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Chapter 83JulianShowings.1.83

Of 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.

The Three Properties: Life, Love, and Light

Julian receives a sight of three divine properties—life, love, and light—and perceives that our reason is grounded in God.

I had in part a touching, a sight, and a feeling of three properties of God, in which the strength and effect of all the revelation stands; and they were seen in every showing, and most properly in the twelfth, where it says again and again, "I am that."✦1 The properties are these: life, love, and light. In life there is a marvelous intimacy, and in love there is gentle courtesy, and in light there is endless kindness.23 These properties were in one goodness, and my reason wanted to be united to that goodness and cling to it with all its might. I beheld with reverent awe, deeply marveling at the sight and the feeling of that sweet harmony—that our reason is in God—understanding that it is the highest gift we have received, and that it is grounded in nature.4

Our Faith, a Light in the Night

Julian explains that our faith is a light from God, measured for our need in the night of this life, and that at the end of woe we will see the full light of God.

Our faith is a light that comes by nature from our endless day, who is our Father, God; and in that light our Mother, Christ, and our good Lord, the Holy Spirit, lead us in this passing life.✦56 This light is carefully measured, standing as we need it in the night.7 The light is the cause of our life; the night is the cause of our pain and of all our woe, in which we deserve reward and thanks from God. For we, with mercy and grace, willingly know and believe our light, walking in it wisely and mightily.8 And at the end of woe, suddenly our eye will be opened, and in the clarity of light our sight will be full—which light is God our Maker, and the Holy Spirit, in Christ Jesus our Savior. Thus I saw and understood that our faith is our light in our night, which light is God, our endless day.✦

Read the original Middle English

I had in parte touching, sight, and feling in three propertes of God in which the strength and effect of all the revelation stondith, and thei were seene in every shewing, and most propirly in the twelfth wher it seith oftentimes, I it am. The propertees are these: lif, love, and ligte. In life is mervelous homlihede, and in love is gentil curtesye, and in lyte is endless kyndhede. These propertes were in on goodness, into which goodnes my reason wold ben onyd and cleve to with all the myte. I beheld with reverent drede, and heyly mervelyng in the syte and in the feling of the swet accord, that our reason is in God, understondyng that it is the heyest gifte that we have receivid, and it is groundid in kinde. Our feith is a light kindly command of our endles day that is our fader, God, in which light our Moder, Criste, and our good lord, the Holy Gost, leidith us in this passand life.

This light is mesurid discretly, nedefully standand to us in the night. The light is cause of our life, the night is cause of our peyne and of al our wo, in which we diserven mede and thanks of God. For we, with mercy and grace, wilfuly knowen and leven our light, goeand therin wisely and mytyly. And at the end of wo, sodenly our eye shall ben openyd, and in clerte of light our sight shall be full, which light is God our Maker, and Holy Gost, in Christ Jhesus our savior. Thus I saw and understode that our feith is oure light in our night, which light is God, our endless day.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Exod.3.14 — And God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.' And he said, 'Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.'
  2. ↩Jas.1.17 — Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
  3. ↩1John.1.5;Rev.21.23-Rev.21.25 — And this is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. Rev.21.23 — And the city has no need of the sun or the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb. Rev.21.24 — The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory into it. Rev.21.25 — And its gates will not be shut by day, for there will be no night there.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩Source formula "I it am" is Julian's distinctive divine self-identification; rendered here as "I am that" for modern readability while preserving the identity claim.
  2. 2 ↩"homlihede" is Julian's term for God's familiar nearness (homeliness as intimate approachability, not plainness); rendered "intimacy" to keep that sense in contemporary English.
  3. 3 ↩"kyndhede" can mean kindness or kind-natured goodness; "kindness" fits the triad with intimacy and courtesy.
  4. 4 ↩"kinde" here is Julian's "kind" as created nature, not mere temperament; "grounded in nature" keeps that sense.
  5. 5 ↩Supplied reading "kindly command" is almost certainly corrupt for "kindly coming" / "commeing" (confirmed by the chapter title: "a light commeing of the Fadre"). Translated as "comes by nature from."
  6. 6 ↩"kindly" taken in Julian's sense "according to kind/nature," not merely "kindly" as graciously.
  7. 7 ↩ME 'discretly' means with discretion / wisely measured, not merely secretly; 'nedefully standand' = standing present according to our need.
  8. 8 ↩ME 'leven' can mean 'believe' or 'live'; rendered as 'believe' from the faith-as-light context and the know/believe doublet; 'live' remains a plausible alternate.

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