julian of norwich

            Julian of Norwich lived in England, from the years of 1342 for to 1413. Not much of her is except what is told in her book, the Revelations of Divine Love. She was a anchoress of the church of St. Julian in Norwich at the time of the great plague. Much like many anchoress? of the time, she adapted her name to that of her home church. She wasn't a anchoress until she received her visions. Exact dates of these visions are not certain. Speculation is between the dates of the 8th or 13th of may in the year of 1373. This date would make her roughly 33 years old. These visions orshowings? came to her while she lay on her death bed. In her book she never goes into full detail about her condition. Many suspected she suffered from either botulism or cardiac failure which could have been caused by the plague. While on her death bed, her parish curate was sent for. With him he brought a crucifix. Which he had Julian focus on. All of her visions happened while she gazed at the crucifix, except the last one, which happened the next evening. She had 16showings? in all. When her body became totally numb and she thought she was finally slipping away to indefinite darkness, this is when she claims her visions came. Some speculation is weather these so called miraculousshowings? were truly mystical events or just hallucinations caused by the drugs she would have most likely been on. She herself at first thought that these were delirious ravings but her last vision(16th) told her that her visions were genuine, spiritual revelations and that she should share them with others. As an anchoress she spent the rest of her life devoting her life to Christ living a life of solitude in an anchorage off the east part of the church of St. Julian of Norwich. Here she wrote her book, which is also the first book written by a female English writer. Her first book was a narration of her visions and response to them, this is called theshort? text.