The 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.
The Fiend Overcome by Christ's Passion
Julian sees that Christ's Passion defeats the fiend, whose malice is turned to our joy and shame, and that God holds all his power in check, with no wrath in God.
And afterward, before God showed any words, He let me look upon Him for a fitting time, and upon all that I had seen, and all the understanding that was in it, as far as the simplicity of the soul could take it in.1 Then He, without voice or opening of lips, formed these words in my soul: By this the fiend is overcome. Our Lord said these words meaning His blessed Passion as He had shown it before. In this our Lord showed that His Passion is the overcoming of the fiend. God showed that the fiend still has the same malice he had before the Incarnation. And he toils just as hard, and he continually sees that all who are destined for salvation escape him with honor by the power of Christ's precious Passion.2 And that is his sorrow, and he is thoroughly defeated, for everything God allows him to do turns to our joy and to his shame and woe.3 And he has as much sorrow when God gives him leave to act as when he does not act. And that's because he can never do as much evil as he would like, for all his power is held in God's hand. But as I see it, there can be no wrath in God.4 For our good Lord endlessly has regard for His own honor and for the good of all who will be saved.5 With power and right He withstands those who are reproved, who out of malice and wickedness busy themselves to devise and do things against God's will.6 I also saw our Lord scorn his malice and regard his powerlessness as nothing, and He wills that we do the same.7
Holy Laughter and Divine Scorn
Julian laughs mightily at the sight of the fiend's defeat, wishes all Christians could share her joy, and understands that God's scorn of the devil is an eternal property of His nature.
At this sight I laughed heartily, and that made those around me laugh, and their laughter was a delight to me. I thought to myself that I wished all my fellow Christians had seen what I saw, and then they would all laugh with me.8 But I did not see Christ laughing, for I understood that we may laugh in comforting ourselves and rejoicing in God, because the devil is overcome. And then I saw Him scorn his malice; it was by my understanding being led into our Lord—that is to say, an inward showing of truth, without any change of countenance.9 For as I see it, this is an honorable property in God, and it is lasting.10
Joy, Scorn, and Earnestness in the Fiend's Defeat
Julian reflects on three aspects of the fiend's defeat—joy, scorn, and earnestness—and concludes that the fiend's woe will become eternal joy for the saved while his own pain follows him into Hell.
And after this I grew serious and said, "I see three things: joy, scorn, and earnestness. I see joy in that the fiend is overcome.1112 I see scorn in that God scorns him, and he shall be scorned. And I see earnestness in that he is overcome by the blessed Passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was done in full earnest and with hard labor."13 And I said, "He is scorned." I mean that God scorns him; that is to say, because He sees him now as He always will, without end.14 For in this God showed that the fiend is damned. And this is what I meant when I said he shall be scorned at Judgment Day by all who will be saved, whose consolation he envies so greatly.15 For then he will see that all the woe and tribulation he has done to them will be turned into an increase of their joy without end. And all the pain and tribulation that he would have brought them to will go with him endlessly into Hell.
Read the original Middle English
And after, er God shewid ony words, He sufferd me to beholden in Him a conable tyme, and all that I had sene, and all intellecte that was therein, as the simplicite of the soule migte take it. Than He, without voice and openyng of lippis, formys in my soule these words: Herewith is the fend overcome. These words seyd our Lord menening His blissid passion as He shewid aforn. In this shewid our Lord that the passion of Him is the overcomming of the fend. God shewid that the fend hath now the same malice that he had aforn the incarnation. And as sore he travilith and as continually he seeth that all sent of salvation ascappyn him worshipply be the vertue of Cristes pretious passion. And that is his sorow and ful evyl he is attemyd, for all that God sufferith him to doe turnith us to joye and him to shame and wo. And he hath as mech sorow when God givith him leave to werkyn as when he werkyth not.
And that is for he may never doe as yvel as he would, for his migte is al tokyn in Godds hand. But in God may be no wreth, as to my syte. For our gode Lord endlesly hath regarde to His owne worshippe and to the profite of al that shall be savid. With might and ryht He withstondith the reprovid, the which of mallice and shrewidnes bysyen hem to contriven and to done agens Gods wille. Also I saw our Lord scorne his malice and nowten his onmigte, and He wil that we doe so.
For this sigte I lauhyd migtily, and that made hem to lauhyn that were about me, and ther lauhyng was a likeing to me. I thowte that I wold that al myn evyn Christen had seen as I saw and than should thei al lauhyn with me. But I saw not Criste lawhyn; for I understode that we may lauhyn in comforting of ourselfe and joying in God, for the devil is overcome. And then I saw Him scorne his malice; it was be ledyng of myn understondyng into our Lord, that is to sey, an inward sheweing of sothfastnes, withoute chongyng of chere. For as to my sight, it is a worshipfull property that is in God which is durabil.
And after this I fel into a sadhede, and seid, "I se three things, game, scorne, and arneste; I se game that the fend is overcome. I se scorne that God scornith him and he shal be scornyd. And I se arneste that he is overcome be the blissfull passion and deth of our Lord Jesus Criste; that was done in ful arnest and with sad travelle." And I seid, "He is scornid." I mene that God scornith him; that is to sey, for He seeth him now as He shall done withoute end. For in this God shewid that the fend is dampnid. And this ment I when I seid he shall be scornyd at domys day generally of all that shal be savyd to hose consolation he hath gret invye. For than he shall seen that all the wo and tribulation that he hath done to them shal be turnid to encres of their joy without ende.
And al the peyne and tribulation that he would a brougte hem to shal endlesly goe with him to Helle.
Notes
- 1 ↩ME 'conable' (convenable): fitting/suitable; rendered as 'fitting'.
- 2 ↩ME 'sent of salvation' rendered as 'destined for salvation' (souls appointed/meant for salvation). 'worshipply' rendered as 'with honor'.
- 3 ↩ME 'attemyd' (attamed): subdued/defeated; 'ful evyl he is attemyd' rendered as 'thoroughly defeated'.
- 4 ↩ME 'wreth' = wrath. Julian's claim is epistemic ('as to my syte'): no wrath is seen in God, not a denial that judgment exists.
- 5 ↩ME 'worshippe' here means God's honor/glory, not human liturgical worship; 'profite' means benefit/good.
- 6 ↩ME 'the reprovid' = the reproved (those finally condemned), contrasted with 'al that shall be savid' in the previous sentence; retained as Julian's technical pairing.
- 7 ↩ME 'nowten his onmigte' = set at nought / nullify his unmight (powerlessness); 'his' refers to the fiend from the preceding revelation.
- 8 ↩evyn Christen: Middle English for fellow Christians / Christian neighbors.
- 9 ↩his malice: antecedent is the fiend/devil from the surrounding chapter, not Christ. chere rendered as countenance (facial expression), preserving Julian's contrast between inward showing and outward change of face.
- 10 ↩worshipfull rendered as honorable (ME worship = honor/glory, not modern church worship). property kept for Julian's sense of a divine attribute/characteristic; durabil as lasting.
- 11 ↩ME game means joyful sport or triumphant play (linked to her laughing at the devil's defeat), not idle amusement; rendered here as joy.
- 12 ↩ME sadhede is seriousness or gravity (from sad = sober/steadfast), not modern sadness.
- 13 ↩ME sad travelle means serious, hard toil or painful labor, not travel.
- 14 ↩ME as He shall done withoute end is slightly elliptical; rendered as God's present regard of the fiend matching His eternal regard (already seeing him as forever defeated/scorned).
- 15 ↩ME generally of all = universally / by all in general; hose = whose.
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