the first book written in English by a woman; but this is not why the work lives on in such rude health today. People continue to read Julian of Norwich not for historical interest, but for the God she describes and the optimism she exudes; an optimism which is all the more remarkable for the setting in which she wrote.
Julian’s social setting
Julian lived in Norwich, then one of England’s most prosperous cities, from 1342–1416. However, 14th century England was far from the Merry Old England of legend. It was the time of the Black Death, which came in waves, striking Norwich at least three times during Julian’s life. There would not have been a family unaffected, with the 1351 strain particularly lethal for children. It was also a period of great social unrest brought on by the shortage of labour, high taxes and bad harvests in 1348, 1363 and most crucially 1369, which led to the Peasants’ Revolt.
Neither was the church a beacon of light. These were the days of two competing papacies in Rome and Avignon, a split which lasted from 1378–1417; indeed, Julian’s own Bishop of Norwich was caught up in their squalid battles. In her writing, Julian always insists on her loyalty to the ‘holy’ church; but this was not a loyalty professed by the Lollards, early Protestants who followed on from John Wycliffe. Many of these men and women were burnt at the stake for their beliefs, with one mass execution taking place on the outskirts of Norwich itself. It was perhaps fitting for this turbulent century that it ended with the overthrow of King Richard II by Henry Bolingbroke, who became Henry IV.
Such was the setting in which Julian spoke, pondered, prayed and wrote.
Julian’s life story
There are few sure facts about Julian’s life. But we do know from the Revelations of Divine Love that at the age of 30, while living at home with her mother, she believed herself to be at death’s door with a serious illness. It was at this time she had a series of intense visions of Jesus Christ. On her recovery, she recorded these visions in a shorter form; and then 20 years later - and after reflection on their meaning - she recorded them in a longer form, which is the book you now hold, written originally in the Middle English of Chaucer.
A significant decision for Julian was becoming an anchoress. Anchorites were common enough at that time. They needed first to convince their bishop or religious superior that theirs was a genuine religious calling; and that they were materially provided for, as they would need two servants to care for them. They were then ‘anchored’ in their place, followed a strict way of life and most remained hermits until their death.
Such was the choice of Julian, made soon after she experienced the visions. Already a thoughtful and committed believer, she now moved to an anchorage in the churchyard of St Julian of Norwich. The cell was built on the side of the church from which she took her name. In the preceding ceremony, the last rites were said over Julian, for after this time no priest could reach her. The bishop then ceremonially bricked up the doorway, the only means of escape, and her solitary life as an anchoress began.
An anchoress led a solitary life, but not one entirely cut off from the world; rather, she was anchored in the world. A sign of this relationship were the three windows in the anchorage. The first was known as the Squint, which enabled Julian to see into the church and to receive the Sacrament. The second window was for her attendants to bring food and dispose of bodily waste, for which there was a chamber pot. (The only other furniture was a hard bed, a crucifix and a small altar.) The third window was for visitors who sought her out for advice, counselling or prayer.
Outside visitors were restricted but they did come, drawn by Julian’s reputation for discernment. Her most famous visitor was the spiritual adventuress Margery Kempe, who sought counsel about her experiences, to see ‘if there were any deception in them. For the anchoress was an expert in such things and could give good advice.’
We know much about the day-to-day life of these people from the Ancrene Wisse which was a 13th century guide for anchoresses in both their inner and outer lives.
And this we know as well: Julian’s life from this time on was one of prayer, contemplation, the Sacrament and counselling.
Julian’s spirituality
It is Julian’s vision of God that has ensured the longevity of her work and influence.
English mysticism was at its height in the late 14th century. Richard Rolle’s Fire of Love was almost certainly known to Julian, as were the works of Walter Hilton. The anonymous work The Cloud of Unknowing stands above these, and perhaps Revelations of Divine Love higher still. It was Thomas Merton who wrote, ‘There can be no doubt that Julian of Norwich is the greatest of the English mystics.’
Why such a spiritual flowering in this bleakest of centuries? Perhaps bleakness itself is an inspiration to strip away the frippery and indulgence of religious belief, in search of something more authentic; it is the nature of God and not the church which interests Julian.
But there were other factors as well. The emergence of the English language at this time, as enjoyed by Chaucer, allowed faith – previously trapped in Latin - to be poured into new phrases and new thought forms. It was a freeing of God. It was also an era of increasingly individual expression, both of religious and political ideas, begun by John Wycliffe and continued by the Lollards. As has been said, Julian always claimed loyalty to the Church. But much of what she said sounded very different to the orthodoxy of her day.
Optimism is in the marrow of Julian, and expressed most clearly in her famous words: ‘all shall be well, and all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well.’ Her confidence about the future lies not in our strength but in God’s love. It is a certainty that we will fall; but an even greater certainty that God will never stop gazing on us lovingly, and helping us back to our feet. God is a courteous God, a homely God, and one who determined from before the beginning of time to bring us to the bliss of heaven.
The optimism of her good thoughts stood in stark contrast to the predominant theology of the day, in which suffering was regarded as punishment. Monastic writers and parish priests taught that all the troubles people faced were the punishment of an angry God; and such teaching left an all-pervasive fear of sin, death and damnation. For Julian, however, suffering was not punishment, but a mystery held within the bigger truth of God’s love. God is our maker, our keeper, our lover and our joy; and everything has a purpose even if it is hidden from us now.
Suffering is not explained in this book, for God never explains it to Julian. But suffering is offered as something intrinsic to our ultimate reward and blessing in heaven; while sin is necessary to bring us self-awareness and humility. Sin does not require forgiveness because it is part of life’s learning process. As she says, ‘It was a great unkindness for me to blame or question God over my sin, since he does not blame me for my sin.’
And Julian further pushed the orthodoxy of her day with feminine imagery of God, shown in her repeated description of Christ as our mother.
Julian is famous for her optimism, which bubbles with joy and compassion above law and duty. But it is an optimism born from profound awareness of suffering. Some people’s talk of hope appears little more than wishful thinking or a desire to avoid unpleasantness; but Julian’s path to this place was different. It was in 1373 that she received her visions, after naming three particular gifts she desired from God: The first, consistent remembering of Christ’s passion; the second, bodily sickness when she was 30, the age of Jesus when his ministry began; and third, the receiving of three wounds: true contrition, loving compassion and a longing for God.
She duly fell ill and the priest came to prepare her for death; and then on May 8th, the pain left her and she experienced a series of revelations or showings. During the next twelve hours, she received fifteen of these visions; and then a 16th the following morning. The first eight chapters focus particularly on the suffering of Jesus on the cross, a scene Julian feels called to stay with and watch; after this, the canvas is more varied, as she describes both the struggles and the hope of being human, within the safe holding of God’s love.
It’s in the 16th revelation that Julian is given the meaning of all that has gone before. As she writes: ‘And from the time it was shown, I often desired to learn our Lord’s meaning. And fifteen years later and more, I was answered in spiritual understanding, with these words: ‘You wish to learn the Lord’s meaning in this thing? Learn it well: love was his meaning. Who showed it to you? Love. What did he show you? Love. Why did he show it? For love. Hold yourself there and you shall learn and know more of the same. But you shall never know or learn any other thing there.’
The manuscript and text
We have three copies of the longer version of Julian’s text from the 17th century, 300 years after her death. There is also a truncated version from the 15th century which looks like a first draft of the final version. At the dissolution of the monasteries during the reign of Henry VIII, much irreplaceable material was lost or destroyed. This may explain why one of the manuscripts appeared in Paris; presumably it was sent there for safekeeping. There are slight variations in the text of the French manuscript.
The English we speak today is both similar and different to the Middle English used by Julian, so every fresh edition of the work is a translation in some way. In this edition I have wanted to make Julian both accessible and medieval. I wish her to be read without too much struggle; but wish also to honour the language she spoke, because the medium is the message. This is particularly evident in my continued use of her word ‘oneing’, which is a crucial idea in Julian’s theology and means ‘to make one’. I don’t think modern English has bettered this word, and so I have kept it in the text; and there are other traces of the Middle English deliberately left for flavour and authenticity. Here is Julian, speaking across the centuries, unabridged and paraphrased only to make clear her meaning.
The 14th century was not just plague, revolt and damnation, of course. It saw also the invention of the clock and the beginnings of modern universities, Parliament and the banking system. And as we have said, it gave birth to the first book written in English by a woman.