Dominik’s Radio Times

Feature

Brian Thorne: Julian Of Norwich

Feature
Feature
Programme
Community Chest
Date
8 August 2008

About this feature

In this Community Chest interview, Dominik speaks with Brian Thorne about Julian of Norwich. Thorne discusses Julian's life as an anchoress and her status as the first woman to write a book in English. Key moments include a look at the psychotherapeutic value of Julian's visions of an unconditionally loving God and a discussion on why her original manuscripts may have been hidden due to their potentially seditious nature.

In this interview from the programme Community Chest, Dominik speaks with Brian Thorne about Julian of Norwich. Thorne discusses Julian's life as an anchoress in a cell by St Julian's Church and her claim as the first woman to write a book in English. The conversation covers the nature of Julian's visions of an unconditionally loving God, which Thorne, speaking as a psychotherapist, notes can be comforting for those with anxiety or depression. They also touch upon the scarcity of her original manuscripts due to their potentially seditious nature and the modern international legacy of her work, including the support of the Friends of Julian.

Topics

  • The life and role of an anchoress in medieval Norwich
  • The nature and content of Julian's visions
  • Julian's modern international influence and legacy
  • The preservation and scarcity of Julian of Norwich's original manuscripts.
  • Theological differences between Julian's visions and the institutional Church of the Middle Ages.
  • The psychological application of unconditional divine love in modern therapy.

Participants

  • Dominik
  • Brian Thorne

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Brian Thorne: Julian Of Norwich, First Woman To Write A Book In English

Community Chest · Spoken extract

Brian Thorne says Julian of Norwich has every claim to be Norwich's most distinguished citizen: she lived in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, was the first woman to write a book in English, and wrote about extraordinary visions.

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But the first one being that she was the first woman to actually write a book in English. All right, so that is quite quite an achievement. Quite an achievement. But what was she writing about? Well, she was writing about some extraordinary visions that she had had.

Which goes because he has not accused in the first place. Now this was a totally revolutionary idea that God was unconditionally loving, and that no matter if you like what we get up to or what we.

Infinite, as it were, care and compassion. I would like to think that followers, if that's the right word, of Julian of Norwich, really do wish to become empathic people who.