Marguerite Porete, annihilation and trauma: Some cautions

Can a theology of annihilation, a radically apophatic theology, speak productively to the experience of trauma? In a 2012 study, Susan Shooter argues that The Mirror of Simple Souls, a late thirteenth century text by Marguerite Porete, offers ‘a theological mirror’ for the spiritual journey of survivors of abuse. In this paper I raise and explore some problematic consequences of Shooter’s application of this theology arguing that Marguerite’s apophatic theology offers an equivocal picture for the victim of trauma, and a poor, if not dangerous, mirror for any journey toward healing.