The Body and Theology of Julian of Norwich

Abstract

Unlike other mediaeval male theologians, Julian of Norwich reflects ‘feminine capacity’ in her theology by avoiding dichotomy of the body and soul and taking her body and Christ’s body as the locus of her theology. Because the human body is sexually ambiguous, which is inescapable reality, Julian sees that the body can be an important means to receive God’s revelation. In fact, she understands that the body and soul are God’s precious creatures. Her understanding of the human body is related to her physical sickness. She experiences God’s mystery and feels the Passion of Christ through her severe illness. By doing so, her body makes a bridge between herself and God. Furthermore, she explains that the incarnation of Jesus Christ appears in her physical sickness. Because the Christ’s Passion does not happen in His words, but in His body, without the emphasis on the body of Christ, His Passion becomes abstract. Because Christ’ spiritual suffering comes with His physical affliction, Christ came to this world as a real human being. Julian comprehends that the Church dogma stress the divinity of Jesus and Trinity, which does not the body and humanity of Christ. Instead, Julian confirms Christ’s humanity by emphasizing the birth of infant Jesus through Mary’s womb. By applying this female image of mercy to Jesus Christ, she places that God’s mercy takes care of God’s children through Christ. It is a unique view that Julian appreciates Jesus Christ in the perspective of motherhood because her theology focuses on the body of Christ. In this point, Christ’s plentiful bleeding during the crucifixion signifies women’s menstruation and it functions mother’s milk for an infant, which indicates Christ’s real suffering. Although Menstruation has been regarded as a taboo in the both church tradition and patriarchal society, women’s discharge of blood stands for creating life as human reproduction. In addition, in arguing when a mother gives birth to a baby, she bleeds, Julian claims that Christ becomes the head of the Church and the Church become the body of Christ through Christ’s bleeding. Therefore, her body and Christ’s are an important tool to demonstrate ‘feminine capacity’ in the male dominant society.