The search for the lost manuscript of Julian of Norwich

[simpleas]

This is an interesting programme about Julian of Norwich.

bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b07l6bd0/the-search-for-the-lost-manuscript-julian-of-norwich?suggid=b07l6bd0

Description :

The Search for the Lost Manuscript: Julian of Norwich
Medieval art historian Dr Janina Ramirez tells the incredible story of a book hidden for centuries in the shadows of history, the first book ever written in English by a woman, Julian of Norwich, in 1373.
Revelations of Divine Love dared to present an alternative vision of man’s relationship with God, a theology fundamentally at odds with the church of Julian’s time, and for 500 years the book was suppressed. It re-emerged in the 20th century as an iconic text for the women’s movement and was acknowledged as a literary masterpiece.
Janina follows the trail of the lost manuscript, travelling from Norwich to Cambrai in northern France to discover how the book survived and the brave women who championed it.

I have the book Revelations of Divine love by Julian of Norwich and stopped at page 114 many months back, but on viewing the programme I’ve got the itch to carry on reading it.

If you like Julian of Norwich you’ll most likely enjoy this programme, if you’ve never heard of her, it’ll be just as interesting to learn something new!

Enjoy!

 

[christofirst]

The BBC won’t let me watch it in the U.S. , or so the website says. I love the Revelations of Julian of Norwich, and have several translations. Father John-Julian, OJN, wrote in The Complete Julian of Norwich (2009, Paraclete Press) that Julian’s original 14th century manuscript no longer exists (to his knowledge at that time). There are seven early copies, some only fragments, the earliest being made in the mid-fifteenth century and held in the British Library. Does this BBC production offer any new information? I would like to see it.

 

[simpleas]

The BBC won’t let me watch it in the U.S. , or so the website says. I love the Revelations of Julian of Norwich, and have several translations. Father John-Julian, OJN, wrote in The Complete Julian of Norwich (2009, Paraclete Press) that Julian’s original 14th century manuscript no longer exists (to his knowledge at that time). There are seven early copies, some only fragments, the earliest being made in the mid-fifteenth century and held in the British Library. Does this BBC production offer any new information? I would like to see it.

I’m sorry that you can’t view it in the US, I didn’t realise the BBC had that restriction on it’s website

I think you may know a lot more than me! I’ve just learnt a little more from the programme.

Have you heard of a Lady by the name of Margery Kempe?

From what the presenter in the programme researched, it may be possible that Julian gave her the manuscript (original) or a copy, and that she in turn gave it to other sympathisers, as you’ll know in those days women were not meant to be writers about God, or anything!

Then due to the reformation most manuscripts were destroyed, but in 1623 a group of 9 nuns who fled England to set up in France had a copy, as they had written many books with quotes from Divine revelations.

The programme goes deeper into other aspects like the french revolution and the convent and nuns being attacked and executed. Their books and manuscripts destroyed, but still a copy of julians made it back to England.

500 years later in 1901 a lady named Grace Warwick had a translation of the manuscript but it was by a male translator and she wanted Julian’s own. She knew she would find it at the British museum. There Hans Sloane had left 50,000 books and manuscripts to the museum after his death.

There, in the section under Magic and witch craft…!

Was the manuscript titled Revelations to one who could not read a letter, 1373.

It was written by one of the nuns in France and is most likely the closes we can get to the actual original.

It took Grace one month to copy it out then she took it to Edinburgh to translate it and then persuaded Methuen to publish it.

Here is a link to who Margery Kempe is :

stmargaretskingslynn.org.uk/history/margery-kempe/margery-kempe-and-julian-of-norwich/

I hope you can view that link. And hopefully I’ve shared something you might not have known from the programme

 

[fhansen]

This is an interesting programme about Julian of Norwich.

bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b07l6bd0/the-search-for-the-lost-manuscript-julian-of-norwich?suggid=b07l6bd0

Description :

The Search for the Lost Manuscript: Julian of Norwich
Medieval art historian Dr Janina Ramirez tells the incredible story of a book hidden for centuries in the shadows of history, the first book ever written in English by a woman, Julian of Norwich, in 1373.
Revelations of Divine Love dared to present an alternative vision of man’s relationship with God, a theology fundamentally at odds with the church of Julian’s time, and for 500 years the book was suppressed. It re-emerged in the 20th century as an iconic text for the women’s movement and was acknowledged as a literary masterpiece.
Janina follows the trail of the lost manuscript, travelling from Norwich to Cambrai in northern France to discover how the book survived and the brave women who championed it.

I have the book Revelations of Divine love by Julian of Norwich and stopped at page 114 many months back, but on viewing the programme I’ve got the itch to carry on reading it.

If you like Julian of Norwich you’ll most likely enjoy this programme, if you’ve never heard of her, it’ll be just as interesting to learn something new!

Enjoy!

The Church actually quotes her in the catechism.

 

[simpleas]

The Church actually quotes her in the catechism.

So it does

313 "We know that in everything God works for good for those who love him."180 The constant witness of the saints confirms this truth:

St. Catherine of Siena said to “those who are scandalized and rebel against what happens to them”: "Everything comes from love, all is ordained for the salvation of man, God does nothing without this goal in mind."181

St. Thomas More, shortly before his martyrdom, consoled his daughter: "Nothing can come but that that God wills. And I make me very sure that whatsoever that be, seem it never so bad in sight, it shall indeed be the best."182

Dame Julian of Norwich: "Here I was taught by the grace of God that I should steadfastly keep me in the faith. . . and that at the same time I should take my stand on and earnestly believe in what our Lord shewed in this time - that ‘all manner [of] thing shall be well.’"183

 

[christofirst]

I’m sorry that you can’t view it in the US, I didn’t realise the BBC had that restriction on it’s website

I think you may know a lot more than me! I’ve just learnt a little more from the programme.

Have you heard of a Lady by the name of Margery Kempe?

From what the presenter in the programme researched, it may be possible that Julian gave her the manuscript (original) or a copy, and that she in turn gave it to other sympathisers, as you’ll know in those days women were not meant to be writers about God, or anything!

Then due to the reformation most manuscripts were destroyed, but in 1623 a group of 9 nuns who fled England to set up in France had a copy, as they had written many books with quotes from Divine revelations.

The programme goes deeper into other aspects like the french revolution and the convent and nuns being attacked and executed. Their books and manuscripts destroyed, but still a copy of julians made it back to England.

500 years later in 1901 a lady named Grace Warwick had a translation of the manuscript but it was by a male translator and she wanted Julian’s own. She knew she would find it at the British museum. There Hans Sloane had left 50,000 books and manuscripts to the museum after his death.

There, in the section under Magic and witch craft…!

Was the manuscript titled Revelations to one who could not read a letter, 1373.

It was written by one of the nuns in France and is most likely the closes we can get to the actual original.

It took Grace one month to copy it out then she took it to Edinburgh to translate it and then persuaded Methuen to publish it.

Here is a link to who Margery Kempe is :

stmargaretskingslynn.org.uk/history/margery-kempe/margery-kempe-and-julian-of-norwich/

I hope you can view that link. And hopefully I’ve shared something you might not have known from the programme

Thanks for the additional information. I have heard of Margery Kempe, an unusual mystic in her own right, and there is evidence of at least one visit between Margery and Julian. Also, I was able to watch some of the BBC program after all on another venue.

From what I have seen, Julian of Norwich is sometimes caught in a tug-of-war between progressive and conservative Christians. Progressives latch on to and speculate about the potential meaning of some of her statements, and conservatives are quick to point out her orthodoxy, or just dismiss her writings as private revelation. But as two of you pointed out, she is quoted in the Catechism, and Pope Benedict XVI also wrote a glowing tribute to her during his papacy.

What most draws me to her work is her optimism. I have always been put off by “doom and gloom” Christians, however well intentioned they may be. Whenever I read Julian of Norwich, I marvel at her understanding of our relationship with God, and I am filled with hope .

 

[fhansen]

Thanks for the additional information. I have heard of Margery Kempe, an unusual mystic in her own right, and there is evidence of at least one visit between Margery and Julian. Also, I was able to watch some of the BBC program after all on another venue.

From what I have seen, Julian of Norwich is sometimes caught in a tug-of-war between progressive and conservative Christians. Progressives latch on to and speculate about the potential meaning of some of her statements, and conservatives are quick to point out her orthodoxy, or just dismiss her writings as private revelation. But as two of you pointed out, she is quoted in the Catechism, and Pope Benedict XVI also wrote a glowing tribute to her during his papacy.

What most draws me to her work is her optimism. I have always been put off by “doom and gloom” Christians, however well intentioned they may be. Whenever I read Julian of Norwich, I marvel at her understanding of our relationship with God, and I am filled with hope .

Yes, she had-or received-hope in a particularly hopeless time. What set her apart most dramatically, as I recall, is mainly, simply, a deep knowledge of God, received during her “shewings”. She was granted a profound understanding of His goodness and love, along with specific revelations addressing her concerns. And I tend to think that now more than ever the Church is taking that message to heart, and spreading it more assertively.

 

[simpleas]

Thanks for the additional information. I have heard of Margery Kempe, an unusual mystic in her own right, and there is evidence of at least one visit between Margery and Julian. Also, I was able to watch some of the BBC program after all on another venue.

From what I have seen, Julian of Norwich is sometimes caught in a tug-of-war between progressive and conservative Christians. Progressives latch on to and speculate about the potential meaning of some of her statements, and conservatives are quick to point out her orthodoxy, or just dismiss her writings as private revelation. But as two of you pointed out, she is quoted in the Catechism, and Pope Benedict XVI also wrote a glowing tribute to her during his papacy.

What most draws me to her work is her optimism. I have always been put off by “doom and gloom” Christians, however well intentioned they may be. Whenever I read Julian of Norwich, I marvel at her understanding of our relationship with God, and I am filled with hope .

Glad you could watch some of it

I realised after I had written about Margery Kempe that you would have known the name, because I saw that the last page in the book is about their meeting! I’m on page 130 now.

Yes I think that is what draws a lot of people to her, that she could feel the love of God even through all the horrors of the medieval days, and that she believed no one could separate them self entirely from God.

30 years living in a small room “cell” and I still am hoping to go to Norwich to see where she lived. It’s only a 3 hour drive from where I live.

Thanks.