Nobility and Annihilation in Marguerite Porete's Mirror of Simple Souls

Joanne Maguire Robinson

Description

This first book-length study of Marguerite Porete's important mystical text, The Mirror of Simple Souls, examines Porete's esoteric and optimistic doctrine of annihilation—the complete transformative union of the soul into God—in its philosophical and historical contexts. Porete was burned at the stake as a relapsed heretic in 1310. Her theological treatise survived the flames, but it circulated anonymously or under male pseudonyms until 1946, and her message endures as testament to a distinctive form of medieval spirituality.

Robinson begins by focusing on traditional speculations regarding the origin, nature, limitations, and destiny of humankind. She then examines Porete's work in its more immediate historical and literary contexts, focusing on the ways in which Porete conceptualizes and expresses her radical doctrine of annihilation through contemporary metaphors of lineage and nobility.
Acknowledgments
Introduction

1. NOBILITY AS HISTORICAL REALITY AND THEOLOGICAL MOTIF
Reconstructing the Medieval Nobility
Hrotsvit of Gandersheim: The Beauty of High Birth
Hildegard of Bingen: Elitism Upheld
Bernard of Clairvaux: Egalitarianism Upheld
Le Roman de la Rose: The Nobility of Virtue
Hadewijch of Brabant: The Soul's Noble Image and Likeness

2.THE “BEGUINE CLERGERESSE” AND HER MIRROR
Neither Lowly Writer Nor Lowly Reader
The Text of The Mirror of Simple Souls
The Seven-Stage Path to Annihilation
“Taking Leave of the Virtues” and Possessing All

3. GOD, THE SOUL, AND NO-THINGNESS
God as Trinitarian Ground and Creator
The Roots of a Theological Anthropology
Creation and Fall of Humanity
Fall(s) and Return(s)

4. NOBILITY AND ANNIHILATION
The Three Beautiful Considerations
Annihilation: The Soul Without a Why
Traditional Mystical Metaphors
Nobility, Lineage, and Annihilation
A “Simple” Noble Soul?

Conclusion
Appendix
Notes
Bibliography
Index

Sujets

• Religion
• Christianisme
• Mysticism
• History of religions
• Christianity

Informations

• Publié par: State University of New York Press
• Date de parution: 01 février 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780791490693
• Langue: English

Extrait

Nobility and Annihilation

in Marguerite Porete’s

Mirror of Simple Souls

SUNY series in Western Esoteric Traditions

David Appelbaum, editor

Nobility and Annihilation in Marguerite Porete’s Mirror of Simple Souls

J OANNE M AGUIRE R OBINSON

S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y O F N E W Y O R K P R E S S

Published by S T A T E U O FN I V E R S I T Y N E W Y O R K P R E S S A LBANY

© 2001 State University of New York

All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.

For information, address State University of New York Press, 90 State Street, Suite 700, Albany, NY 12207

Production and book design, Laurie Searl Marketing, Anne M. Valentine

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Robinson, Joanne Maguire, 1966– Nobility and annihilation in Marguerite Porete’s Mirror of simple souls / Joanne Maguire Robinson. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-7914-4967-X—ISBN 0-7914-4968-8 (pbk.: alk. paper) 1. Contemplation—History of doctrines—Middle Ages, 600–1500. 2. Porete, Marguerite, ca. 1250–1310. Miroir des simples ãmes. 3. Mysticism—France—History—Middle Ages, 600–1500. 4. Women mystics—France—History. I. Title. BV5091.C7 R62 2001 248.2’2—dc21 00-045679

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C ONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Introduction

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CHAPTER ONE N OBILITY AS H ISTORICAL R EALITY AND T HEOLOGICAL M OTIF 1

Reconstructing the Medieval Nobility Hrotsvit of Gandersheim: The Beauty of High Birth Hildegard of Bingen: Elitism Upheld Bernard of Clairvaux: Egalitarianism Upheld Le Roman de la Rose:The Nobility of Virtue Hadewijch of Brabant: The Soul’s Noble Image and Likeness

CHAPTER TWO T HE “B EGUINE C LERGERESSE ” AND H ER M IRROR 27

Neither Lowly Writer Nor Lowly Reader The Text ofThe Mirror of Simple Souls The Seven-Stage Path to Annihilation “Taking Leave of the Virtues” and Possessing All

CHAPTER THREE G OD , THE S OUL , AND N O - THINGNESS 49

God as Trinitarian Ground and Creator The Roots of a Theological Anthropology Creation and Fall of Humanity Fall(s) and Return(s)

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Nobility and Annihilation in Marguerite Porete’sMirror of Simple Souls

CHAPTER FOUR N OBILITY AND A NNIHILATION 77

The Three Beautiful Considerations Annihilation: The Soul Without a Why Traditional Mystical Metaphors Nobility, Lineage, and Annihilation A “Simple” Noble Soul?

Conclusion 101

Appendix 109

Notes 111

Bibliography 161

Index 175

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A CKNOWLEDGMENTS

This work, which is concerned in part with the lineage of ideas and of people, would not have been possible without the support of mentors, friends, and family. A special thanks to Gene Gallagher at Connecticut College, an out- standing teacher who enticed me into a life of teaching and scholarship, and to George McCormack and the late Larry Robinson, both of whom fostered a love of learning when it made all the difference. I hope to live up to their legacy of exceptional teaching. My dissertation readers at the University of Chicago, David Tracy and Peter Dembowski, shared their expertise freely and graciously in the early stages of this project. I remain most indebted to Bernard McGinn, advisor, friend, and tireless and brilliant scholar. For him, an Irish blessing:Sláinte! Thanks also to my friends at the University of Chicago and in Charlotte, some of whom have never read a word of this manuscript but all of whom helped to get me through and beyond my doctoral work: the Anderson family, Emily Baird and Darren Dowell, Trish Beckman, Paul and Sylvie and the girls, Eddie Howells, Sarita Tamayo, and, always, Jill Mancina, who came to mind many a time when the pages weren’t simply producing themselves. Thanks also to my colleagues in Bernard McGinn’s Christian Mysticism sem- inar in 1993, as well as to the Fellows of the 1994–1995 Institute for the Advanced Study of Religion, all of whom gave constructive advice when this project was in its formative stages. This work was supported, in part, by funds provided by the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. I graciously acknowledge this Junior Faculty stipend support during the summers of 1997, 1998, and 1999. I will always be grateful for the outstanding work of the interlibrary loan staff of Atkins Library. This project would have been impossible without their particular magic. Thanks also to all faculty, staff, and students of the Department of Religious Studies for supporting my work. I am especially grateful to my editorial team at the State University of New York Press, for taking on this project and for patiently answering my many questions. I am also grateful to the three anonymous reviewers, who saw

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