Off 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.
The Fivefold Divine Assurance
Our Lord answers all doubts with a fivefold promise that all shall be well, which Julian interprets as the work of the whole Trinity, ending Christ's spiritual thirst.
And thus our good Lord answered all the questions and doubts that I might raise, saying most comfortingly, "I am able to make all things well, I can make all things well, I will make all things well, and I shall make all things well, and you yourself will see that everything shall be well." When He says, 'I am able,' I understand it as referring to the Father; and when He says, 'I can,' I understand it as referring to the Son; and when He says, 'I will,' I understand it as referring to the Holy Spirit; and when He says, 'I shall,' I understand it as referring to the unity of the blessed Trinity, three Persons and one Truth; and when He says, 'You will see yourself,' I understand the oneing of all humanity that will be saved into the blissful Trinity.12 And in these five words God will be enclosed in rest and in peace, and thus the spiritual thirst of Christ will have an end.3
Christ's Thirst for Our Fullness
Christ's spiritual thirst is a love-longing for all the saved to be gathered into Him, a longing that will last until Judgment Day because we are not yet fully whole in Him, though He is both God and man.
For this is the spiritual thirst of Christ — the love-longing that lasts and always will, until we see that sight on Judgment Day.✦ For we who will be saved and will be Christ's joy and His bliss — some are still here, and some are yet to come, and so there will be some until that day.4 Therefore this is His thirst: a love-longing to have us all together, whole in Him, in His bliss — as I see it. For we are not now as fully whole in Him as we will be then. For we know in our faith, and it was also shown in all, that Christ Jesus is both God and man.5 And as for the Godhead, He Himself is highest bliss, and was without beginning, and will be without end — which endless bliss can never be raised or lowered in itself.6 For this was abundantly seen in every showing, and especially in the twelfth, where He says, I am that which is highest.✦
The Joy and Incompleteness of Christ's Manhood
Christ's manhood, which suffered for love and takes joy in that passion, is glorified as our head but not yet fully impassible in His body, so His eternal thirst continues until the last soul is saved.
And as for Christ's manhood, we know it in our faith—and it was also shown—that He, with the power of the Godhead, for love, to bring us to His bliss, suffered pains and passions and died. And these are the works of Christ's manhood that He takes joy in, and that He showed in the ninth Revelation, where He says, "It is a joy, a bliss, an endless delight to me that I ever suffered passion for you." And this is the bliss of Christ's works, and this is what He means when He says in that same showing: we are His bliss, we are His reward, we are His honor, we are His crown.7 For as regards Christ as our head, He is glorified and impassible; and as regards His body, in which all His members are knit, He is not yet fully glorified nor wholly impassible.8 For the same desire and thirst that He had upon the Cross—which desire, longing, and thirst, as I see it, was in Him from without beginning—He still has, and will have, until the last soul that will be saved has come up to His bliss.9
The Reciprocal Longing of God and Soul
God's property of thirst and longing, rooted in His endless goodness, awakens our longing for Him, drawing us to bliss until Judgment Day when compassion ceases and His wisdom chooses the best time for the end.
For just as truly as there is in God a property of compassion and pity, just as truly there is in God a property of thirst and longing. And from the power of this longing in Christ, we have to long back toward Him again — without which no soul comes to Heaven. And this property of longing and thirst comes from the endless goodness of God, just as the property of pity comes from His endless goodness — and though longing and pity are two distinct properties, as I see it. And in this stands the whole point of the spiritual thirst that lasts in Him as long as we are in need, drawing us up to His bliss. And all this was seen in the showing of compassion, for that will cease on Judgment Day. So He has compassion and pity for us, and He longs to have us — but His wisdom and His love will not let the end come until the best time.
Read the original Middle English
And thus our good Lord answerid to al the question and doubts that I myte makyn, sayeing ful comfortably, I may makyn al thing wele, I can make al thing wele, and I wil make al thyng wele, and I shall make al thyng wele, and thou shal se thiself that al manner of thyng shal be wele. That He seyth, I may, I understond for the Fader, and He seith, I can, I understond for the Son, and where He seith, I will, I understond for the Holy Gost, and wher He seith, I shall, I understond for the unite of the blissid Trinite, three persons and one trouthe; and where He seith, Thu shal se thi selfe, I understond the onyng of al mankynd that shalle be save into the blisful Trinite. And in thes five words God wil be onclosid in rest and in pees, and thus shal the gostly threst of Criste have an end.
For this is the gostly thrist of Criste, the luf longyng that lestith and ever shal til we se that syte on Domys Day. For we that shal be save and shal be Crists joye and His blis, some be yet here, and some be to cum, and so shal sum be into that day. Therefore this is His thrist: a love longyng to have us al togeder hole in Him to His blis, as to my syte. For we be not now as fully as hole in Him as we shal be then. For we knowen in our feith, and also it was shewid in alle, that Criste Jesus is both God and man. And amenst the Godhede, He is Hymselfe heyest blis, and was from without begynnyng, and shall be from withoute end, which endles blis may never be heyned ne lownyd in the selfe. For this was plentiuously sen in every shewyng, and namely in the twelfth, wher He seith, I am that is heyest.
And anemst Crists manhood, it is knowen in our feith, and also shewyd, that He with the vertue of Godhede, for love, to bring us to His blis, suffrid peynys and passions and deid. And these be the werks of Crists manhode wherin He enjoyeth, and that shewid He in the ninth Revelation, wher He seith, It is a joye, a blis, a endles lykyng to me that ever I suffrid passion for the. And this is the blis of Crists werks, and thus He menyth where He seith in the selfe shewing, we be His blis, we be His mede, we be His worship, we be His corone. For anemst that Criste is our hede, He is glorifyed and onpassible, and anemst His body, in which al His members be knitt, He is not yet ful glorifyed ne al onpassible. For the same desire and threst that He had upon the Cross, which desire, longyng, and thrist, and, as to my syte, was in Him fro withoute begynnyng, the same hath He yet and shal, into the tyme that the last soule that shal be savid is cum up to His bliss.
For as verily as there is a properte in God of ruth and pity, as veryly there is a property in God of threst and longyng. And of the vertue of this longyng in Criste, we have to longen ageyn to Him, withoute which no soule comyth to Hevyn. And this propertye of longyng and threst comyth of the endles goodnes of God, ryte as the property of pite comith of His endles goodnes, and thow longyng and pite arn two sundry properties, as to my syte. And in this stondyth the poynt of the gostly thrist which is lestyng in Hym as long as we be in nede, us drawing up to His blis. And al this was sen in the shewyng of compassion, for that shal secyn on Domys Day. Thus He hath ruth and compassion on us, and He hath longyng to have us, but His wisdam and His love suffrith not the end to cum til the best tyme.
Scripture echoes
Notes
- 1 ↩"oneing" renders ME onyng, Julian's distinctive term for being made one with God; kept for doctrinal precision rather than flattened to a generic "union."
- 2 ↩"Truth" renders ME trouthe, which can mean truth, faithfulness, or reality; here it names the one divine reality of the three Persons.
- 3 ↩"enclosed" renders ME onclosid: God's meaning is shut up and completed in these five sayings, bringing rest and peace.
- 4 ↩'into that day' rendered as 'until that day': the saved continue to come into being across time until Judgment Day.
- 5 ↩'shewid in alle' taken as 'shown in all' (the whole of the showings); could also be read more loosely as 'shown altogether'.
- 6 ↩'heyned ne lownyd' rendered as 'raised or lowered' (heightened/increased nor diminished); 'amenst' = concerning/as regards.
- 7 ↩ME 'worship' here means honor/glory/worth, not liturgical worship; rendered as 'honor'.
- 8 ↩ME 'onpassible' rendered as 'impassible' (incapable of suffering), the standard theological counterpart to glorified; Julian's claim is that the mystical body is not yet fully beyond suffering.
- 9 ↩Source relative clause reads 'which desire, longyng, and thrist, and, as to my syte, was...'; the extra 'and' before the parenthetical is treated as scribal/parenthetical, not as a fourth item in the series.
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