The 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.
God in a Point: The Vision of All Things in Him
Julian sees God in a point, understanding that He is in all things, and that nothing happens by chance but by His foreseeing wisdom.
And after this I saw God as a single point — that is, in my understanding — and through that sight I saw that He is in all things.1 I looked carefully, and in that vision I saw and knew with a soft dread, and I thought, 'What is sin?'2 For I saw truly that God does all things, no matter how little they are. And I saw truly that nothing is done by chance or by accident, but everything by the foreseeing wisdom of God.3 If something seems like chance or accident in human eyes, the cause is our blindness and lack of foresight. For the things that exist in God's eternal wisdom — which He leads rightfully and worshipfully and continually to the best end as they come about — fall upon us suddenly, without our knowing; and so, through our blindness and lack of foresight, we say these are chances and accidents.4 But to our Lord God they are not so.
God Does All, and Sin Is No Deed
Julian affirms that everything done is well done because God does all, and that sin is not a deed but an absence not shown in the vision.
So I have to admit that everything that is done is well done, because our Lord God does all. Because at this time, the working of creatures was not shown, but only the working of our Lord God in the creature.5 Because He is in the midpoint of all things, and He does all; and I was sure He commits no sin. And here I truly saw that sin is not a deed, because in all of this, sin was not shown.6 And I no longer wondered at this, but looked to our Lord to see what He would show. And so, as far as it could be at that time, the rightfulness of God's work was shown to the soul.7
Rightfulness and the Beholding of Sin
Rightfulness has two properties—right and full—and God uses mercy and grace when sin is beheld, turning the soul from human judgment to His sweet judgment.
Rightfulness has two beautiful qualities: it is right and it is full, and that is true of all the works of our Lord God.8 Because of this, neither the working of mercy nor of grace is needed, for they are all righteous, and nothing in them is lacking. And at another time He showed, concerning the naked beholding of sin—as I shall say—where He uses the working of mercy and grace.9 And this vision was shown to my understanding. For our Lord wants the soul truly turned toward beholding Him, and generally toward all His works, for they are fully good. All His doings are easy and sweet, and they bring great ease to the soul that has turned away from gazing at the blind judgment of human beings to the fair, sweet judgment of our Lord God.
All Deeds Are God's Doing, Ordered from Eternity
Though humans see some deeds as evil, God sees all as His own doing, and everything is set in order from without beginning, never failing its appointed end.
For a person sees some deeds as well done and some as evil. But our Lord doesn't see them that way. For just as everything that has being in nature is of God's making, so everything that is done is properly God's doing.10 For it's easy to understand that the best deed is well done. And just as well as the best deed is done—and the highest—so well is the least deed done, and all in the proper nature and in the order our Lord has ordained for it from without beginning, for there is no doer but He.11 I saw with full certainty that He never changes His purpose in any kind of thing, nor ever shall, without end. For nothing was unknown to Him in His rightful ordinance from without beginning. And therefore everything was set in order before anything was made, as it should stand without end, and no kind of thing shall fail of that appointed end.12
The Blessed Trinity's Full Pleasure and the Soul's Assent
God made all things in fullness of goodness, leads them to their ordained end by His power, wisdom, and love, and the soul must assent with reverence and joy.
For He made everything in the fullness of goodness, and therefore the blessed Trinity is always fully pleased in all His works. And He showed all this most blissfully, meaning this: See, I am God; see, I am in all things; see, I do all things; see, I never took my hands off my works, nor ever shall, without end; see, I lead all things to the end I ordained for them from before the beginning, by the same power, wisdom, and love with which I made them.13 How could anything be amiss? Thus mightily, wisely, and lovingly was the soul examined in this vision. Then I saw truly that I had to assent with great reverence, rejoicing in God.
Read the original Middle English
And after this I saw God in a poynte, that is to sey in myn understonding, be which sight I saw that He is in al things. I beheld with avisement, seing and knowing in sight with a soft drede, and thought, What is synne? For I saw treuly that God doth al thing be it never so litil. And I saw truly that nothing is done be happe, ne be aventure, but al thing be the foreseing wisedome of God. If it be happe or adventure in the sight of man, our blindhede and our onforesight is the cause, for the things that arn in the foreseing wisdam of God fro withoute beginning (which rightfully and worshippfully and continualy He ledyth to the best end as they comen aboute) fallyn to us sodenly, ourselfe unwetyng; and thus be our blindhede and our onforsighte, we seyen these ben happis and aventures. But to our Lord God thei be not so.
Wherefore me behovith nedes to grant that al thing that is done, it is wel done, for our Lord God doth alle. For in this time the werkyng of cretures was not shewid, but of our Lord God in the creature. For He is in the mydde poynt of all thyng, and all He doith; and I was sekir He doith no synne. And here I saw sothly that synne is no dede, for in al this was not synne shewid. And I wold no lenger mervel in this, but beheld our Lord, what He wold shewen. And thus as it might be for the time, the rightfulhede of Gods werkyng was shewid to the soule.
Rightfulhede hath two faire properties: it is right and it is full, and so arn al the werks of our Lord God. And thereto nedith neither the werkyng of mercy ner grace, for it ben al rightfull, wherin feilith nougte. And in another time He shewid for the beholdyng of synne nakidly, as I shal sey, where He usith werkyng of mercy and grace. And this vision was shewid to myne understondeng. For our Lord will have the soule turnid truly into the beholdyng of Him, and generally of all His werks, for they arn full gode, and al His doings be easye and swete, and to gret ease bringing the soule that is turnyd fro the beholdyng of the blind demyng of man on to the faire, swete demyng of our Lord God.
For a man beholdith some dedes wele done and some dedes evil. But our Lord beholdyth hem not so. For as al that hath being in kinde is of Godds makyng, so is al thing that is done in propertie of Gods doing. For it is easye to understonde that the best dede is wele done. And so wele as the best dede is done and the heiest, so wele is the lest dede done, and al in propertie and in the ordir that our Lord hath it ordeynit to from withoute begynning, for ther is no doer but He. I saw ful sekirly that He chongyth never His purpos in no manner thyng, nor never shall, withoute end. For ther was nothyng onknowen to Him in His rightfull ordenance from without begynnyng. And therefore al thyng was sett in ordir, or anything was made, as it should stonde withoute end, and no maner thyng shall failen of that poynt.
For He made al thinge in fulhede of godenes, and therefore the blissid Trinite is ever ful plesid in al His werks. And al this shewid He ful blisfully meneing thus: Se I am God; se I am in al thing; se I doe al thyng; se I left never myne hands of myn werks, ne never shall withoute ende; se I lede al thing to the end I ordeynd it to fro withoute beginnyng be the same might, wisdam, and love that I made it. How should anything be amysse? Thus migtily, wisely, and lovinly was the soule examynyd in this vision. Than saw I sothly that me behovyd nedis to assenten with gret reverens, enjoyand in God.
Notes
- 1 ↩Julian's 'poynte' is kept as 'point': the visionary image of God as an infinitesimal center encompassing all that is.
- 2 ↩'Soft drede' is kept as 'soft dread': gentle reverent fear, not terror. 'Avisement' is rendered as careful attention.
- 3 ↩'Happe' and 'aventure' are near-synonyms for chance/fortune; rendered as 'chance' and 'accident' to keep the paired denial clear.
- 4 ↩'Onforesight'/'onforsighte' = lack of foresight (un-foresight). 'Unwetyng' = unknowing/unaware. 'Worshippfully' kept as 'worshipfully' for reverent honor due to God, not mere ceremony.
- 5 ↩Source 'cretures' read as 'creatures' (standard Middle English spelling variant).
- 6 ↩Julian's 'synne is no dede' means sin has no positive being or proper act in God's working; it is known by absence from the showing, not as a created work.
- 7 ↩'rightfulhede' rendered as 'rightfulness' (right and complete), matching the next section's gloss that it is both right and full.
- 8 ↩Rightfulhede is Julian's technical term for God's right doing; kept as Rightfulness to preserve her pairing of 'right' and 'full'.
- 9 ↩ME 'for the beholdyng' read as 'concerning/regarding the beholding'; alternative sense 'in order that sin might be beheld nakedly' is less likely in context but possible.
- 10 ↩ME 'kinde' rendered as 'nature'; 'in propertie of Gods doing' taken as 'properly God's doing' (belonging in its proper character to God's action), not as private ownership.
- 11 ↩ME 'propertie' kept as 'proper nature' to parallel s3's sense that deeds belong rightly to God's doing; 'from withoute begynning' retained as Julian's eternity formula.
- 12 ↩ME 'or anything was made' taken as 'ere/before anything was made' (temporal 'or'), not disjunctive 'or'.
- 13 ↩Might / wisdam / love renders Julian's Trinitarian triad (power, wisdom, love); 'fro withoute beginnyng' kept as 'from without beginning' for her technical eternal-purpose phrasing.
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