Revelations of Divine Love Literary Elements

Nonfiction, theology, philosophy; Christian mysticism

14th century England, in St. Julian's Church in Norwich

This set of theological reflections is told from the first-person perspective of Julian of Norwich, a female theologian associated with Christian mysticism who famously emphasizes divine love over all else.

Reverent, contemplative, awe-inspired

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Julian has recently come out of a serious illness that confined her to her bed. While incapacitated, she witnessed a series of divine revelations in the form of visions. These visions explained deep theological truths to her, and this book is an attempt to convey these visions and truths to others.

In the final chapters of the book, Julian muses upon the goodness of God to allow part of himself to dwell in the souls of believers, arguing that God's influence and power over our lives extends from the beginning of the universe to the eschaton, and we have the responsibility to live our lives in accordance with his will.

When Julian describes her illness and its terrible effects on her body, as well as the visions she receives, it foreshadows her presentation of these visions throughout the rest of the book, as well as her theological interjections and teachings.

“And being in youth as yet, I thought it great sorrow to die” (Chapter III)

Despite few Biblical references, Julian almost unceasingly alludes to Christian figures such as God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and Mary, all of which have pivotal roles in the Christian faith and are necessary background information for understanding this important work.

Julian uses the image of the crown of thorns to represent Christ's painful suffering during his crucifixion. This imagery is intense, but it accurately represents the lengths to which Christ went in order to redeem fallen humanity.

Julian claims to be an 'unlettered woman,' but this book was written in Middle English. This seeming paradox may be escaped if one considers the possibility that 'unlettered' means 'not proficient in Latin,' but otherwise the situation appears paradoxical.

“And thus I saw Him, and sought Him; and I had Him, I wanted Him.” (Chapter X)

“And after this I saw with bodily sight in the face of the crucifix that hung before me” (Chapter X)

“This bodily example was shewed so highly that man's heart might be ravished and almost forgetting itself for joy of the great homeliness.” (Chapter VII)