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The Medieval Mystical Tradition in England Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 February 2013
MORE THAN FOUR DECADES AGO, Thomas Merton, the foremost contemplative of the twentieth century, acknowledged Julian of Norwich's preeminence as a mystic and a theologian.
There can be no doubt that Lady Julian is the greatest of the English mystics. Not only that, but she is one of the greatest English theologians. … Actually, in Julian of Norwich, we find an admirable synthesis of mystical experience and theological reflection … In a word, Julian of Norwich gives a coherent and indeed systematically constructed corpus of doctrine, which has only recently begun to be studied as it deserves.
Since Merton made this assertion in 1961, numerous studies of her Book of Showings have revealed that, despite Julian's description of herself as ‘a symple creature vnlettyrde’, she is extraordinarily learned. However, because she is writing theology in the vernacular and often chooses commonplace English words to translate their Latin equivalents, the erudition and subtlety of her thought is not yet fully appreciated. Although Julian's particular method of acquiring knowledge or her actual sources may not be discernible, her assimilation and augmentation of concepts from Latin theological discourse can be demonstrated. Two terms that Julian uses as metaphors for the structure of the soul provide especially important clues to her familiarity with this discourse: point and ground. As I shall demonstrate, Julian's topography of the soul not only proves her awareness of mystical theology, but also explains her concept of the ‘godly wylle’.
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