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At the Foot of the Cross with Julian of Norwich
'All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.' This quotation may be all that many people know of Julian of Norwich, an anchoress from the fourteenth century. This book seeks to bring to a popular readership a devotional engagement with Julian's work.
The introduction gives a general background to Julian, the nature of visions in the 14th century and the type of text Julian gives us, namely a meditative text which intends to lead the reader to 'beholding'. Each chapter centres on one aspect or image from Julian's Revelation, which seeks to make the events of the Passion present to the reader's imagination. The commentary incorporates reflection, the biblical narrative and Julian's subsequent teachings to create a meditation that enables the reader to linger on the wonder of the cross, ending with a prayer that leads to silence and a thought or verse to carry into daily life.
The introduction gives a general background to Julian, the nature of visions in the 14th century and the type of text Julian gives us, namely a meditative text which intends to lead the reader to 'beholding'. Each chapter centres on one aspect or image from Julian's Revelation, which seeks to make the events of the Passion present to the reader's imagination. The commentary incorporates reflection, the biblical narrative and Julian's subsequent teachings to create a meditation that enables the reader to linger on the wonder of the cross, ending with a prayer that leads to silence and a thought or verse to carry into daily life.
- GenresTheology
170 pages, Paperback
Published July 24, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 26, 2021
A good introduction and commentary on Julian, with discussion/prayer/reflection questions at the end of each chapter. I wish At the Foot of the Cross was clearer regarding which portions of Julian's work to read alongside its chapters, and that the chapters covered more of her text. Pennington pays very careful attention to Julian's context, connecting her to the devotional culture of the post-Black Plague era and providing visual resources to help readers engage her. I'd recommend At the Foot of the Cross to novice Julian readers and anyone looking to use her work in a group setting. Those who feel intimidated by Julian's writings will find a compassionate companion in Pennington.
November 23, 2021
I read this book as it is by the speaker at this year's Julian retreat, and finished just in time as it starts tomorrow.
As someone from a very low church background I found the explanations of the tradition of imagining oneself into the crucifixion scene very helpful, in locating Julian's writing within the context of Catholic spirituality.
The "Going Deeper" sections in each of the main chapters were extremely helpful and thought-provoking (and the reason that I took so long to read the book). These sections stopped me solely engaging with the material purely on an intellectual level, but made me stop, meditate and think about what I was reading and its impact on my spiritual understanding of the Revelations of Divine Love.
Altogether, it was a really great experience and I would recommend it to anyone who is coming to Julian's Revelations of Divine Love, is enjoying it but is perhaps unsure about what I would describe as all the blood porn. Pennington's book explains Julian's Christian cultural setting in the 14th century and why in a work that asserts so wonderfully well that "love was his meaning" Julian tells us in such graphic detail about Christ's wounding and death.
Loved this book and am looking forward to the retreat tomorrow.
As someone from a very low church background I found the explanations of the tradition of imagining oneself into the crucifixion scene very helpful, in locating Julian's writing within the context of Catholic spirituality.
The "Going Deeper" sections in each of the main chapters were extremely helpful and thought-provoking (and the reason that I took so long to read the book). These sections stopped me solely engaging with the material purely on an intellectual level, but made me stop, meditate and think about what I was reading and its impact on my spiritual understanding of the Revelations of Divine Love.
Altogether, it was a really great experience and I would recommend it to anyone who is coming to Julian's Revelations of Divine Love, is enjoying it but is perhaps unsure about what I would describe as all the blood porn. Pennington's book explains Julian's Christian cultural setting in the 14th century and why in a work that asserts so wonderfully well that "love was his meaning" Julian tells us in such graphic detail about Christ's wounding and death.
Loved this book and am looking forward to the retreat tomorrow.
December 8, 2021
Enjoyed this book. Well written. My only complaint is that by focusing on the revelations pertaining to the passion of Christ, Rev. Pennington has left out some really good stuff! Somewhere I saw her suggest she might right another book on some of the other revelations. I hope she does.
April 8, 2024
I read this book as it is by the speaker at this year's Julian retreat, and finished just in time as it starts tomorrow.
As someone from a very low church background I found the explanations of the tradition of imagining oneself into the crucifixion scene very helpful, in locating Julian's writing within the context of Catholic spirituality.
The "Going Deeper" sections in each of the main chapters were extremely helpful and thought-provoking (and the reason that I took so long to read the book). These sections stopped me solely engaging with the material purely on an intellectual level, but made me stop, meditate and think about what I was reading and its impact on my spiritual understanding of the Revelations of Divine Love.
Altogether, it was a really great experience and I would recommend it to anyone who is coming to Julian's Revelations of Divine Love, is enjoying it but is perhaps unsure about what I would describe as all the blood porn. Pennington's book explains Julian's Christian cultural setting in the 14th century and why in a work that asserts so wonderfully well that "love was his meaning" Julian tells us in such graphic detail about Christ's wounding and death.
Loved this book and am looking forward to the retreat tomorrow.
As someone from a very low church background I found the explanations of the tradition of imagining oneself into the crucifixion scene very helpful, in locating Julian's writing within the context of Catholic spirituality.
The "Going Deeper" sections in each of the main chapters were extremely helpful and thought-provoking (and the reason that I took so long to read the book). These sections stopped me solely engaging with the material purely on an intellectual level, but made me stop, meditate and think about what I was reading and its impact on my spiritual understanding of the Revelations of Divine Love.
Altogether, it was a really great experience and I would recommend it to anyone who is coming to Julian's Revelations of Divine Love, is enjoying it but is perhaps unsure about what I would describe as all the blood porn. Pennington's book explains Julian's Christian cultural setting in the 14th century and why in a work that asserts so wonderfully well that "love was his meaning" Julian tells us in such graphic detail about Christ's wounding and death.
Loved this book and am looking forward to the retreat tomorrow.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews