We're going to stay in Chapter 13 this week because, in the middle of Julian describing how the Fiend (the Devil) is overcome and how God scorns the Fiend, she shares one of her most famous insights:
"But in God may be no wreth, as to my syte."
Translation: "But in God may be no wrath, as to my sight."
Here in Chapter 13, Julian makes her first mention that, to her sight, there can be no wrath or anger in God. It's just one line here in Chapter 13, but she will return to this insight in Chapters 46-49, where her reflections explore and deepen what she first mentions here.
Julian is justly famous for this insight: that there is no wrath or anger in God. And as should be obvious, this is one of those statements in Julian that has made her beloved among liberal and progressive Christians, as well as among former evangelicals who have left, or deconstructed away from, penal substitutionary atonement and "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" sermons. It's one of the reasons I love Julian.
Because, let's face it, Julian's is a pretty bold claim, one that seems to fly in the face of the many New Testament references to "the wrath of God." But it's also a remarkable claim for Julian's time and place. Late fourteenth-century Christendom often emphasized severity in its depictions of God. So to see this light shining out of that cultural storm cloud is amazing. For her time, Julian's theological optimism was singular and peculiar, especially given that she lived through the Black Death, church schism, widespread violence, and political unrest. For example, Catherine of Siena was almost Julian's exact contemporary, and while Catherine also extolled the love and mercy of God, she also readily affirmed God's wrath.
Now, how does Julian justify such a bold and radical claim? Sadly, we're going to have to wait until Chapters 46-49. But until then, let's just sit with Julian's remarkable words:
"But in God may be no wrath."
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