Julian the Feminist and Mother God

by Nicola Perner Fri Aug 24, 2018 8:24 pm

In his article, “Julian of Norwich and Her Audience” (1977), B. A. Windeatt discusses several significant differences between the earlier, short text and the longer, later text of Revelations of Divine Love. A major difference between the short and long texts is Julian’s treatment of herself, Windeatt (1977) argues. In particular, the obviously defensive tone of the short text disappears in the long one, and is replaced by an emphasis on the importance of her revelations themselves for the Christian population. Although she nevertheless continuously downplays her role and importance in the revelations in the long text, Julian’s assertion in that she is “a woman, ignorant, weak and frail” (short text, ch. 6) is no longer evident. Additionally, the long text includes among the many meditative passages the declaration that God – and Christ in particular – is mother as well as father (chs. 52, 58, 59, 60, 61, 64). This essay will analyse how Julian positions herself as a woman within the social and religious context of her time in each text. In relation to this, Julian’s writing on God as mother will be discussed. By examining these aspects of both texts, this essay will argue that Julian’s Revelations of Divine Love contains threads of feminist thought, drawing on Catherine Innes-Parker’s article “Subversion and Conformity in Julian’s Revelation: Authority, Vision, and the Motherhood of God” (1997).