PRIMARY DOCUMENT C
The reclusive English anchoress Julian of Norwich experienced visions that she called “shewings” (showings). There were sixteen of them, each centered around a single concept or vision. Several were visions of different stages of Jesus’s persecution and death; others are more theologically complex, emphasizing the duty of a Christian to submit to God’s authority and to be assured of a blessed afterlife.
REVELATIONS OF LOVE
Here beginneth the First Chapter
This is a Revelation of Love, that Jesu Christ
our endless blisse made in xvi. shewings : of
which,
The first is of his precious crowning of thornes,
and therein was conteined and specified the blessed
Trinity, with the incarnation and the uniting be-
tween God and mans soul, with manie faire shew
ings and teachings of endeless wisdom and love :
in which all the shewings that follow be grounded
and joyned.
The second, is of the discolouring of his faire face,
in tokening of his dear worthie passion.
The third is, that our Lord God Almighty, all
wisdom and all love, right also verilie as he hath
made all thinges that are right, also verilie he doth
and worketh all things that are done.
The fourth is, scourging of his tender bodie with
plenteous shedding of his precious blood.
The fifth is, that the fiend is overcome by the
precious passion of Christ.
The sixth is, the worshipfull thanking of our Lord
God, in which he rewardeth all his blessed servants
in heaven.
The seventh is, oftentimes feeling of weale and
woe. Feeling of weale is gracious touching and
lightning, with true sikernes of endeles joy : the
feeling of woe is of temptation by heavines, and
wearines of our fleshlie living with ghostelie under
standing, that we be kept also verelie in love, in.
woe as in weal, by the goodnes of God.
The eighth is, the last paines of Christ and his
cruell dying.
The ninth is, of the liking which is in the blessed
Trinity of the hard passion of Christ after his rufull
and sorrowful dying : in which joy and liking he will
that we be in solace and mirth with him, till that
we come to the glorie in heaven.
The tenth is, our Lord Jesu Christ [shewing] by
love his blessed heart even cloven in two.
The eleventh is, an high ghostlie shewing of his
cleare worthie Mother.
The twelfth is, that our Lord God is all soveraign
being.
The thirteenth is, that our Lord God will that we
have great regard to all the deedes which he hath
done, in the great nobletie of all things making,
and of the excellency of mans making, the which
is above all his works; and of the precious amends
that he hath made for mans sin, turning all our
blame into endeles worship. Than meaneth he
thus, Beholde and see, for by the same might, wisdome
and goodness that I have done all this, by the same
might, wisdome and goodness I shall make well all that
is not well, and thou shall see it. And in this he will
that we keep us in the faith and truth of Holie
Church, not willing to wit his privities, not but as
it longeth to us in this life.
The fourteenth is, that our Lord God is the
ground of our beseekinge. Herein was seen two
fair properties : that one is rightful praier : that
other is verie trust, which he will both be one like
[alike] large, and thus our praier liketh him, and he
of his goodness fulfilleth it.
The fifteenth is, that we should soudeinlie be
taken from all our paine, and from all our woe, and
of his goodnes we shall come up above, where we
shall have our Lord Jesu to our meed, and for to
be fulfilled with joy and blisse in heaven.
The sixteenth is, that the blessed Trinitie, our
maker, in Christ Jesu our Saviour, endleslie dwelleth
in our soule, worshipfullie rewarding and command
ing all things, us mightilie and wiselie saving and
keeping for love, and we shall not be over-come of
our enemy.
Source: Julian of Norwich. Revelations of Divine Love. George Tyrrell, ed. London: Kegan, Paul, Trench, Truber & Co., 1902, 1–4.