Other than what is contained in her singular work, Showings of
Divine Love, we know almost nothing of the personal life of Julian.
We do, however, know something about her background, as a recluse,
or anchoress, and the social, cultural, and political life of
late-fourteenth-century England. Although nothing of it is
mentioned in her Showings, the times in which Julian lived were
fraught with political, social, and economic upheavals in both
Church and state. There are, indeed, many parallels to the present
age. This, in part, helps to explain why Julian speaks so loudly to
today after six hundred years of silence. On the thirteenth of May,
1373, Julian received a series of sixteen visions centered on the
person and sufferings of Jesus and on the Trinity. A short time
later, she wrote an account of them in twenty-five chapters (known
as the "Short Text"). Twenty years later, after much prayer and
reflection, she wrote another account consisting of eighty-six
chapters (called the "Long Text"). During this important interim,
Julian the visionary became Julian the theologian. Julian's visions
correspond to the classic understanding of such phenomena. Some
visions were spiritual locutions. In this experience, God spoke
directly to her heart in such a way as to communicate with
absolute, unquestioned clarity the desired message. Actual words
were probably not used but the visionary was left with no doubt as
to the authenticity or the meaning of the message. Other visions
were visual or experienced as coming through the corporeal senses.
These resulted from the direct action of God on the imagination.
Still others were spiritual visions, not easily expressed and
usually concerned with the deeper mysteries of God, such as the
Trinity. Many of Julian's visions were combinations of all three
types. This book is not a translation or a paraphrase of Julian's
Showings of Divine Love. Rather, it is a commentary intended to
provide information, reflections, and some further theological
understanding that may enhance the modern Christian's reading of
Julian's book. It may be read independently, prior to reading
Julian's book, or together with it, chapter by chapter.
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