Revelations of Divine Love

About this book

Coming from a society where women were barred from serious writing and teaching, Julian, an anchorite in the great medieval city of Norwich, nevertheless used the English vernacular of the day to describe an extraordinary series of 'showings' which she received from God. Through her experiences, she identifies the female nature of Christ's suffering and the motherhood of God, and, using images from domestic daily life, emphasizes the homeliness of God's love. In the famous parable of the Lord and the Servant, she reveals her penetrating insight into the mystery of salvation; and she moves towards the controversial belief that God's love will not allow any of humankind to be lost. This new translation, which includes both the long and short versions of her Revelations, preserves all the directness of expression and the rich complexity of her thought; offering a work which stands alongside The Cloud of Unknowing and Langland's Piers Plowman.