Julian of Norwich
Born	November 8, 1342(1342-11-08),
Died	c. 1416
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Communion, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Major shrine	Church of St Julian in Norwich
Feast	May 13 (Roman Catholic), May 8 (Anglican, Lutheran)
Saints Portal

Julian of Norwich (c. November 8, 1342 – c. 1416) is considered to be one of the greatest English mystics. Little is known of her life aside from her writings. Even her name is uncertain, the name "Julian" coming from the Church of St Julian in Norwich, where she was an anchoress, meaning that she was walled into the church behind the altar during a mass for the dead. At the age of thirty, suffering from a severe illness and believing she was on her deathbed, Julian had a series of intense visions. (They ended by the time she overcame her illness on May 13, 1373.)^[1] She recorded these visions soon after having them, and then again twenty years later in far more theological depth. They are the source of her major work, called Sixteen Revelations of Divine Love (circa 1393). This is believed to be the first book written by a woman in the English language^{[citation needed]}. Julian became well known throughout England as a spiritual authority: Margery Kempe mentions going to Norwich to speak with Julian.^[2] is the 312th day of the year (313th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events May - Pope Clement VI elected John III Comnenus becomes emperor of Trebizond Louis becomes king of Sicily and duke of Athens Constantine IV becomes king of Armenia Patriarch of Antioch transferred to Damascus under Ignatius II Kitzbühel becomes part of Tyrol Louis I becomes king of Hungary Births... May 30 - The Catholic Church burns Jerome of Prague as a heretic. ... “Catholic Church” redirects here. ... Main article: Anglicanism The Anglican Communion is a world-wide affiliation of Anglican Churches. ... The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is a mainline Protestant denomination headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. ... Eastern Orthodox shrine Buddhist shrine just outside Wat Phnom. ... The Church of St Julian is situated in Norwich, England. ... Norwich (IPA: //) is a city in East Anglia, in Eastern England. ... The calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organising a liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with one or more saints, and referring to the day as that saints day. ... is the 133rd day of the year (134th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... “Catholic Church” redirects here. ... is the 128th day of the year (129th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Main article: Anglicanism The Anglican Communion is a world-wide affiliation of Anglican Churches. ... The Lutheran movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity by the original definition. ... Image File history File links Gloriole. ... is the 312th day of the year (313th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events May - Pope Clement VI elected John III Comnenus becomes emperor of Trebizond Louis becomes king of Sicily and duke of Athens Constantine IV becomes king of Armenia Patriarch of Antioch transferred to Damascus under Ignatius II Kitzbühel becomes part of Tyrol Louis I becomes king of Hungary Births... May 30 - The Catholic Church burns Jerome of Prague as a heretic. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Church of St Julian is situated in Norwich, England. ... Norwich (IPA: //) is a city in East Anglia, in Eastern England. ... Anchorite (male)/anchoress (female), from the Greek anachōreō, signifying to withdraw, to depart into the country outside the circumvallated city, denotes someone – prominently in earlier Christian and medieval times – who for religious reasons withdraws from the secular society and leads an intensely prayer-oriented and, circumstances permitting, Mass-focused... is the 133rd day of the year (134th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events Bristol is made an independent county. ... The Revelations of Divine Love (which also bears the title A Revelation of Love — in Sixteen Shewings above the first chapter) is a book of Christian mystical devotions written by Julian of Norwich. ... Events Ottoman Turks occupy Veliko Turnovo in north-central Bulgaria. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Margery Kempe (ca. ...

Although she lived in a time of turmoil, Julian's theology was optimistic, speaking of God's love in terms of joy and compassion as opposed to law and duty. For Julian, suffering was not a punishment that God inflicted, as was the common understanding. Julian's ground-breaking theology was that God loved and saved us all. Popular theology magnified by current events including the Black Death and a series of Peasant Revolts assumed that God was punishing the wicked. In response, Julian suggested a far more optimistic theology, universal salvation. Because she believed that beyond the reality of hell is yet a greater mystery of God's love, she has also been referred to in modern times as a proto-universalist.^{[citation needed]}Even though her views were not typical, local authorities did not challenge either her theology or her authority to make such faith claims because of her status as an anchoress. This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ... This article concerns the mid fourteenth century pandemic. ... For other uses, see Hell (disambiguation). ... In comparative religion, a universalist religion is one that holds itself true for all people; it thus allows all to join, regardless of ethnicity. ...

As part of her differing view of God as compassionate and loving, she wrote of the trinity in domestic terms and compares Jesus to a mother who is wise, loving, and merciful.(See Jesus as Mother by Carolyn Walker Bynum.) Similarly, she connects God with motherhood in terms of 1)"the foundation of our nature's creation, 2) "the taking of our nature, where the motherhood of grace begins" and 3) "the motherhood at work" and speaks metaphorically of Jesus in connection with conception, nursing, labor, and upbringing. She, like many other great mystics, used female language for God as well as the more traditional male pronouns.

Her great saying, "...All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well", reflects this theology. It is also one of the most individually famous lines in all of Catholic theological writing, and certainly one of the most well-known phrases of the literature of her era. It was quoted in T.S. Eliot's "Little Gidding", the fourth of his Four Quartets. Thomas Stearns Eliot (September 26, 1888 - January 4, 1965), was a major Modernist Anglo-American poet, dramatist, and literary critic. ... Four Quartets is the name given to four related poems by T. S. Eliot, collected and republished in book form in 1943 (ISBN 0156332256). ... Four Quartets is the name given to four related poems by T. S. Eliot, collected and republished in book form in 1943. ...

She was Roman Catholic, as was all of Europe, but her work is a clear precursor to Martin Luther and other Reformation writers which gives her honored staus in both churches. The Roman Catholic Church canonized her and she is honored by both the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Anglican Church. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is a mainline Protestant denomination headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. ... The term Anglican describes those people and churches following the religious traditions of the Church of England, especially following the Reformation. ...

A modern statue of her has been added to the facade of the Anglican Norwich Cathedral. Norwich Cathedral: Spire and south transcept. ...

The song "Julian of Norwich" by Sydney Carter commemorates her optimistic philosophy. Sydney Bertram Carter (6 May 1915–13 March 2004) was an English poet, songwriter, folk musician and Christian/Quaker, born in Camden Town, London. ...

Works

• Revelations of Divine Love

The Revelations of Divine Love (which also bears the title A Revelation of Love — in Sixteen Shewings above the first chapter) is a book of Christian mystical devotions written by Julian of Norwich. ...

References

1. ^ "Julian of Norwich". Encyclopedia Britannica Profiles. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved on 2006-06-13.
2. ^ The Book of Margery Kempe, Book I, Part I. The Book of Margery Kempe. TEAMS Middle English Texts (1996). Retrieved on 2007-08-19.

Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 164th day of the year (165th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 231st day of the year (232nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Julian of Norwich

• The Julian Site
• Luminarium: Julian of NorwichLife, works, essays
• Revelations of Divine Love Text in various formats from ccel.org
• Mother Julian of Norwich - Selected prayers and poems
• Biographical sketch with portrait
• Short appreciation with historical background
• Julian of Norwich
• All is Well Audio CD / MP3 with readings from Revelations of Divine Love with original music.
• Julian of Norwich: presented by Gloriana's Court Extensive essay on Julian's spirituality, quotations from her writings with footnote explanations.