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This paper deals with the use of theological concepts in nuns’ writings. It is based on a reading of discalced Carmelites’ manuscript and printed lives and of their spiritual autobiographies, between 1560 and 1630. It argues that the uncertainty of their prose when it comes to theology is not only the mark of a defensive rhetoric of femininity. At the same time, their use of divine knowledge seeks to enlighten the nature of God and to defend and preserve its mysteries. It is consciously ambiguous by nature. Their feigned ignorance, their staged doubts, and the cautious hermeneutics can be applied to their visions. They show how the controlled use of reason and understanding contribute to create the conditions of belief.