The Fault of Forgiveness: Fragility and Memory of Evil in Volf and Ricoeur

Abstract

Images of evil are etched in the minds, bodies, and souls of those who have suffered evil. Forgiveness is often proffered as both a faithful and efficacious response to the memory of evil, raising questions of what the redemption of memory means. We draw on the work of Paul Ricoeur and Miroslav Volf as sources of healing for the wounds of the memory of evil. Redeeming memories of evil requires a truthful retelling of the memory: an act of anamnesis. That the memory of evil is made present as part of an ongoing story of salvation and redemption means that the memory of evil is judged and the parties reconciled so that the memory can be redeemed. Forgiveness is an integral component of this re-location of memory that transforms it into a memory of redemption such that the memory of evil qua evil suffered simply no longer comes to mind.