Shifting Perspectives: Sin and Salvation in Julian's A Revelation of Love

In A Revelation of Love, Julian of Norwich has a problem: Holy Church blames humans for sin, but God does not. Julian's solution lies in her Parable of the Lord and the Servant, which, I argue, does not reconcile this contradiction, but instead embraces it. The resulting doctrine of salvation e...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Van Engen, Abram (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Oxford University Press 2009
In: Literature and theology
Year: 2009, Volume: 23, Issue: 1, Pages: 1-17
Online Access: Volltext (JSTOR)
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Summary:In A Revelation of Love, Julian of Norwich has a problem: Holy Church blames humans for sin, but God does not. Julian's solution lies in her Parable of the Lord and the Servant, which, I argue, does not reconcile this contradiction, but instead embraces it. The resulting doctrine of salvation envisions a back-and-forth shift of perspectives—from blame to blamelessness—that finally terminates in heavenly union with God. The essay ends by situating Julian's soteriology in its medieval context, arguing that what was once a corrective message of love in a culture centered on God's wrath has often become today a message of self-esteem in a culture centered on God's love.
ISSN:1477-4623
Contains:Enthalten in: Literature and theology
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1093/litthe/frn035