The medieval mystic Julian of Norwich is a devotional favorite of mine. I am in a process of writing short meditations on her work, with breath prayers to carry you through your day, and I’d love to offer presentations and retreats that you can book for your church or group. Posts about her writing on my Home page are tagged “Julian of Norwich” so that you can find them easily. And below are some excellent resources to aid your exploration; this list continues to grow, especially as the 650th anniversary of Julian’s experience of the “revelations of divine love” came recently, in May 2023.
Julian of Norwich website, curated by the Friends of Julian and the staff of St. Julian’s Church in Norwich, UK.
Julian of Norwich Facebook page, administered by Veronica Mary Wolf, who researches and writes about Julian.
(Episcopal) Fr. David Simmons. Love Was His Meaning. Podcast, short expositions of Julian’s Revelations along with Daily Office scripture and prayers.
Fr. John-Julian, OJN, ed. and trans. The Complete Julian of Norwich. Paraclete Giants. Brewster, MA: Paraclete, 2009. The Long Text of the Showings, with many notes and lots of supplemental information and discussion.
Frykholm, Amy. Julian of Norwich. Brewster, MA: Paraclete, 2010. Creative biography that helps us imagine Julian’s life.
Fryholm, Amy. “Julian the Theologian.” The Christian Century, May 2023. A stellar and very moving article drawing together all the important threads in Julian’s theology, which is always pastoral.
Hall, Amy Laura. Laughing at the Devil: Seeing the World with Julian of Norwich. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2018. Explorations of some of Julian’s key insights–more personal and accessible than you might expect from a university press publication.
Hamman, Grace. Jesus through Medieval Eyes: Beholding Christ with the Artists, Mystics, and Theologians of the Middle Ages. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Reflective, 2023. Grace Hamman has put together a feast–a very accessible feast–of devotional riches from European medieval times. I’ve been following Grace on social media for a while because she loves Julian of Norwich, I think as much as I do. She also has a delightful podcast, Old Books with Grace, where she explores not only medieval saints but also the writings of Shakespeare, George MacDonald, Louisa May Alcott, and many more. In Jesus through Medieval Eyes we encounter images of Jesus that are strange to us, like Jesus as Knight, or off-putting, such as Jesus as Judge. Grace leads us into the meaning of these symbols in their context, which helps us find resonance in our own.
MacKenzie, Victoria. For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy on My Little Pain. London: Bloomsbury, 2023. An inspired novel alternating between the voices of Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe, English mystics who met each other (on Julian’s porch!) near the end of Julian’s life. The voices are very different, reflecting contrasting personalities and ways of life in medieval England, yet these women’s shared passion for God draws them close.
Poleg, Eyal. Approaching the Bible in Medieval England. Manchester Medieval Studies. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 2013. This one is quite academic, and it doesn’t refer specifically to Julian, but it’s fascinating if you’re interested in what Julian might have known of the Bible, given that she probably did not read or write Latin.
Sanna, Ellyn. All Shall Be Well: A Modern-Language Version of the Revelations of Julian of Norwich. Vestal, NY: Anamchara Books, 2018. A lovely and careful paraphrase of Julian’s Long Text with a brief introduction to each chapter. Sanna’s thoughtful introduction explains some of the historical context and the word choices she made to render Julian’s insights as faithfully as possible.
Sanna, Ellyn. “Toward a Theology of a Queer God.” U.S. Catholic, May 30, 2023, online; June 2023 print issue. If “queer” isn’t a positive term for you, please still give this thoughtful essay a chance. Sanna reminds us that no orthodox Christian theology actually assigns a gender to God, and explores the value of Julian’s use of both feminine and masculine metaphors for the members of the Holy Trinity.
Wolf, Veronica Mary. An Explorer’s Guide to Julian of Norwich. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2018. A great help for understanding Julian’s writings within their historical context.
Ruth Goring 