Lucifer, Save My Soul! Medieval Female Interpretations of Divine Judgement, Compassion and the Doctrine of Purgatory

Abstract

ABSTRACT Can souls be saved out of purgatory? This question became a very important one during the thirteenth century when the female experience heavily influenced the spiritual landscape. At the root of this question, lies a dynamic tension between divine compassion and justice. Debates about this tension are of great interest to contemporary theology because it strikes at the core of Christianity – it is a story about sin and grace. Using the female practice of saving souls from purgatory, I explore two different positions in the debate. To begin, I focus on the position of the Holy Women, more specifically, on how they were believed to save souls. Secondly, I contrast their position with the mystical theology of Hadewijch, who takes a new turn in the female history of spiritually. I demonstrate that the praxis of saving souls explores relevant theological themes, such as judgement and compassion, pain and unconditional Love.