Inquiring after God through Discernment

TH 291

10/7/04

Introduction

• revelation / reason / tradition / experience
• Julian mostly focused on experience
• theological methodology? why is this a modern description?
• empirical evidence
• systems
• enlightenment – reason needed for everything
• methodology – extrinsic in nature
• split in modernity – objective vs. subjective
• TH 291 – one role is to overcome the split

Experience as source of theology - problematic

• no common ground for discussion – radical subjectivity possible
• if we start with experience, do we then shape our theology by that?

Experience as source of theology - positive

• God can speak in multiple ways, multiple conditions
• contemporary theologies

1. experience – great starting point for theologies (example – fear of death)
2. no universal experience but rather we understand our experiences through Scripture and Christian tradition – revelation comes from God, framework used to understand/interpret

Mysticism

• visions
• possibly unique to one person
• medieval period was a time of flourishing
• component of every religious faith
• Judaism – mysticism (Kabala)
• ecstatic out of body experience / union with other, tries to make sense of this experience

Julian of Norwich – how was she shaped by experiences

• illness
• preoccupation with wrath of God and sin – she is not disengaged with her questions
• elements of tradition – suffering of Christ on the cross, Mary Magdalene,
• female – identified with Mary instead of disciples
• feudalism model – seen in servant and lord
• goriness – significant focus in medieval times, time of black plague, 100 year war
• medieval penitentiary system – make amends for sin, self-imposed ascetic practices
• she is not taken from her context, those elements shape her mystical experience

Salvation perspectives

• Eastern – union with God
• Western – forgiveness of sin, atonement by Christ’s work
• she seems to combine these

Three wounds - suffering

God’s initiation – stands opposed to ascetic self-starting mentality

• she did not seek the illness
• she did not seek the vision
• she did not seek illumination

Why is the theme Discernment in this chapter?

• experience – considering and re-considering
• time period – shapes how she discerns
• how does she discern?
• time
• prayer
• teaching of the church
• scripture
• she lets it sit for awhile (slow cooker vs. fast food)
• also shares experience to edify others not herself, community focus (possible parallel to a spiritual gift not for the individual but for the community)