Women’s voices

Julian of Norwich
Margery Kempe

Julian of Norwich (1342 – ca. 1416)

an anchoress at the church of St. Julian in
Norwich

A Book of Showings – 16 visions she received on
13 May 1373 when she was 30 and a half.

several wills bequeathing sums for Julian’s
maintenance and Margery Kempe’s testimony of
her visit

she calls herself “unlettered”, but was she?

Julian of Norwich

Short Text and Long Text – probably 15 years apart

First woman of letters writing in English

Visions received when she was dangerously ill

Crucifix

Then came suddenly to my mind that I should desire the second
wound of our Lord's gracious gift: that my body might be
fulfilled with mind and feeling of His blessed Passion. For I
would that His pains were my pains, with compassion and
afterward longing to God. But in this I desired never bodily
sight nor shewing of God, but compassion such as a kind soul
might have with our Lord Jesus, that for love would be a mortal
man: and therefore I desired to suffer with Him.

Julian of Norwich

The vision of Christ’s Passion and Incarnation

The vision of Trinity - comfort before temptation

“I saw that He is to us everything that is good
and comfortable for us: He is our clothing that
for love wrappeth us, claspeth us, and all
encloseth us for tender love, that He may never
leave us; being to us all-thing that is good, as to
mine understanding.”

Julian’s Vision of the Universe

Also in this He shewed me a little thing, the quantity of
an hazel-nut, in the palm of my hand; and it was as round
as a ball. I looked thereupon with 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 methought it might
suddenly have fallen to naught for little[ness]. And I was
answered in my understanding: It lasteth, and ever shall
[last] for that God loveth it. And so All-thing hath the
Being by the love of God. In this Little Thing I saw three
properties. The first is that God made it, the second is
that God loveth it, the third, that God keepeth it.

Julian’s Visions of Christ’s Passion

The great drops of blood fell down from under the Garland like
pellots, seeming as it had come out of the veins; ...The fairness
and the lifelikeness is like nothing but the same; the
plenteousness is like to the drops of water that fall off the
eaves after a great shower of rain, that fall so thick that no
man may number them with bodily wit; and for the roundness,
they were like to the scale of herring, in the spreading on the
forehead. These three came to my mind in the time: pellots, for
roundness, in the coming out of the blood; the scale of herring,
in the spreading in the forehead, for roundness; the drops off
eaves, for the plenteousness innumerable. This Shewing was
quick and life-like, and horrifying and dreadful, sweet and
lovely.

Julian’s Vision of Jesus

It is the most worship that a solemn King or a great
Lord may do a poor servant if he will be homely with
him, and specially if he sheweth it himself, of a full
true meaning, and with a glad cheer, both privately
and in company. … Thus it fareth with our Lord Jesus
and with us. For verily it is the most joy that may be,
as to my sight, that He that is highest and mightiest,
noblest and worthiest, is lowest and meekest,
homeliest and most courteous: and truly and verily
this marvellous joy shall be shewn us all when we
see Him.

Julian on Sin

“Sin is behovely, but all shall be well and all
manner of things shall be well”.

sin has “no manner of substance, ne no part of
being”.

hints at “a marvellous high mystery hid in God,
which mystery He shall openly make known to us
in Heaven: in which knowing we shall verily see
the cause why He suffered sin to come. In which
sight we shall endlessly joy in our Lord God.”

God as Mother

the idea present in the teachings of early Church
fathers but gradually forgotten

Clement of Alexandria (2

nd

-3rd c. AD)

Christ Jesus, heavenly milk

from the sweet breasts of the bride of grace,

squeezed from your wisdom.

The childlike, with tender mouths,

are cherished filled with the dewy spirit

of the Word’s breasts...

Anselm of Canterbury (11

th

c.)

“Christ, my mother, you gather your chickens
under your wings”

“I should now like to infer, if I can, that the
Supreme Spirit is most truly father and the Word
most truly son. Yet, I think I ought not to by-
pass the question of which set of terms is more
suitable for them – ‘father and son’ or ‘mother
and daughter’ – for there is no sexual distinction
in the Supreme Spirit and the Word.”

Julian on God as mother

God as father – gives us our “substance” (i.e.
essence)

Jesus as mother – takes care of our needs

Holy Spirit as lord – gives us our reward

crucifixion = childbirth, milk = the Sacrament

mothers can press their children to their breast,
but Jesus had his breast literally opened

Julian on God as Mother

The mother may suffer the child to fall sometimes, and to
be hurt in diverse manners for its own profit, but she may
never suffer that any manner of peril come to the child, for
love.

But oftentimes when our falling and our wretchedness is
shewed us, we are so sore adread, and so greatly ashamed
of our self, that scarcely we find where we may hold us. But
then willeth not our courteous Mother that we flee away, for
Him were nothing lother. But He willeth then that we use
the condition of a child: for when it is hurt, or adread, it
runneth hastily to the mother for help, with all its might.

Julian of Norwich

THIS book is begun by God's gift and His grace,
but it is not yet performed, as to my sight.

Explicit liber revelacionum Julyane anacorite
Norwyche, cuius anime propicietur deus.

Julian of Norwich

sensuality – physical body

substance – spiritual life

torn from each other by sin, united by Jesus

Margery Kempe

daughter of the mayor of King’s Lynn

trauma of her first childbirth and confession sends
her into depression and prompts her first vision

tries (unsuccessfully) her hand in brewing business

interrogated by the Archbishop of Canterbury and
the Archbishop of York

travels to the Holy Land and Sweden, visited Julian

illiterate

The Book of Margery Kempe

the manuscript made for her by a scribe, only
excerpts published in print in the 16

th

c.,

rediscovered in 1934.

Margery Kempe

after her first childbirth tormented by the
visions of devils and prone to self-mutilation

the vision of Christ “in lyknesse of a man, most
semly, most bewtyuows, and most amyable that
evyr mygth be seen wyth mannys eye”

after that “this creature” asks her husband for
her keys to the “buttery”

Margery’s vow of chastity

campaigning for three years

Margery pays her husband’s debts in exchange
for his agreeing to her vow of chastity

addressing her husband as “ye” but Jesus as
“thou”

insisting on wearing widow’s mantle and ring or
wearing white (virgins’ colour)

Margery’s pilgrimage

gift of tears

so overcome by the sight of Jerusalem that she
almost falls off her donkey

on the Calvary rolling on the ground and crying
“as though her heart should have burst
asunder”.

fits of crying brought about by seeing a child or
animal being beaten, within one day she had 14
such fits

Margery’s mystic marriage

modelled after Catherine of Siena

when God makes her the offer, she is
dumbstruck because in her devotion she
concentrated on “the manhood of Christ”

after the marriage she experiences sweet
smells, beautiful music, and the fire of love
which keeps her warm even in the coldest days

moving towards quietism

Women mystics

St Hildegard of Bingen (1098 - 1179)

St Bridget of Sweden (1303 – 1373)

St Catherine of Siena (1347 – 1380)

“Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is
not permitted unto them to speak; but they are
commanded to be under obedience as also saith the
law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their
husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to
speak in the church.” (1 Cor 14: 34 – 35)

preaching/telling

Affective Piety

Affective piety

Richard Rolle (1290/1300 – c. 1349) Incendium
Amoris (The Fire of Love) describes similar
sensations as Margery (music, heat, sweetness)