|
|
Julian of Norwich, Her Showings and Its Contexts, Website © Julia Bolton Holloway, 1997
Christ as Creator, reproduced from Plenarium, Augsburg, 1473
In translating Julian of Norwich's Showings in 1991 from the manuscript owned by Westminster Cathedral and now on loan to Westminster Abbey, her own English words were kept, rather than translating them into our Latinate forms, her 'oneing' instead of our 'uniting', her 'noughting' instead of our 'negating', her 'endlessness' instead of our 'eternity'. Somehow the Latin hides their meaning into its foreignness. The English words' truth, though now so unusual that they seem foreign, are actually closer to what we mean. Also, Julian's theological concepts can have a very modern ring. Computers, like brains and noughts and crosses games, generally simply 'one' and 'nought' their way through problems. Julian's 'oneing' is one's shaping oneself to that of God, 'noughting' the opposite of 'oneing', as evil, which therefore does not exist. Her 'endlessness' is of God, who is all time, but smaller and smaller bits of time, like death, are of 'noughting'.
There are three versions of Julian's Showings. The first, the Westminster Manuscript, of which excerpts are given here, was written perhaps in 1368 when she was twenty-five. The Long Text, given in the Paris Manuscript and in three Sloane and Stowe Manuscripts in the British Library, presents a text originally written when she was fifty, in 1393, discussing a vision of the Crucifix she had had when she lay, she thought, dying, in 1373. A final version, the Short Text, is given in the British Library Amherst Manuscript, and was originally written when she was seventy in 1413, when the Lollards, ancestors to the Quakers, were being burned at the stake. That manuscript also contains Marguerite Porete's Mirror of Simple Souls, Henry Suso's Horologium Sapientiae (transcribed by the Brigittine priest monk in England, Katillus Thorberni) and Jan van Ruusbroec's Sparkling Stone (the latter two now transcribed in booklets in the Julian Library Portfolio) amongst other contemplative texts. Julian thus spent her whole life writing this book. From the age of fifty on she lived as a Solitary, an Anchoress, in an anchorhold at St Julian's Church, Norwich, probably dressed in the black of a Benedictine nun, for she may have earlier been at Carrow Priory, and she gave counsel to troubled people, like Margery Kempe from Lynn. In all these versions, except the last, Julian gives passages from the Bible in her Middle English, from Isaiah, from Jonah, from the Epistles and much else, but she dare not do so in the 1413 version when to own or use John Wyclif's translation of the Bible into English would have caused one to have been burnt at the stake as a Lollard heretic. Strangely she uses neither Jerome's Latin Vulgate nor Wyclif's Middle English, the evidence being that she has access to the Hebrew of the Scriptures, likely gained through Cardinal Adam Easton who had taught the Hebrew Scriptures at Oxford and who had translated them into Latin, correcting Jerome's errors. But she is not an elitist scholar. Her last word in her last version is the Lollard term, one's 'even Christian', one's neighbour as one's equal in the eyes of one's Creator.
She begins the Westminster Manuscript by imagining the Virgin Mary worshipping her Child. The initial {O in the manuscript is illuminated in blue with red penwork ornamentation. The text is written in brownish ink. It has drawings of hands in the margin pointing to important parts of the text. The sections given here in red are so rubricated in the Paris Manuscript, but not in the Westminster Manuscript. In other manuscripts these phrases are in engrossed letters, which in one instance, occurs in the Westminster Manuscript and which may have been Julian's own practice, perhaps borrowed from Rabbinical texts, as in the manuscript of Rabbi David Kimhi, owned by Cardinal Adam Easton, Benedictine from Norwich..
{Our
gracious and good lord God showed me in part the wisdom and the truth of
the soul of our blessed Lady, Saint Mary that he would be born of her that
was a simple person of his making. For this was her marvelling, 'That he
who was her maker would be born of her that is made.' And
this wisdom and truth, knowing the greatness of her Maker and the littleness
of her self who is made, caused her to say full meekly to Gabriel, 'Lo,
me here, God's handmaiden'.
This wisdom and truth made her see her God so great, so high, so mighty
and so good that the greatness and the nobility and beholding of God fulfilled
her with reverent dread. And with this she saw herself so little and so
low, so simple and so poor in reward of her God, that this reverent dread
fulfilled her with meekness. And thus, by this ground, she was fulfilled
of grace and of all manner of virtue, and overpassed all people. In this
sight, I understood truly that she is more than all that God made beneath
her in worthiness and fullness. For above her there is no thing that is
made: but the blessed manhood of Christ, as to my sight. And this our good
Lord showed to my understanding, in teaching us.
· · ·
And in this he showed me a little thing,
the quantity of a hazel nut,
lying in the palm of my hand, as it seemed. And it was as round as any
ball. I looked upon it with the eye of my understanding, and thought, 'What
may this be?' And it was answered generally thus, 'It
is all that is made.' I
marvelled how it might last, for I thought it might suddenly have fallen
to nought for littleness. And I was answered in my understanding:
It lasts and ever shall, for God loves
it. And so have all things their beginning
by the love of God.
In this little thing I saw three properties. The first is that God made it. The second that he loves it. And the third, that God keeps it. But what is this to me? Truly, the Creator, the Keeper, the Lover. For until I am substantially oned to him, I may never have full rest nor true bliss. That is to say, until I be so fastened to him that there is nothing that is made between my God and me.
This little thing that is made, I thought it might have fallen to nought for littleness. Of this we need to have knowledge that it is like to nought, all things that are made. For to love and have God that is unmade.
For this is the cause why we are not at ease in heart and soul, for we seek rest here, in this thing that is so little where there is no rest, and knowing not our God who is all mighty, all wise and all good. For he is true rest. God will be known, and he likes us to rest in him. For all that is beneath him cannot suffice us. And this is the cause why no soul is rested, until it is noughted of all that is made. And when he wills to be noughted for love, to have him who is all, then he is able to receive spiritual rest.
Also our Lord
showed that it is the fullest pleasure to him, that an innocent soul come
to him nakedly, plainly and humbly. For this is the natural yearning of
the soul by the touching of the Holy Spirit. And by the understanding that
I have in this showing, 'God,
for your goodness, give me yourself. For you are enough for me and I may
not ask anything that is less, that may be fully worthy of you. And if
I ask any thing that is less, I am always wanting. But only in you I have
all.' And
these words, 'God of your goodness',
are most lovely to the soul, and full nigh touching the will of our Lord.
For his goodness comprehends all his creation and all his blessed works
and overpasses them without end. For he is the endlessness, and he has
made us only for himself, and restored us by his precious Passion, and
ever keeps us in his blessed love, and all this is of his goodness. This
Showing was given, as to my understanding, to teach our souls wisely to
cleave to the goodness of God.
· · ·
It is God's will that we have three
things in our seeking of his gift. The first is, that we seek willingly
and busily without sloth, as it may be with his grace gladly and merrily,
without unskilfull heaviness and vain sorrow. The second, that we abide
with him steadfastly for his love, without complaining and striving against
him to our lives' end, for it shall last only a while. The third is that
we trust in him mightily with a fully sure faith, for it is his will that
we shall know that he will appear suddenly and blessedfully to all his
lovers, for his working is secret, and it will be perceived, and his appearing
shall be swift and sudden, and he will be believed, for he is very able,
humble and courteous, blessed must he be.
After this, I saw God in a point. That is to say in my understanding. But which sight I saw that he is all things. I beheld with advisement, seeing and knowing in that sight, that he does all that is done, be it never so little. And I saw that nothing is done by chance, nor by hazard, but all by the foreseeing of God's wisdom. And if it be chance or fortune in the sight of man, our blindness and our lack of foresight is the cause. Therefore, well I know that in sight of our lord God, there is not chance or happenstance. And therefore it needs behoove me to grant that all things that are done, are well done, because our lord God does all. For in this time the working of Creation was not showed but of our lord God, in Creation, for he is in the midpoint of all things, and he does all.
And I was sure that he does no sin. And here I saw truly that sin is no deed. Also among other showings our good Lord means thus, 'See, I am God. See, I am in all things. See, I do all things. See, I never left off the works of my hand, nor ever shall, without end. See, I lead all things to the end, to which I ordained them, from without beginning, by the same power, wisdom and love, that I made them with. How should then anything be amiss?'
I saw full
surely that he never changes his purpose in any manner of thing, nor ever
shall without end. For there was nothing unknown to him in his rightful
ordering from without beginning. And therefore all things were set in order
before anything was made, as it should be without end.
· · ·
And this was shown in these words,
'Are you well paid'.
By those other words that Christ said,
'If you are paid, I am paid'.
As if he had said,
'It is joy and liking enough to me, and
I ask nothing else of you for my travail, but that I might pay you'.
And it is this he brought to my mind. The
property of a glad giver: a glad giver takes but little heed of the thing
that he gives, but his desire is in all his intent, to please him and solace
him to whom he gives it. And if the receiver takes the gift gladly and
thankfully, then the courteous giver sets at nought all his cost and all
his travail for joy and delight that he has, for he has so pleased and
solaced him whom he loves. Plenteously and fully was this shown.
·
· ·
Also
our Lord showed for prayer, in which showing I saw two conditions in our
Lord's meaning. One is right full prayer. And the other is sure trust.
But yet often our trust is not full, for we are not sure that God hears
us, we think, because of our unworthiness, and because of that we feel
nothing. For we are as barren and as dry often after our prayer, as we
were before. And thus in our feeling, our folly is the cause of our weakness.
For thus I have felt in myself.
And all this brought our Lord suddenly to my mind and showed these words and said, 'I am ground of your seeking. First it is my will that you have it, and I make you to will it. How should it then be that you should not have your seeking of it, since I make you to seek it, and you seek it'. And thus is in the first reason of the three that follow, our lord God shows a great comfort as may be, saying in the same words in the first reason. Where he says, 'And you seek it', there he shows full great pleasure, and endless reward that he will give us for our seeking.
And in the sixth reason there he says, 'How should then this be?' This was said for an impossibility. For it is the most impossible thing that may be that we should seek mercy and grace, and not have it. For of all things that our Lord makes us to seek, himself has ordained it to us from without beginning.
Here may we [see] then that our seeking is not cause of the goodness and grace that he does to us, but his own proper goodness, and that he shows truly in all these sweet words, where he says, 'I am ground of your prayer and of your seeking'. And our Lord wills that this be known of all his lovers on earth. And the more that we know it, the more should we seek it, if it is wisely taken. And so is our Lord's meaning.
Wise seeking is a true, gracious, lasting will of the soul, oned and fastened into the will of our lord God himself. He is the first receiver of our prayer, it seems to me, and he takes it right thankfully and highly enjoys it. He sends it up above and sets it in the treasury, where it shall never perish. It is there before God with all his holy company continually received, ever fulfulling our needs. And when we shall achieve our bliss, it shall be given to us for a degree of joy with endless worshipful thanking of him. Full glad and merry is our lord God of our prayer. He looks there after and he would have it. For with his grace it makes us like himself in condition, as we be in nature.
Also he says, 'Pray though you think it not help you'.
Also
to prayer belong thankings. Thanking is a true inward knowing with great
reverence and lovely dread, turning ourself with all our might into the
working that our lord God stirred us to, enjoying and thanking him inwardly.
And sometimes with plenteousness, it breaks out into voice, and says, 'Good
lord, grant mercy, blessed must you be'.
· · ·
Truth sees God, and wisdom beholds
God, and of these two comes the third, and that is a marvelous holy delight
in God, which is love. Where truth and wisdom is, truly there is love and
truly coming of them both, and all of God's making. For God is endless
sovereign truth, endless sovereign wisdom, endless sovereign love unmade.
· · ·
And furthermore he wills that we know
that this dear worthy soul was preciously knit to him in the making. Which
knot is so subtle and so mighty, that it is oned to God, in which oneing
it is made endlessly holy. Furthermore, he wills that we know and understand,
that all the souls that shall be saved in heaven without end are knitted
in this kot, and oned in this oneing, and made holy in this holiness. And
for great endless love that God has to all mankind, he makes no departing
in love between the blessed soul of Christ and the least soul that shall
be saved, for it it is very easy to live and to believe, that the dwelling
of the blessed soul of Christ is full high in the glorious godhead. And
truly as I understand in our Lord's meaning, where the blessed soul of
Christ is, there is the substance of all the souls that shall be saved
by Christ.
Highly ought we to enjoy that our God dwells in our soul, and much more highly we ought to enjoy that our soul dwells in God. And the dwelling place of our soul is in God, which is unmade. A high understanding it is inwardly to see and to know that God which is our maker, dwells in our soul. And a higher understanding it is and more inwardly to see and to know our soul that is made dwells in God in substance, of which substance by God we be that we be.
Also the almighty
truth of the Trinity is our Father. For he made us and keeps us in him.
And the deep wisdom
of the Trinity is our Mother, in whom we be all enclosed, and the high
goodness of the Trinity is our Lord, and in him we are closed, and he is
in us. All mighty, all wisdom and all goodness; one God, one Lord and one
goodness.
· · ·
God is nearer to us than our own soul,
for he is ground in whom our soul stands, and he is the means that keeps
the substance and the sensuality together so that it shall never depart.
For our soul sits in God, in true rest, and our soul stands in God in sure
strength, and our soul is naturally rooted in God, in endless love. And
therefore if we will have knowing of our soul, and communing and daliance
therewith, it is right to seek into our lord God in whom it is enclosed.
· · ·
Also, as truly as God is our Father,
so as truly God is our Mother. And that he shows in all and namely in these
sweet words, where he says, 'I
it am'. That
is to say, 'I
it am, the might and goodness of Fatherhead; I it am, the wisdom and the
kindness of Motherhood; I it am, the light and the grace, that is all blessed
love; I it am, the Trinity; I it am, the Unity; I it am, the high sovereign
goodness of all manner of things; I it am, that makes you to love; I it
am, that makes you to long, the endless fullness of all true desires'.
· · ·
I understand three manners of beholding
of Motherhead in God. The first is ground of our
natural making. The second is taking of our nature, and there begins the
Motherhead of grace. The third is Motherhead of working and therein is
a spreading forth by the same grace of length and of breadth, of height
and of deepness without end. And all is one love.
· · ·
The mother's service is nearest, readiest
and surest. It is nearest, for it is natural, readiest, for it is most
of love, and surest for it is of truth. This office might nor could anyone
ever do to the full, but Christ Jesus, God and Man alone. We know well
that all our mothers bear us with pain and for dying. But our true Mother
Jesus, he alone bears us to joy and to bliss, and endless living, blessed
must he be.
Thus he sustains us within him in love. And travailed into the full time that he would suffer the sharpest throes and the most grievous pains that ever were or ever shall be, and died at the last and when he had done and so borne us to bliss, yet might not all this be enough to his marvellous love. And that showed he in these high overpassing words of love, 'If I might suffer more I would suffer more'.
He might no
more die, but he would not cease working. Therefore then he needs must
feed us, for the dear worthy love of Motherhead has made him debtor to
us. The mother may give her child to suck her milk, but our precious Mother
Jesus, he may feed us with himself, and does full courteously and full
tenderly with the blessed sacrament of his body and blood that is precious
food of very life. And with all the sweet sacraments he sustains us well
mercifully and graciously.
.· · ·
The sweet gracious hands
of our Mother are ready and diligent about us. For he in all this working
uses the true office of a kind nurse, that has nothing else to do, but
to attend about the salvation of her child. It is the office of our lord
Jesus Christ to save us. It is his worship to do it, and it is his will,
we know it. For he wills that we love him sweetly and trust in him meekly
and strongly. And this he showed in these gracious words, I keep you most
surely'. Furthermore a natural child despairs not of the mother's love,
and naturally the child presumes not of itself, naturally the child loves
the mother, each of them loves the other.
Also I had great desire and longing for God's gift to be delivered of this world and of this life. For often I beheld the woe that is here in this life, and the weal and the blessed being that is in heaven, and I thought sometimes, though there had been no pain in this life but the absence of our lord God, it was more than I might bear, and this made me to mourn and anxiously yearn. And also my own wretchedness, sloth and irksomeness helped thereto, so that I wanted not to live and to travail as it fell out to me to do. And to all our courteous lord God answered for comfort and patience, and said these words, 'Suddenly you shall be taken from all your pain, and from all your sickness, from all your illness and from all your woe, and you shall come up above, and you shall have me to your pay and reward, and you shall be filled with joy and with bliss, and you shall never more have any manner of pain, neither any manner of sickness, nor manner of misliking, nor no wanting of will, but be ever in joy and bliss without end. What should it then grieve you to suffer a while, since it is my will and my worship'.
It
is God's will that we set the point of our thought in this blessed beholding,
as often as we may, and as long.
Book Reviews. Submissions Encouraged.
Bibliography. Submissions Encouraged.
The Julian Library Portfolio, 1996.
© Copyright Julia Bolton Holloway (juliana@tin.it),
Fiesole
Website Design: Timothy E. Thompson (tethomps@syr.fi.it),
Florence
Webmaster: Otfried Lieberknecht (lieberk@berlin.netsurf.de),
Berlin
Nota Bene Consultant: Tony St Quintin (tsq@nb-uk.win-uk.net),
Leeds
This site last updated 29 May 1999.
