The 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.
The Vision of the Bleeding Body
Julian sees the body bleeding abundantly from the scourging until the blood vanishes, yet the flow continues in vision.
And after this I saw the body bleeding profusely as it appeared in the scourging, in this way: The beautiful skin was broken deep into the tender flesh by sharp blows all over the sweet body.1 The hot blood ran out so abundantly that neither skin nor wound could be seen, but it was as if everything were blood. And when it came to where it should have fallen, it vanished.2 Nevertheless, the bleeding continued for a while until it could be seen with careful attention, and it was so abundant in my sight that it seemed to me that if it had been so in nature and in substance for that time, it would have made the bed all blood and overflowed all around.34
The Abundant, Precious Blood
Julian reflects on the precious blood as God's preferred means of washing sin, and traces its cosmic journey from hell to earth to heaven.
And then it occurred to me that God has made waters plentiful on earth for our use and for our bodily ease, because of His tender love for us — but He is even more pleased that we receive His blessed blood fully and intimately to wash us from sin, for there is no liquid He has made that He delights more to give us.5 For it is most plentiful as it is most precious, and this is by the power of His blessed Godhead. And it is our nature, and it flows over us entirely and blissfully by the power of His precious love.6 The precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ — as truly as it is most precious, so truly it is most plentiful. Look and see: the precious plenty of His dear blood descends into Hell and bursts her bonds and delivers all who were there and belonged to the court of Heaven. The precious plenty of His dear blood overflows all the earth and is ready to wash all creatures from sin who are of good will, who have been, and who shall be. The precious plenty of His dear blood ascended into Heaven to the blessed body of our Lord Jesus Christ, and there it is in Him, bleeding and praying for us to the Father — and it is and shall be as long as it is needed. And it flows forever in all the heavens, rejoicing in the salvation of all humankind who are there and who shall be, filling up the number that is still lacking.7
Read the original Middle English
And after this I saw, beholding the body plentiously bleding in seming of the scorgyng, as thus: The faire skynne was brokyn ful depe into the tender flesh with sharpe smyting al about the sweete body. So plenteously the hote blode ran oute that there was neither sene skynne ne wound, but as it were al blode. And whan it come wher it should a fallen downe, than it vanyshid. Notwitstondyng the bleding continued a while til it migt be sene with avisement, and this was so plenteous to my sigt that methowte if it had be so in kind and in substance for that tyme, it should have made the bed al on blode and a passid over aboute.
And than cam to my minde that God hath made waters plentiuous in erthe to our service and to our bodily ease for tender love that He hath to us, but yet lekyth Him better that we take full homely hys blissid blode to wassch us of synne, for there is no licur that is made that He lekyth so wele to give us. For it is most plentiuous as it is most pretious, and that be the vertue of His blissid godhede. And it is our kinde and al blisfully beflowyth us be the vertue of His pretious love. The dereworthy blode of our Lord Jesus Criste, as verily as it is most pretious, as verily it is most plentiuous. Beholde and se: The pretious plenty of His dereworthy blode desendith downe into Helle and braste her bands and deliveryd al that were there which longyd to the curte of Hevyn. The pretious plenty of His dereworthy blode overflowith al erth and is redye to wash al creaturs of synne which be of gode will, have ben, and shal ben. The pretious plenty of His dereworthy blode ascendid up into Hevyn to the blissid body of our Lord Jesus Christe, and there is in Him, bleding and praying for us to the Father, and is and shall be as long as it nedith. And evermore it flowith in all Hevyns enjoying the salvation of al mankynde that arn there and shal ben, fulfilling the noumber that failith.
Notes
- 1 ↩ENM 'in seming of the scorgyng' rendered as 'as it appeared in the scourging' (visual likeness of the Passion scourging, not a bare simile).
- 2 ↩ENM 'a fallen' treated as periphrastic perfect 'have fallen' (ME a = have).
- 3 ↩ENM 'in kind and in substance' kept as 'in nature and in substance': Julian distinguishes visionary seeming from physical natural reality.
- 4 ↩ENM 'with avisement' rendered as 'with careful attention' (deliberate, attentive looking). 'a passid over aboute' rendered as 'overflowed all around'.
- 5 ↩Middle English 'homely' is Julian's signature term for intimate, familiar nearness to God; rendered here as 'intimately' rather than the modern sense of plain or unattractive.
- 6 ↩'kinde' here means shared human nature: Christ's blood is of our kind, not merely kindly disposition.
- 7 ↩'fulfilling the noumber that failith' is eschatological: completing the still-incomplete number of the saved/elect, not repairing a failed count in a modern sense.
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