Description

In this episode of Hot Takes on the Classics, Emily Maeda and Tim McIntosh explore Revelations of Divine Love by Julian of Norwich, the first known book written in English by a woman. They discuss Julian’s life as a fourteenth-century anchoress, her extraordinary visions during a near-fatal illness, and her enduring theological vision of divine love as all-encompassing, sustaining, and ultimately victorious over sin and suffering. Along the way, they reflect on the nature of mysticism, the symbolic imagination of medieval Christianity, and why Julian’s insistence that “all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well” can only be understood in the shadow of the Cross.

Episode Outline

• Opening quotation from “Little Gidding” by T.S. Eliot and its connection to Julian of Norwich
• Julian of Norwich’s historical context: anchoress life, Middle English, and medieval spirituality
• The recovery, transmission, and modern rediscovery of Revelations of Divine Love
• What it means to call Julian a “mystic” and how mysticism differs from systematic theology
• Julian’s illness, visions, and the structure of the “shewings”
• The hazelnut vision and Julian’s understanding of creation as sustained by love
• Sin as “behovely” and the meaning of “all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well”
• Julian’s Trinitarian vision of love and being “oynd” with God
• Christ as mother: metaphor, symbolism, and theological daring
• The lasting relevance of Julian’s mystical theology for modern readers

Key Topics & Takeaways

• Mysticism and Direct Vision: Julian exemplifies the mystic as one who receives interior visions that convey theological truth through symbol, image, and contemplation rather than abstract doctrine.
• Love as the Structure of Reality: For Julian, divine love is not merely an attribute of God but the sustaining force of all that exists, holding creation together like a hazelnut in God’s hand.
• Sin as Privation, Not Power: Sin is real and painful, but it has no independent substance; it is contained within God’s larger work of love and redemption.
• The Cross as the Context of Hope: Julian’s famous assurance that “all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well” emerges not from denial of suffering but from prolonged contemplation of Christ’s Passion.
• Expansive Christological Imagery: Julian’s portrayal of Christ as mother draws on medieval symbolism to express nourishment, sacrifice, and intimate care, expanding the reader’s theological imagination.

Questions & Discussion

• What distinguishes mysticism from formal theology in Julian’s writing?
  Consider how vision, symbol, and lived experience function differently from doctrinal explanation.
• How does the hazelnut vision reshape the way we think about creation and evil?
  Reflect on whether seeing the world as sustained entirely by love alters how we interpret suffering.
• What does Julian mean when she says that “Sin is behovely”?
  Discuss how this idea challenges modern assumptions about moral causality and blame.
• How does Julian of Norwich’s assurance “all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well” resonate with Tolkien’s idea of eucatastrophe?
  Consider how both thinkers understand hope not as the denial of suffering, but as the surprising revelation of goodness emerging through loss, failure, or apparent defeat.
• How should modern readers approach Julian’s image of Christ as mother?
  Consider the role of metaphor and symbolism in theology and whether discomfort signals resistance or misunderstanding.

Suggested Reading

• Revelations of Divine Love by Julian of Norwich
• The Book of Margery Kempe by Margery Kempe
• Four Quartets, “Little Gidding“ by T.S. Eliot
• Thomas Aquinas: Selected Writings by Thomas Aquinas 
• The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien 
• Devotchka