Revelations of Divine Love (Showings)
A Revelation of Love
Julian of Norwich·Short Text c. 1373; Long Text c. 1393–c. 1420·from the Middle English
A full modern English translation of the work — 1 book, 86 chapters — translated sentence by sentence from the Middle English, with scripture echoes traced and brief notes on the harder turns of phrase. Choose a section to begin reading.
86 chapters1,946 sentences79 scripture echoes
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Revelations of Divine Love (Showings)
- 1.1Revelations to one who could not read a letter. Anno Domini 1373. A Particular of the Chapters. The first chapter, off the noumber of the Revelations particularly.
- 1.2The second chapter. Of the tyme of these revelations, and how shee asked three petitions.
- 1.3Of the sekenese opteyned of God be petition. Third chapter.
- 1.4Here begynnith the first revelation of the pretious crownyng of Criste etc. in the first chapter, and how God fullfilleth the herrte with most joy, and of His greate meekenesse; and how the syght of the passion of Criste is sufficient strength ageyn all temptations of the fends, and of the gret excellency and mekenesse of the blissid Virgin Mary. The fourth chapter.
- 1.5How God is to us everything that is gode, tenderly wrappand us; and all thing that is made, in regard to Almighty it is nothing; and how man hath no rest till he nowteth himselfe and all thing for the love of God. The fifth chapter.
- 1.6How we shold pray; and of the gret tender love that our Lord hath to mannes soule, willing us to be occupyed in knowing and loveing of Him. The sixth chapter.
- 1.7How our Lady, beholdyng the gretenes of hir Maker, thowte hirselfe leste; and of the great droppys of blode renning from under the garland; and how the most joy to man is that God most hie and mightie is holyest and curtesiest. Seventh chapter.
- 1.8A recapitulation of that is seid; and how it was shewid to hir generally for all. Eighth chapter.
- 1.9Of the mekenes of this woman kepeing hir alway in the feith of Holy Church; and how he that lovyth his evyn Cristen for God lovith all thing. Ninth chapter.
- 1.10The second Revelation is of His discolouryng etc; of our redemption, and the discolouring of the vernacle; and how it plesith God we seke Him besily, abiding Him stedfastly and trusting Hym mightily. Tenth chapter.
- 1.11The third Revelation etc.; how God doth al thing except synne, never chongyng His purpose without end, for He hath made al thing in fulhede of goodnes. The eleventh chapter.
- 1.12The fourth Revelation etc.; how it likith God rather and better to wash us in His blode from synne than in water, for His blode is most pretius. Twelfth chapter.
- 1.13The fifth Revelation is that the temptation of the fend is overcome be the passion of Criste, to the encres of joy of and to His peyne everlestingly. Thirteenth chapter.
- 1.14The sixth Revelation is of the worshippfull thanke with which He rewardith His servants, and it hath three joyes. Fourteenth chapter.
- 1.15The seventh Revelation is of oftentymes felyng of wele and wo etc.; and how it is expedient that man sumtymes be left withoute comfort, synne it not causeing. Fifteenth chapter.
- 1.16The eighth Revelation is of the last petiuous peynes of Christe deyeng, and discoloryng of His face and dreyeng of flesh. Sixteenth chapter.
- 1.17Of the grevous bodyly threst of Criste causyd four wysys and of His petouous coronyng; and of the most payne to kinde lover. Seventeenth chapter.
- 1.18Of the spiritual martyrdam of our Lady and other lovers of Criste, and how al things suffryd with Hym goode and ylle. Eighteenth chapter.
- 1.19Of the comfortable beholdyng of the crucifyx; and how the desyre of the flesh without consent of the soule is no synne. And the flesh must be in peyne, suffring til bothe be onyd to Criste. Nineteenth chapter.
- 1.20Of the onspekabyl passion of Criste, and of three things of the passion alway to be remembrid. Twentieth chapter.
- 1.21Of three Beholdyngs in the passion of Criste, and how we be now deyng in the Crosse with Criste, but His chere puttyt away al peyne. Twenty-first chapter.
- 1.22The ninth Revelation is of the lekyng etc., of three Hevyns, and the infinite love of Criste, desiring every day to suffre for us, if He myght, althow it is not nedeful. Twenty-second chapter.
- 1.23How Criste wil we joyen with Hym gretly in our redemption and to desire grace of Hym that we may so doe. Twenty-third chapter.
- 1.24The tenth Revelation is that our Lord Jesus shewith in love His blissid herte cloven in two enjoyand. Twenty-fourth chapter.
- 1.25The eleventh Revelation is an hey gostly shewing of His Moder. Twenty-fifth chapter.
- 1.26The twelfth Revelation is that the Lord our God is al sovereyn beyng. Twenty-sixth chapter.
- 1.27The thirteenth Revelation is that our Lord God wil that we have grete regard to all His deds that He hav don in the gret noblyth of al things makyng and of etc; how synne is not knowin but by the peyn. Twenty-seventh chapter.
- 1.28How the children of salvation shal be shakyn in sorowis, but Criste enjoyth wyth compassion; and a remedye agayn tribulation. Twenty-eighth chapter.
- 1.29Adam synne was gretest, but the satisfaction for it is more plesyng to God than ever was the synne harmfull. Twenty-ninth chapter.
- 1.30How we shuld joye and trusten in our Savior Jesus not presumyng to know His privy counsell. Thirtieth chapter.
- 1.31Off the longyng and the spiritual threst of Criste which lestyth and shall lesten til domys day. And be the reason of His body, He is not yet full gloryfyed ne al unpassible. Thirty-first chapter.
- 1.32How al thyng shal be wele and Scripture fulfillid, and we must stedfastly holdyn us in the faith of Holy Chirch as is Crists wille. Thirty-second chapter.
- 1.33Al dampnyd soule be dispisid in the syte of God, as the devil; and these Revelations withdraw not the feith of Holy Church, but comfortith; and the more we besy to know Gods privites, the less we knowen. Thirty-third chapter.
- 1.34God shewyth the privityes necessarye to His lovers; and how they plese God mekyl that receive diligently the prechyng of Holy Church. Thirty-fourth chapter.
- 1.35How God doith al that is good and suffrith worshipfully al by His mercy, the which shal secyn whan synne is no longer suffrid. Thirty-fifth chapter.
- 1.36Of another excellent dede that our Lord shal don, which be grace may be known a party here, and how we shul enjoyen in the same, and how God yet doith myracles. Thirty-sixth chapter.
- 1.37God kepyth His chosen ful sekirly althowe thei synne, for in these is a godly will that never assayed to synne. Thirty-seventh chapter.
- 1.38Synne of the chosen shall be turnyd to joye and worship. Exemple of David, Peter, and John of Beverley. Thirty-eighth chapter.
- 1.39Of the sharpnes of synne and the godenes of contrition, and how our kynd Lord will not we dispair for often fallyng. Thirty-ninth chapter.
- 1.40Us nedyth to longyn in love with Jesus, eschewyng synne for love; the vyleness of synne passith al peynes; and God lovith wol tenderly us while we be in synne, and so us nedyth to doe our neybor. Fortieth chapter.
- 1.41The fourteenth Revelation is as afornseyd etc. It is impossible we shuld pray for mercy and want it; and how God will we alway pray thow we be drey and barryn, for that prayer is to Him acceptabil and plesante. Forty-first chapter.
- 1.42Off three thyngs that longyn to prayor, and how we shuld pray; and of the goodnes of God that supplyeth alway our imperfection and febilnes whan we do that longyth to us to do. Forty-second chapter.
- 1.43What prayor doth, ordeynyd to God will; and how the goodnes of God hath gret lekyng in the deds that He doth be us, as He wer beholden to us, werkyng althyng ful swetely. Forty-third chapter.
- 1.44Of the properties of the Trinite; and how mannys soule, a creature, hath the same properties, doyng that that it was made for: seyng, beholdyng, and mervelyng his God, so, by that, it semyth as nowte to the selfe. Forty-fourth chapter.
- 1.45Of the ferme and depe jugement of God and the variant jugement of man. Forty-fifth chapter.
- 1.46We cannot knowen ourself in this life but be feith and grace, but we must know ourself synners; and how God is never wreth, being most nere the soule, it kepyng. Forty-sixth chapter.
- 1.47We must reverently mervelyn and mekly suffren, ever enjoyand in God; and how our blyndhede, in that we se not God, is cause of synne. Forty-seventh chapter.
- 1.48Off mercy and grace and their propertyes; and how we shall enjoy that ever we suffrid wo patiently. Forty-eighth chapter.
- 1.49Our lif is growndid in love withoute the which we perish; but yet God is never wroth, but in our wreth and synne He mercifully kepith us, and tretith us to peace, rewarding our tribulations. Forty-ninth chapter.
- 1.50How the chosen soule was nevere ded in the syte of God, and of a mervel upon the same; and three things boldid hir to aske of God the understondyng of it. Fiftieth chapter.
- 1.51The answere to the doute afor by a mervelous example of a lord and a servant; and God will be abidyn, for it was nere twenty yeres after ere she fully understode this example; and how it is understod that Crist syttith on the ryth hand of the Fader. Fifty-first chapter.
- 1.52God enjoyeth that He is our fadir, mother, and spouse, and how the chosen have here a medlur of wele and wo, but God is with us in three manner; and how we may eschew synne but never it perfectly as in heaven. Fifty-second chapter.
- 1.53The kindness of God assigneth no blame to His chosen, for in these is a godly will that never consent to synne. For it behovyth the ruthfulhede of God so to be knitt to these that ther be a substance kept that may never be departid from Hym. Fifty-third chapter.
- 1.54We ought to enjoye that God wonyth in our soule and our soule in God, so that atwix God and our soule is nothing, but as it were al God; and how feith is ground of al vertue in our soule be the Holy Gost. Fifty-fourth chapter.
- 1.55Christ is our wey, ledand and presenting us to the Fader; and forwith as the soule is infusid in the body, mercy and grace werkyn. And how the Second Person toke our sensualite to deliver us from duble deth. Fifty-fifth chapter.
- 1.56It is esier to know God than our soule, for God is to us nerer than that, and therfore if we will have knowing of it, we must seke into God; and He will we desir to have knowledge of kynde, mercy, and grace. Fifty-sixth chapter.
- 1.57In our substance we aren full; in our sensualite we faylyn, which God will restore be mercy and grace. And how our kinde which is the heyer part is knitt to God in the makyng, and God, Jesus, is knitt to our kind in the lower part in our flesh takyng. And of feith spryngyn other vertues; and Mary is our Moder. Fifty-seventh chapter.
- 1.58God was never displesid with His chosin wif; and of three properties in the Trinite, faderhede, Moderhede, and lordhede; and how our substance is in every person, but our sensualite is in Criste alone. Fifty-eighth chapter.
- 1.59Wickednes is turnyd to bliss be mercy and grace in the chosyn, for the properte of God is to do good ageyn ille be Jesus our Moder in kynd grace; and the heyest soule in vertue is mekest, of which ground we have other vertues. Fifty-ninth chapter.
- 1.60How we be bowte ageyn and forthspred be mercy and grace of our swete, kynde, and ever lovyng Moder Jesus; and of the propertes of Moderhede. But Jesus is our very Moder, not fedyng us with mylke but with Himselfe, opening His syde onto us and chalengyng al our love. Sixtieth chapter.
- 1.61Jesus usith more tenderness in our gostly bringing forth; thow He suffrith us to fallyn in knowing of our wretchidness, He hastily resysith us, not brekyng His love for our trespass, for He may not suffre His Child to perish. For He will that we have the properte of a Child fleing to Him alway in our necessite. Sixty-first chapter.
- 1.62The love of God suffrith never His chosen to lose tyme, for all their troble is turnyd into endless joye; and how we arn al bownden to God for kindness and for grace. For every kind is in man, and us nedyth not to seke out to know sondry kindes, but to Holy Church. Sixty-second chapter.
- 1.63Synne is more peynfull than Hell, and vile, and hurting kinde; but grace savith kinde and destroyith synne. The children of Jesus be not yet all borne, which pass not the stature of childhood livying in febilnes till thei come to Hevyn wher joys arn ever new begynnand without end. Sixty-third chapter.
- 1.64The fifteenth Revelation is as it shewid etc. The absense of God in this lif is our ful gret peyne, besyde other travel, but we shal sodenly be taken fro all peyne, having Jesus to our Moder; and our patient abyding is gretly plesyng to God. And God wil we take our disese lightly, for love, thinkand us alwey at the poynte to be delivirid. Sixty-fourth chapter.
- 1.65He that chesith God for love with reverent mekeness is sekir to be savid, which reverent mekenes seith the Lord mervelous grete and the selfe mervelous litil. And it is God will we drede nothing but Him, for the power of our enemy is taken in our freinds hand. And therfore al that God doith shall be gret likyng to us. Sixty-fifth chapter.
- 1.66The sixteenth Revelation etc. And it is conclusion and confirmation to all fifteen. And of hir frelty and morning in disese and lyte speking after the gret comfort of Jesus, seying she had ravid; which, being hir gret sekeness, I suppose was but venial synne. But yet the Devil after that had gret power to vexin hir ner to deth. Sixty-sixth chapter.
- 1.67Of the worshipfull syte of the soule which is so nobly create that it myte no better a be made, in which the Trinite joyeth everlastingly; and the soule may have rest in nothing but in God, which sittith therin reuling al things. Sixty-seventh chapter.
- 1.68Of sothfast knowing that it is Jesus that shewid all this, and it was no ravyng; and how we owen to have sekir troste in all our tribulation that we shall not be overcome. Sixty-eighth chapter.
- 1.69Of the second long temptation of the devill to despeir; but she mytyly trosted to God and to the feith of Holy Church, rehersing the passion of Christe be the which she was deliverid. Sixty-ninth chapter.
- 1.70In all tribulation we owe to be stedfast in the feith trosting mytyly in God. For if our faith had no enimyte it should deserve no mede; and how all these shewings arn in the faith. Seventieth chapter.
- 1.71Jesus will our soules be in glad cher to Hym, for His cher is to us mery and lovely; and how He shewith to us three manner cher, of passion, compassion, and blisfull cher. Seventy-first chapter.
- 1.72Synne in the chosen soulis is dedly for a time, but thei be not ded in the syght of God; and how we have here matter of joy and moneing, and that for our blindhede and weyte of flesh; and of the most comfortable chere of God; and why these shewings were made. Seventy-second chapter.
- 1.73These Revelations were shewid three wises. And of two gostly sekenes, of which God will we amend us, remembring His passion, knowing also He is al love; for He will we have sekirnes and liking in love, not takyng onskilfull hevyness for our synnes past. Seventy-third chapter.
- 1.74Ther ben four manner of drede, but reverent drede is a lovely true that never is without meke love; and yet thei be not both one; and how we should pray God for the same. Seventy-fourth chapter.
- 1.75Us nedith love, longing, and pite; and of three manner of longing in God which arn in us; and how in the day of dome the joy of the blissid shal ben incresid, seing verily the cause of all thyng that God hath don, dredfully tremeland, and thankand for joye, mervelyng the gretnes of God and littlenes of all that is made. Seventy-fifth chapter.
- 1.76A loveand soule hatith synne for vilehede more than all the peyn of Hell; and how the beholdyng of other mannys synne (but if it be with compassion), lettith the beholdyng of God; and the devill, be putting in remembrans our writchidness, would letten for the same; and of our slawth. Seventy-sixth Chapter.
- 1.77Off the enmite of the fend which lesith more in our uprising than he winnith be our fallyng, and therfore he is scornyd. And how the scorge of God shuld be suffrid with mynde of His passion. For that is specially rewardid aboven penance be ourselfe chosen. And we must nedes hove wo, but curtes God is our leder, keper, and bliss. Seventy-seventh chapter.
- 1.78Our Lord will we know four manner of goodnes that He doith to us; and how we neede the lyte of grace to knowen our synne and febilnes, for we arn nothing of ourselfe but writchidnes, and we may not know the horribilnes of synne as it is. And how our enemy would we should never know our synne til the last day, wherfore we arn mekil bowndend to God that shewith it now. Seventy-eighth chapter.
- 1.79We are lernyd to our synne, and not to our neighbors, but for their helpe; and God will we know whatsomever stering we have contrary to this shewing, it comith of our enemy. For the gret love of God knowen, we should not ben the more reckles to fallen, and if we fallen, we must hastily risen or ell we are gretly onkind to God. Seventy-ninth chapter.
- 1.80By three thyngs God is worshippid and we savid; and how our knowing now is but as an ABC. And swete Jhesus doith all, abyding and monyng with us, but whan we arn in synne, Christ monyth alone. Than it longith to us for kindness and reverens hastily to turne agen to Him. Eightieth chapter.
- 1.81This blissid woman saw God in divers manners, but she saw Him take no resting place but in manys soule. And He will we enjoyen more in His love then sorowen for often falling, remembring reward everlasting and liveing gladly in penance; and why God suffrith synne. Eighty-first chapter.
- 1.82God beholdith the monyng of the soule with pite and not with blame, and yet we do nowte but synne, in the which we arn kept in solace and in drede. For He will we turne us to Him, redy clevand to His love, seand that He is our medicyne. And so we must love in longing and in enjoyeing, and whatsover is contrarie to this is not of God but of enmity. Eighty-second chapter.
- 1.83Of three properties in God - Life, Love and Light; and that our reason is in God, accordand. It is heyest gift; and how our feith is a light commeing of the Fadre mesurid to us, and in this night us ledand. And the end of our wo: Sodenly our eye shall be openid in full light and clarity of syte which is our maker, Fader, and Holy Gost, in Jhesus our Savior. Eighty-third chapter.
- 1.84Charite is this light which is not so litil but that it is nedefull with travel to deserven endles worshipfull thanke of God. For feith and hope leden us to charite which is in three manners. Eighty-fourth chapter.
- 1.85God lovid His chosen fro without begynnyng, and He never suffrith them to be hurte, wherof their bliss might be lessid; and how privities now hidde in Hevyn shall be knowen, wherefore we shall bliss our Lord that everything is so wele ordeynid. Eighty-fifth chapter.
- 1.86The Good Lord shewid this booke shuld be otherwise performid than at the first writing. And for His werking He will we thus prey, Him thankand, trostand, and in Him enjoyand. And how He made this shewing because He will have it knowen, in which knoweing He will give us grace to love Him. For fifteen yeere after it was answerid that the cause of all this shewing was love, which Jhesus mote grant us. Amen. Eighty-sixth chapter.