The_Sweetness_of_Divine_Revelation___according_to_ Julian of Norwich.doc

7/30/2019 The_Sweetness_of_Divine_Revelation___according_to_ Julian of Norwich.doc

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The Sweetness of Divine Revelation

as it was recorded by Julian of Norwich

Asistent Monica Oanca

Abstract

In this paper I intend to discuss a few characteristics of spiritual revelations as they

are presented by Julian of Norwich in her workThe Revelations of Divine Love. I will discuss

the fact that her perception of divinity is repeatedly described with the word sweet, which

bestows a certain gentleness on her message. Although the most original part of her theology

is the insistence on the motherhoodof Jesus Christ, identifying the second person of the Holy

Trinity with a mother, I have not insisted on it. What I specifically want to point out, is her

optimistic approach to the future of the world and to life in general and how her work still has

the power to encourage us to go forward and to hope for the best, because God with His love

protects and guides us.

Very little is known about Julian of Norwich, the 14 th century mystic who lived in

Norwich and who appropriated the name of the patron of the church in whose vicinity shelived as an anchoress, namely Saint Julian1. We find out from her work that she was born in

1342 (probably in November) and she received her visions in 1373 (ch. 2).By that time Edward III (1327-1377), had successfully finished the first phase of the

One Hundred Year Wars with the victories from Crecy (1346) and Poitiers (1356) and in

1347 he subdued Calais. Yet this political victory, which brought a certain degree of

economic prosperity in England, was soon followed by a great disaster which hit the whole

continent, the Plague. Starting from Italy the Black Death soon spread all over Europe and it

affected England in 1348-1349, it seemed to have stopped but it started again even more

fearsome in 1361, and later on in 1369 and 1375 (King, 156). The horrid presence of deathall over the kingdom had increased the popular devotion, and must have influenced Julian of

Norwich as well. There are studies which discuss the possibility of her being a nun before

retiring to her anchorite cell; her rich religious culture and the specific language she used areas arguments to support this theory (Labarge, 129)

Julian of Norwich paid no attention to the political events that took place in her time,

and she does not mention any of them in her work. Although Norwich was one of the centres

of the Peasants Revolt lead by Watt Tyler (1381) (Gilbert, 33) during the time when Julianwas already an anchoress there she does not refer to it, nor to other tensioned moments that

marked Richard IIs reign (1377-1399).

Julian of Norwich was not deprived of human contact, she could listen to the mass

from one of the windows of her room, and she could talk to different visitors who asked for

different advice. About 1413 she received the visit of Margery Kempe, event which is

recorded in the latters work, The Book of Margery Kempe, the first English-language

autobiography. It is also very probable that she was in good relations with Bishop AdamEaston, who was not only bishop of the place for some time during her anchorage, but also a

well-known scholar. Apparently he was well acquainted with the works of Brigitt of Suedia

(1303-1372) and of Catherine of Sienna (1347-1380) and when he came back in England he

brought The Dialogues, Catherines most important work with him. It was translated into

English at Syon Abbey and it was given the name Orchard of Syon. It is thus possible that one

copy could have reached Julian through Bishop Adam Eaton. Unlike these two female

mystics, who seem close to her in time, she paid no attention to the national or international

interests of the Catholic Church and she did not get involved in any local conflicts or

theological debates.2

1 He can be either Julian the Hospitaller, a medieval saint or Saint Julian the Martyr, who died during

Domitians pagan persecutions. The two saints are sometimes mistaken one for other.2 We refer to the fact that although she must have been familiar with the works and the lives of Bridgetof Sweden and Catherine of Sienna she did not follow their example of engaging in either social

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We must place Julian of Norwich at the threshold of the European tradition of the

above mentioned female mystic writers, and of the English mystic tradition which was

predominantly masculine, which consisted of theologians like Richard Rolle of Hampole

(1300-1347) (who wrote The Fire of Love), Walter Hamilton (d. 1396) (author ofTheLadder

of Perfection), as well as the anonynous writer ofThe Cloud of Unknowing.

While all these male works focus on teaching and guiding the young Christian

belivers, Julians work concentrates on the personal visions she had received from God and

the starting point was the revelation (or a series of consecutive revelations) which portrayed

the crucifixion and the death of Jesus Christ. We must point out that she is very attentive to

specify that in spite of her receiving these revelations, by no means does she consider herself

superior to any other Christian.

On the other hand she regards it as a duty to tell her fellow Christians about her

visions in order to draw them closer to God. In chapter IX of her work Saint Julian givesdetails about how she received her visions3, namely in three ways: by bodily sight, by words

formed in her understanding and by spiritual sight. Of these three the third one is obviously

the most difficult to put into words, and the people will understand it according to their

devotion to God.

She even prays that the people would take the spiritual sight, which is so difficult toput into words, more sweetly and more spiritually than she can present it. We can see that the

word sweetly is directly connected with the meaning of the revelation; it defines a better

understanding of the vision. In other words, in this context, sweetly has correctly or maybe

personally as possible synonyms.

Julian insists on the fact that the relationship between God and man is not only one

of closeness or servitude, but it is rather organic, the human soul is in constant need of divine

support. Either fighting to achieve something, or trying to enjoy a peaceful existence, it is

unable to exist properly, without the divine intervention. God is nearer to us than our own

Soul: for He is [the] Ground in whom our Soul standeth, and He is [the] Mean that keepeth

the Substance and the Sense-nature together so that they shall never dispart. For our soul

sitteth in God in very rest, and our soul standeth in God in very strength, and our Soul is

kindly rooted in God in endless love. (ch. LVI) The strong connection that can be builtbetween God and man is proven by the intensity of the divine revelations which are

experienced by the devout Christians, with Gods grace and His help (ch.VII).

The first revelations that Julian received show Jesus bleeding, but they seem to be just

an introduction to the really powerful vision that is presented in the fourth revelation (ch.

XII). We can see here an emphasis on the plenteous blood which flows from Jesus Christs

sweet body. The image is associated with the abundant waters that have a cleansing role.

Thus the soteriological significance of the blood and of the body in pain (after scourging) is

pointed out. The body is sweet because it is blessed, since it is the source of our

salvation. The insistence is on the abundance of blood because it symbolises the ample effect

it had on humanity. The dearworthy blood of our Lord Jesus Christ as verily as it is most

precious, so verily it is most plenteous The precious plenty of His dearworthy blood

overfloweth all Earth, and is ready to wash all creatures of sin. The great amount of blood is

therefore more than enough to wash our sins, i.e. to save us. The purpose of this image is not

to emphasise the pain Jesus Christ suffered, but rather to point out the abundance of His

sacrifice. This is the way we can interpret the image of the body covered with blood so that no

part of it could be seen. So plenteously the hot blood ran out that there was neither seen skin

nor wound. It is therefore an encouragement for the Christians, not to despair, they can be

forgiven because of the abundance of the blood spilled for them.

The next revelations deal with the image of the defeated fiend (ch. XIII), in other

words the outcome of Gods sacrifice is presented with respect to its supernatural

projects to help the poor or the sick or in any debates supporting the position of the Catholic Church.3

She starts this chapter by saying that she addresses her words not to the wise, but to those that aresimple, and she insists that the vision is important for those that love God, the more one loves Godthe more profound can one understand the vision.

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significance. In chapter XIV we are shown a very beautiful image of Heavens, as the place of

spiritual happiness, and almost as a counterpart we are told about the feeling of despair and

uncertainty when the Christian is left without Gods constant support and care (ch. XV), an

image traditionally associated with Hell. What I want to underline is the unity and the

structural continuity of these visions, which, although may seem separated, are part of a

system, with an inner coherence.

The next revelation insists on the actual death on the cross and it has remarkable

emotional power. It is in this image that pain and sufferance are emphasised. The revelation

presents us a totally different aspect of the passions. If in the previous description Jesuss

body was almost unseen, in this vision we witness an insistence on the body. Not only is it

visibly and painfully wounded, but also its parts (hands, face, hair, skin, etc.) are mentioned.

We can notice that this image is not only a chronological continuation of Christs passions

(crucifixion after scourging) but rather it is complementary; the pain which is not visible in

the previous revelation (ch.XII) is emphasised and vividly described here (ch.XVI). The

abundance of fluid (in the 4th revelation) is now contrasted with a lack of moisture (in the 8 th);

the blood, which was spilled to save us and to give us life (eternal life), is now missing from

Jesuss dry body, and this is a sign of death.

The starting point of Julians revelations is her desire to be better acquainted with thebodily pains suffered by Jesus Christ at His crucifixion.4Even more than through a detailed

image of the Crucifixion of Christ, the understanding of the passion of Jesus Christ can only

be granted by compassion, in its literal meaning, i.e., that she actually feels the passions of

Christ (I would that His pains were my pains, with compassion). Her wish of actually

watching the passion and death of our Lord is granted and she records her visions of the dying

body of Christ both with accuracy and emotion. A very important theological observation

regards the fact that Jesus Christ suffered more than any other human being because His

divine nature increased the resistance of his human nature (and implicitly of His body) to

death.5

One of the most impressive details of the revelation is the change of colours; the

presence of the blood made the image dramatic and gave evidence for the cruelty of the

scourging, while the following fading of the natural colour of the skin, which turns blue andthan brown, gives evidence for the lack of moisture in the body, and accounts for the painful

thirst and dryness which preceded His death. The detailed description of the succession of

colours is very artistic and its purpose is to bring evidence for the reality of the vision (not

only of the painfulness of the sacrifice). I saw His sweet face as it were dry and bloodless

with pale dying. And later, more pale, dead, languoring; and then turned more dead unto

blue; and then more brown-blue, as the flesh turned more deeply dead (ch. XVI). It is clear

that Julian uses these colours to enhance the emotional response of the reader, since the image

was so important for the medieval Christian. Her words try to paint an image as close as

possible to the paintings she had probably seen. Her need to have such a pictorial account was

probably related with the importance of the visual representations, which were at the core of

medieval sensibility. The medieval artistic rendering of a certain event (especially the

religious ones) had a specific means of touching and motivating the looker-on, since thepurpose of medieval representation was not mainly aesthetic, but essentially pious. Even later

on, in the early 20 th century, the artists recognised in the medieval tradition of painting the

power to stir the emotions, especially because of its preoccupation with spiritual

communication.6

The importance of the sufferance (which is brought close to a mutilation) of Christs

body is interpreted by Stephen Greenblatt as a way of writing the divine laws on the human

body. Gods flesh was itself a text written upon with universal characters, inscribed with a

4I desired a bodily sight wherein I might have more knowledge of the bodily pains of our Saviour, ch.

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I saw our Lord Jesus languoring long time. For the oneing with the Godhead gave strength to themanhood for love to suffer more than all men might suffer, ch. XX6 Acton, Mary,Learning to look at paintings, London, Routledge, 1997, p. 112-113

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language that all men could understand since it was a language in and of the body itself. 7 His

wounds are therefore a universal language which addresses everyone and its significance

transgresses time as well as space. These signs make us sensitive to the story of salvation, yet

we recognise that the ones that better (if not fully) understand the language of the signs

inscribed on Christs body (those who can read the most sacred of all books, the crucified

body of Christ) are the saints, who experience those passions, and even more those who (like

Francis of Assisi) have the stigmata on their own flesh. 8

The beauty of this vision stays precisely in the way pain is projected in the minds of

the Christians. The word that defines the parts of the body that are in pain is sweet, and it

contrasts with the feeling of awe that is felt while watching the passions of Christ. So on the

one hand we feel the sublime power of God which is perceptible in His unusual resistance to

pain, which was due to His divine nature being united with the human one, and on the other

hand we witness an almost maternal reaction, a feeling of pity and devotion revealed by the

use of the word sweet.

I saw His sweet face as it were dry and bloodless with pale dying and the sweet

body was brown and black, all turned out of fair, life-like colour of itself, unto dry dying I

understood that for tenderness of the sweethands and of the sweet feet, by the greatness,

hardness, and grievousness of the nails the wounds waxed wide and the body sagged, forweight by long time hanging. And [therewith was] piercing and pressing of the head, and

binding of the Crown all baked with dry blood, with the sweet hair clinging And

furthermore I saw that the sweetskin and the tender flesh were rent in many pieces, as a

cloth that was sagging. (ch. XVI)

So the suffering parts of the body are sweet (or dear, cherished), and thus pain is

revaluated. Apparently in medieval times the patiently bearing of illness (in other words of

pain) was a major factor in female reputation for sanctityand disease was considered to be

useful for self-discipline9.

Another example of an association of pain with sweet (which makes pain at least

positive, if not really wanted) is given in a medieval account of Heinrich Seuses experience

of self-inflicted pain.Blood gushed out of the jagged wounds and saturated his clothing. The

bliss he experienced made the very pain seem like a sweet delight.10This comment provesthat in the Christian faith pain suffered in the name of God does not have a negative

connotation, quite the opposite. In other words the same as Jesus Christs pain is valorised,

the pain suffered in the name of God or because the Christian wanted to imitate Jesus carries a

spiritual power which transforms pain into ecstasy.

It is this experience that explains Julian of Norwichs insight into divine love. It is

through this exercise of pain (her initial sickness, doubled by her wish to feel Jesus Christs

passions) that she acquires her special understanding about divine grace and mercy. This

initial revelation opens her eyes to understand the meaning of the suffering body of Christ and

of its universal language, according to Greenblatts reading.

One original element is the insistence on maternal love. Firstly she mentions several

times the importance of Saint Virgin Marys love as well as her intercessions for us. Actually

we can say that the first time the word sweet is used it refers to the maternal love: we prayHim for His sweetmothers love. In other words we pray to God for (because of) all the

sacrifices He made for us, and we pray to the Mother of God, who loves Him (and us)

sweetly, and all the help we have of her is of His goodness, since she is thus an intercessor for

us (ch.VI). And for the high, marvellous, singular love that He hath to this sweetMaiden,

His blessed Mother, our Lady Saint Mary, He shewed her highly rejoicing, as by the meaning

7Stephen Greenblatt, Mutilation and Meaning, in The Body in Parts, edited by David Hillman and

Carla Mazzio, Routledge, New York, London, 1997, p.2238Stephen Greenblatt,Mutilation and Meaning, in The Body in Parts, edited by David Hillman and

Carla Mazzio, Routledge, New York, London, 1997, p.2239 Bynum, Caroline Walker,Fragmentation and Redemption, Zone Books, New York, 1992, p.173-17410

a 14ht century Dominican monk, 1295-1366, who wanted to engrave the name of Jesus (IHS) overhis heart; according to Stephen Greenblatt,Mutilation and Meaning, in The Body in Parts, edited by

David Hillman and Carla Mazzio, Routledge, New York, London, 1997, p.224

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of these sweetwords; as if He said: Wilt thou see how I love her, that thou mightest joy with

me in the love that I have in her and she in me? (ch. XXV) We are thus literally told how

strong the love connection between mother and son is, and there is nothing new or unusual

about it.

The instances when Virgin Marys tenderness and Gods generosity are characterised

as sweet (namely kind and familiar to humans) are very abundant. In some chapters, which

mention Gods sweetmercy and grace, Julian tries to awaken our awareness at the constant

and generous love given to us by God. For instance in chapters XLVI-XLIX we are told about

the peace and the comfort which God brings in our hearts.

Mercy is a sweetgracious working in love, mingled with plenteous pity: for mercy

worketh in keeping us, and mercy worketh turning to us all things to good... And so far forth,

that when we come up and receive the sweetreward which grace hath wrought for us, then

we shall thank and bless our Lord, endlessly rejoicing

The meaning of sweet in all these instances is not simply kind or gentle but rather

deep and profound. The feeling induced in the Christian by the divine grace and mercy is

intense and powerful, not transitory or superficial. It is maybe an unusual meaning for

sweet, which is generally perceived as synonym with cuddly or nice. What we witness is a

transition from the ordinary meaning of the word to the almost opposite, a more refined andalso more severe connotation. What I noticed is not a chronological movement in the meaning

of the word from the beginning of the book to the end, but rather a coexistence of such

nuances with an increased preponderance of the word as deep or intense in certain chapters

that discuss the way Christians should understand divine love. Thus it is not only the way we

should understand the divine revelation that is sweet, namely with increased attention, but the

very object of the revelation: namely the divine love and its working should also be received

with consideration and awareness.

The importance and ubiquitousness of Gods love (which is the core of this work) is

repeatedly mentioned in many theological works. The unusual aspect is the straightforward

association of the Son of God (the second person in the Holy Trinity) and the Mother of

humanity, our mother: Jesus Christ is our mother is Julians unequivocal assertion.

Our high Father, God Almighty, which is Being, He knew and loved us from aforeany time: of which knowing, in His marvellous deep charity and the foreseeing counsel of all

the blessed Trinity, He willed that the Second Person should become our MotherAnd thus is

Jesus our Very Mother in Nature [by virtue] of our first making; and He is our Very Mother

in Grace, by taking our nature made. All the fair working, and all the sweet natural office of

dearworthy Motherhood is impropriated to the Second Person (ch. XLIX).11

It is not simply an emotional statement, but rather one with deep theological

connotations, since it implies the very creation of the human being and not only the sacrifice

which is required by the work of salvation. According to previous theologians, Jesus Christ

was given maternal features because He was our Saviour and the blood that saved us was

associated with the nurture a mother gives to her children. Caroline Walker Bynum points out

that it was not unheard of to talk about Jesus Christ as a mother, but women writers simply

projected themselves into the role of child vis--vis mother Jesusthe idea of Christsmotherhood becomes either a way of referring to the fact that Christians eat and drink Jesus

or a metaphor for Christs suffering on the cross, which gives birth to the world12. Julian of

Norwich takes this association much further. Not only is motherhood a complement to

fatherhood, but it is related with the recreation of humanity, since the original sin was washed

away by Christs sacrifice, we are pure as the man was before the Fall.

Firstly Jesus Christ as a person of the Holy Trinity took part in the creation of man at

the beginning of time. Secondly He took human nature in order to save man from the original

sin (in other words to recreate his human nature by cleansing it). These two theological

arguments give an original insight into Julians images describing Christs motherhood.

11

Actually the idea is debated and discussed over several chapters, with the same intensity, and nodoubt. Ch. LVIII-LXI12 Walker Bynum, Caroline, Fragmentation and Redemption, Zone Books, New York, 1992, p.161-162

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Caroline Walker Bynum notices that what is new in Julian is the idea that Godsmotherhood, expressed in Christ, is not merely love and mercy, not merely redemption

through the sacrifice of the cross, but also a taking on of our physical humanity in the

Incarnation, a kind of creation of us, as a mother gives herself to the foetus she bears.13

Because her visions are strongly physical, I think that for Julian of Norwich the maternity of

Christ does not have only a spiritual, but also a material significance, because of Christsincarnation and his acceptance of human body, he is closer to us and we can feel that He

understands us better because He understands the human weakness, although He was sinless.

Therefore, because of this shared physicality, there is a stronger connection between us and

Him than between us and any of the other two divine persons.

Another important aspect of Gods love is His interest in the way human beings

perceive Him and His actions (workings). This is the reason for His divine Incarnation as a

human being, to better explain to us the truth about His divinity. From Julians whole work

transpires a celebration of femininity through contemplation of Christs feminine

attributes.14The simple style Julian uses, although she had thorough theological training, can

only be fully understood if we realise that she addressed ordinary people with little religious

learning and she considers that Jesuss message is meant for them.

Other unexpected occurrences of the word sweetare several instances when it refersto the way words are spoken by God. Generally His words are spoken sweetly and they are

always meant to bring comfort. Maybe the best example is the reference to Lords words: All

shall be well(ch. XXVII and LXIII).

The words of God are important because they the very ground of our belief. One of

the most tragic dilemmas refers to the meaning of sin. It is this subject that troubles Julian

and thus she inquires and wonders until the answer she receives is in accordance with her

previous religious knowledge, but also with a very keen logic. In her wondering Julian is

inspired both by humility and by curiosity Our faith is founded on Gods word, and it

belongs to our faith that we believe that Gods word will be preserved in all things 15 so the

final argument is given by the very clear words of God, formed in her understanding: for the

tender love that our good Lord hath to all that shall be saved, He comforteth readily and

sweetly, signifying thus: Sin is cause of all this pain; but all shall be well, and all shall bewell, and all manner [of] thing shall be well. (ch. XXVII) and later on the same assurance is

repeated: shall it verily be known to us His meaning in those sweet words where He saith:

All shall be well: and thou shalt see, thyself, that all manner of things shall be well. (ch.

LXIII) In most of the instances when Gods words are recorded by Julian, the message wants

to be comforting, and encouraging. It is a real attempt to show compassion to peoples fears

and misfortunes. He repeatedly says that He is close to any sinner, that He does not want to

abandon anyone who is distressed.

All over the work there are instances when His words seem to reassert His authority

and His position: thus will our good Lord be prayed to, as by the understanding that I took of

all His own meaning and of the sweetwords where He saith full merrily: I am the Ground of

thy beseeching. This statement made in the last chapter, LXXXVI, is often repeated and is

explained at length in ch.XLI as well as in ch.XLIV, when he talks about prayer. The scope of

this emphasis is mainly to strengthen a persons confidence in oneself. In other words he

should not worry, because the source of his salvation is Christ Himself. The way to escape

ones weaknesses and afflictions is to preserve the connection with Him.

For in that time He shewed our frailty and our fallings, our afflictings and our

settings at nought, our despites and our outcastings, and all our woe so far forth as

methought it might befall in this life. And therewith He shewed His blessed Might, His blessed

13 Walker Bynum, Caroline,Holy Feast and Holy Fast, University of California Press, Berkeley, 1987,

p.26614 Long, Thomas L.,Julianof Norwichs Christ as mother and Medieval construction of Gender,

presented at the Madison Conference on English Studies. James Madison University, March 18, 1995,

http:/users.visi.net/-longt/julian.htm15 Noffsinger, John, Julian of Norwich and the Enigma of Divine Revelation, in Spirituality Today, Vol.44, No.1, 1992, p.37-47

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Wisdom, His blessed Love: that He keepeth us in this time as tenderly and as sweetly to His

worship. (ch. LXII)

For Julian prayer is the essential means to create and preserve the relationship with

God, which is the ground of our very existence. According to Andrew Louth, Julian

emphasises the fact that it is in prayer that we realise the ultimate message of her revelation

that all will be well, for in prayer we turn to God in trust and beseech His help and

mercy.16 She mentions also the fact that the prayer is not something we do alone, but rather it

is God Himself that encourages us, helps us to pray, as He is the ground of thy beseeching

(ch.XLI). Talking about prayer in the next chapters, she elaborates explaining that prayer

means firstly trust (and thus it implies an effort), but it is also a reward in itself, since the

profound feeling of trust and love also generates the sensation of joy. Having our mind in

relation with God can only induce sentiments of serenity and safety, which are secured by the

trust we feel in God.

For prayer is a right understanding of that fullness of joy that is to come, with well-

longing and sure trust...true understanding and love, with sweet mind in our Saviour,

graciously maketh us to trust. (ch. XLII) When the mind is united with God it shares the

epithet which was attributed to divinity, sweet, meaning both profound, since the mind has

a holy mission of sustaining the communion with God and it is also something dear to us,since it is the source of our actions. It is not unimportant to point out the presence of the mind,

rather than the heart, in this context, which is proof once again of the importance Julian places

on logic and understanding.

We have started the debate from the fact that Julian of Norwich often uses sweet to

describe her visions or spiritual sights. When she talks about her first visions, she notices that:

This Shewing was quick and life-like, and horrifying and dreadful, sweetand lovely. (ch. VII)

But she also mentions that the showing was given in time, it was meant to last for ever in the

consciousness of the believer, because of his faith and the grace of the Holy Ghost (ch.VII).

The words she uses to describe her first reactions to receiving such a vision

contradict each other, and thus in a paradoxical way they can render quite accurately the

contradictory feelings she must have experienced. Incertitude and surprise are absent from the

later revelations and thus she is more serene and ready to accept the divine gift, she does notfeel horror or dread anymore, just peace and certainty and sweetness This sight was full

sweetand marvellous to behold, peaceable, restful, sure, and delectable . (ch. LV) The same

feelings are confessed in the next chapters. Sensations of peace and of confidence are not only

mentioned later on, but they are explained by the organic unity which was realized between

God and us. Plenteously and fully and sweetly was this shewed, and it is spoken of in the

First, where it saith: We are all in Him enclosed and He is enclosed in us. And that

[enclosing of Him in us] is spoken of in the Sixteenth Shewing where it saith: He sitteth in

our soul. (ch.57)

Julian of Norwich lived a secluded life, and her work, although meant for the benefits

of the others, was not very well known in her days. Even though her personality was known

(and Margery of Kempes visit can prove this) the very few manuscripts of her work prove

that her revelations were little known by her contemporaries, for whom she wrote them. Onthe other hand the growing popularity of her Revelations in various editions and selections in

this century shows that .her message has spoken to the hearts of many of this century, more

than 500 years later.17

Analysing the different instances when the word sweet is used, I have noticed that

when used for the body of Christ it acquires the meaning of blessed and its using proves a

certain feminine gentleness in Julians approach. The pain Christ felt gives salvation to us all,

and by characterizing it as sweet, Julian succeeds in emphasising its positive connotations.

More than this, even our pain becomes sweet since through it we can feel Gods grace and

we can be comforted. God speaks sweetly to us, strengthening us, when we ask Him for

help. It is through this process that pain is revaluated and is given the power to bring us closer

16 Louth, Andrew, The Wilderness of God, London, Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd., 2003, p. 7917 Louth Andrew, The Wilderness of God, London, Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd., 2003, p.66

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to God. An unusual instance of using sweet is when it characterises our understanding of

Gods words. Thus we have to sweetly understand the divine message, i.e. profoundly and

intensely.

She differs greatly from the patriarchal English tradition, by adopting a very intimate

and friendly style that contrasts with the authoritative one present in English male mystics

works, which were meant to be helping guides for the initiated pupils, who dedicated their

lives to achieve a mystical union with God. But her work equality differs from the feminine

mystics. The connection of Christs motherhood with the very act of creation, describing Him

maternal because of his (her) participation in the creation of man (and of the world), as well

as her optimistic approach to life, especially in the end of her work, are just two of many such

instances when her original ideas differ from the established opinions which are present in the

works of her female mystic contemporaries, and bring her closer to our times. Her statement

regarding the motherhood of Jesus Christ is not only important from a theological point of

view, but it was often underlined by the feminist criticism as a specific dimension that

differentiates Julian from other mystic writers.

But perhaps the most important aspect, which is mentioned by modern theologians,

like Andrew Louth, is the perspective she has on sin which is regarded as something that has

not a real existence, and which can be surely forgiven by God, because of the abundantsacrifice on the cross. Her profound optimism, that all will be well in the end, is not only

unusual, but quite out of her time in the gloomy period of the late medieval times, yet it does

appeal to our contemporary mentality.

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Bibliography

Primary Sources

1.Julian of Norwich,Revelation of Divine Love

2.Margery Kempe, The Book of Margery Kempe

3.Ancrene Riwle, or The Nuns Rule, modernised by James Morton,

Cambridge, 2000

Seconday sources

1. Acton, Mary, Learning to look at paintings, London, Routledge,

1997

2. Bynum, Caroline Walker, Fragmentation and Redemption, Zone

Books, New York, 1992

3. Bynum, Caroline Walker, Holy Feast and Holy Fast, University of

California Press, Berkeley, 1987, p.266

4. Cook, William & Herzman, Ronald, The Medieval World View,

Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1983.

5. Gilbert Martin,Atlas of British History, Oxford, OUP, 19936. Greenblatt Stephen, Mutilation and Meaning, in The Body in Parts,

edited by David Hillman and Carla Mazzio, Routledge, New York, London, 1997

7. Huizinga, Johan,Amurgul Evului Mediu, Bucureti, Humanitas, 2002

8. King, Edmund,Medieval England, Tempus Publishing Ltd., 2001

9. Labarge, Margaret Wade, Women in Medieval Life, London, Penguin

Books, 2001

10. Long, Thomas L., Julian of Norwichs Christ as mother and

Medieval construction of Gender, presented at the Madison Conference on English

Studies. James Madison University, March 18, 1995, http:/users.visi.net/-

longt/julian.htm

11. Louth Andrew, The Wilderness of God, London, Darton, Longman

and Todd Ltd., 200312. Noffsinger, John, Julian of Norwich and the Enigma of Divine

Revelation, in Spirituality Today, Vol. 44, No.1, 1992, p.37-47

13. Vauchez, Andre, Spiritualitatea Evului Mediu Occidental, Bucureti

Meridiane, 1994, p.151

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Documents

The_Sweetness_of_Divine_Revelation___according_to_ Julian of Norwich.doc