“Shaked in sorow and anguish and tribulation”: Holy Church in Crisis in Julian of Norwich’s Revelation of Love
Julian of Norwich wrote the several versions of A Revelation of Love during the decades of the Great Schism (1378-1415), a period of acknowledged religious crisis across western Europe, including England. This talk considers passages of Julian's writings that appear to respond to this crisis and in some cases to engage with the controversial new theological thinking it brought to the fore. Many of these passages were likely written not long after she learned that the full meaning of Christ's revelation was "love," and they show her struggling to accept this meaning in light of her growing realization that her revelation was meant for the church as a whole, not only for her immediate "evencristen." The analysis situates this argument within a larger hypothesis about the stages by which A Revelation of Love may plausibly have been written and published. One effect of this hypothesis is to urge that we read Julian's book archaeologically, as a record of her repeated rethinkings of specific moments and details of her revelation, in light both of her ongoing studies and of changes in the surrounding religious climate.
Attendees are encouraged to prepare for the event by reading a recent article by Nicholas Watson on the composition of Julian's Revelation of Love. Contact Michael Cornett to get a copy of the article.
Nicholas Watson is the Henry B. and Anne M. Cabot Professor of English Literature at Harvard University. He has published widely on Middle English literature and vernacular theology, including a major edition of Julian's writings.