User:Alecmconroy/Purgatory

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Purgatory is a state, process, or place of purification or punishment in which, according medieval Christian and Roman Catholic beliefs, the dead are "purified" or "cleansed" prior to entering Heaven. ^[1][2]

According to Roman Catholicism beliefs, some sins are so severe that in the afterlife, they eternally separate one from God-- a condition called Hell. But lesser states of sin are not severe enough to prevent one eventually attaining eternal union with God-- a condition called Heaven. Souls who die in this lesser state of sin will will ultimately be united with God, but first they must be "purified" of "cleansed"-- a condition called Purgatory.

Roman Catholics believe that the acts of the living, such as prayer and sacrifice, can have positive effects on the dead who are in Purgatory. Historically, Purgatory was often envisioned as a physical place of fiery punishment, although modern Catholic theologians tend to reject this interpretation.

The doctrine of Purgatory was first explicitly formulated in the 12th century, but many elements of the doctrine are more ancient. For example, two elements which predate the 12th century are the the belief that prayer for the dead is valuable and the notion that not all souls are condemned to Hell or worthy of Heaven at the moment of death.^[3]

Among other Christian denominations, the concept of Purgatory is controversial. The Eastern Orthodox Church generally rejects the Roman Catholic understanding of Purgatory, although they do practice prayer for the dead.^[3][4]. Protestants, with few exceptions, do not believe in a process of purification after death.^[5]. Leaders of the Protestant Reformation particularly objected to the medieval Roman Catholic church's practice of granting "indulgences"-- a pardoning of the sins of souls in Purgatory-- in exchange for monetary donations to the Church.^[6]

Contents 1 Overview 1.1 Heaven and Hell 1.2 Purgatory's role 1.3 Sin 1.4 Pain and Fire 1.5 Prayer for the dead and Indulgences 1.6 Purgatory as a physical place 2 Purgatory in the authoritative teachings of the contemporary Roman Catholic Church 2.1 Purgatory in The Catechism of the Catholic Church 2.2 Purgatory in the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church 3 Purgatory and other rites, denominations, and religions 3.1 Purgatory and the Eastern Catholic Churches 3.2 Eastern Orthodox views of Purgatory 3.3 Protestant views of Purgatory 4 History 4.1 Christian Antiquity 4.2 Early Middle Ages 4.3 High Middle Ages 4.4 Subsequent history 4.4.1 Latin-Greek relations 4.4.2 Protestant Reformation 4.5 Interpretations 5 Footnotes 6 Sources 7 See also 8 External links

[edit] Overview

Purgatory is a "place or condition" in the Latin Rite, which is the dominant particular Church of the Roman Catholic Church, to which about 98% of Roman Catholics belong.

[edit] Heaven and Hell

Immediately after death, a person undergoes judgment in which the soul's eternal destiny is specified. Souls which are entirely free from sin are eternally united with God in what is called Heaven, often envisioned seen as a paradise of eternal joy. Other persons, who have "sinned gravely" ^[7] enter Hell, a state of eternal separation from God often envisioned as fiery place of punishment.^[8]

[edit] Purgatory's role

Roman Catholicism, however, accepts the possibility of a third option. Roman Catholic doctrine envisions the possibility that a soul might not be so filled with mortal sins as to immediately descend into Hell, but at the same time, might not be sufficiently free from sin to immediate ascend into Heaven. Such souls, ultimately destined to be united with God in Heaven, first entering into Purgatory-- a state of purification. In Purgatory, souls "achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven."^[9]

[edit] Sin

Roman Catholics make a distinction between two different types of sin. ^[10] Mortal sin is a "grave violation of God's law" that "destroys" a person's love for God.^[11] Unless redeemed by repentance, a mortal sin causes "exclusion from Christ's kingdom" resulting in "the eternal death of hell".^[12]

In contrast, a venial sin (meaning "forgivable" sin) is a lesser sin, which "does not break the covenant with God". ^[13] A venial sin, although still "constituting a moral disorder", does not deprive the sinner of the "eternal happiness" of Heaven.

According to Roman Catholicism, the pardon and purification of sin can occur during life-- for example, in the Sacrament of Baptism and the Sacrament of Penance. However, if this purification is not achieved in life, venial sins can still be purified after death. The specific name given to this purification of sin after death is "Purgatory".

[edit] Pain and Fire

Purgatory has long been associated with the image of painful punishment and fire. Historically, Purgatory was viewed as a place of painful, tormenting fire, not unlike that found in descriptions of Hell. St. Augustine described the fires as more painful than anything a man can suffer in this life. Pope Gregory I similarly mentioned "purgatorial flames," adding "that the pain be more intolerable than any one can suffer in this life". St. Bonaventure also stated that this punishment by fire is more severe than any punishment which comes to men in this life.^[14]

Modernly, the Roman Catholic church have tended to view purgatorial fire as more metaphorical fire rather than a literal one, or as more of a "cleansing fire" rather than "painful fire". The Catechism of the Catholic Church discussion of Purgatory speaks of a "cleansing fire" and a "purifying fire", but does not make any explicit mention of a "painful" fire. On the subject of the punishment of sin, the modern Catechism says that such punishment "must not be conceived of as a kind of vengeance inflicted by God from without, but as following from the very nature of sin."

The existence or absence of punishing fire is one source of contention between the Western Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church (see below).

[edit] Prayer for the dead and Indulgences

Main articles: Prayer for the dead and Indulgences

The Roman Catholic Church teaches that the fate of those in Purgatory can be affected by the actions of the living. According to this belief, the living are encouraged to engage in prayer and sacrifice for the dead, in the hope that such prayers will be have a positive impact on those in Purgatory. Acts of sacrifice such charitable donations, fasting, and other penitential act are similarly believed to aid those in Purgatory.

A related concept is the practice of indulgences. An indulgence is a remission of the punishment which would normally accompany sins that have been forgiven. Indulgences are issues by the Pope or those members of the clergy designated by the Pope to issue indulges. Indulgences may be obtained for oneself, or on behalf of specific deceased individuals.

Traditionally, prayers for the dead and indulgences were sometimes envisioned as decreasing the "duration" of time the dead would spend in Purgatory. For example, prior to the 1960s, some indulgences were measured in term of days, weeks, months, or years-- leading to the misconception that indulgences remit a specific period of time equal to the length of the soul's stay in Purgatory. Technically, however, the stated length of time actually indicated that the indulgence was equal to the amount of remission the individual would have earned by performing a canonical penance for that period of time. For example, the amount of punishment remitted by a “forty day” indulgence would be equal to the amount of punishment remitted by the individual performing forty days of penance. Modernly, Roman Catholic theologians whether a physical concept such "duration" can rationally be applied to souls in Purgatory.

The practice of granting indulgences was a source of controversy which results in the Protestant Reformation. The 16th century Roman Catholic Church had a practice of indulgences in exchange for monetary donations-- an policy which was seen by Martin Luther as the purchase and sale of salvation. In his 95 Theses, Luther specifically objected to a "marketing slogan" of sorts which was used by the Church to encourage the purchase of indulgences: "As soon as a coin in the coffer rings, a soul from purgatory springs".^[15]

[edit] Purgatory as a physical place

In antiquity, both Heaven and Hell were regarded as physical places existing within the physical universe. Heaven for example, was traditionally believed to be associated with the sky, and to exist "above". Hell as often believed to be "below", located within the center of the Earth. Similarly, Purgatory was sometimes considered to be a physical place located within space. For example, in Dante's 14th century work The Divine Comedy, Purgatory is depicted as a mountain in the southern hemisphere.

Modernly, practically all religions reject the notion of Heaven, Hell, or Purgatory being physical locations. The Roman Catholic Church has explicitly denounced the concept of Purgatory as a "place"-- for example, in 1999, Pope John Paul II declared "the term ('purgatory') does not indicate a place, but a condition of existence".^[16] Authoritative church teachings similarly dismiss the concept of Purgatory as a place within physical space.

[edit] Purgatory in the authoritative teachings of the contemporary Roman Catholic Church

Like nearly all religions, Roman Catholic Church does not regard any and all writings or teachings produced by its members to be authoritative. Instead, only a small fraction of the beliefs, teachings, and doctrines proposed by Catholics are ever considered to authoritative. For example, Dante's work The Divine Comedy, although a highly influential catholic work, is not considered to be an authoritative factual exposition of the Roman Catholic afterlife.

[edit] Purgatory in The Catechism of the Catholic Church

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, published in 1997, is the official exposition of the teachings of the modern Roman Catholic Church The section on Purgatory^[17] reads:

THE FINAL PURIFICATION, OR PURGATORY

All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.

The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned.(Cf. Council of Florence (1439): DS 1304; Council of Trent (1563): DS 1820; (1547): 1580; see also Benedict XII, Benedictus Deus (1336): DS 1000.) The Church formulated her doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the [15th century] Councils of Florence and [the 16th century] Trent . The tradition of the Church, by reference to certain texts of Scripture, speaks of a cleansing fire:(Cf. 1 Cor 3:15, 1 Pet 1:7)

As for certain lesser faults, we must believe that, before the Final Judgment, there is a purifying fire. He who is truth says that whoever utters blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will be pardoned neither in this age nor in the age to come. From this sentence we understand that certain offenses can be forgiven in this age, but certain others in the age to come.(St. Gregory the Great, Dial. 4, 39: PL 77, 396; cf. ⇒ Mt 12:31.)

This teaching is also based on the practice of prayer for the dead, already mentioned in Sacred Scripture: "Therefore [Judas Maccabeus] made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin." (2 Macc 12:46.) From the beginning the Church has honored the memory of the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that, thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision of God.(Cf. Council of Lyons II (1274): DS 856.) The Church also commends almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead:

Let us help and commemorate them. If Job's sons were purified by their father's sacrifice, why would we doubt that our offerings for the dead bring them some consolation? Let us not hesitate to help those who have died and to offer our prayers for them.(St. John Chrysostom, Hom. in 1 Cor. 41, 5: PG 61, 361; cf. ⇒ Job 1:5.)

The section on Indulgences also mentions Purgatory: ^[18]

THE PUNISHMENT OF SIN

To understand this doctrine and practice of the Church, it is necessary to understand that sin has a double consequence. Grave sin deprives us of communion with God and therefore makes us incapable of eternal life, the privation of which is called the "eternal punishment" of sin. On the other hand every sin, even venial, entails an unhealthy attachment to creatures, which must be purified either here on earth, or after death in the state called Purgatory. This purification frees one from what is called the "temporal punishment" of sin. These two punishments must not be conceived of as a kind of vengeance inflicted by God from without, but as following from the very nature of sin. A conversion which proceeds from a fervent charity can attain the complete purification of the sinner in such a way that no punishment would remain

[edit] Purgatory in the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church

The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, first published in 2005, is a more concise version of the Catechism which presents information in the form of a dialog. The work discusses Purgatory thusly:^[19]

What is purgatory?

Purgatory is the state of those who die in God’s friendship, assured of their eternal salvation, but who still have need of purification to enter into the happiness of heaven.

How can we help the souls being purified in purgatory?

Because of the communion of saints, the faithful who are still pilgrims on earth are able to help the souls in purgatory by offering prayers in suffrage for them, especially the Eucharistic sacrifice. They also help them by almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance.

[edit] Purgatory and other rites, denominations, and religions

Main article: Purgatory and world religions

Purgatory is strongly associated with the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church, but other rites, denominations, and religious do have views on the concept of Purgatory.

[edit] Purgatory and the Eastern Catholic Churches

Main article: Purgatory and world religions#Purgatory in the Eastern Catholic Churches

The Roman Catholic Church is made up of 23 distinct Churches. The Latin Church is by far the most populous and influential-- its members make up approximately 98% of Roman Catholic Church. The remaining 22 churches are known collectively as the Eastern Catholic Churches. Historically, most of the Eastern Catholic Churches were, at some point in history, separate entities that later united with the Latin Church.

The Eastern Catholic Churches are full and equal members of the Roman Catholic Church, are under the leadership of the Pope, and officially accept all the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church (including those involving Purgatory). However, there are also differences between the the Eastern Catholic Churchs and the Latin Church in numerous matters of ceremony, tradition, and terminology. For example, while the priests in the Latin Church take vows of celibacy, married men are eligible to join the priesthood in most Eastern Catholic Churches.

One of the differences between the Latin Church and the Eastern Catholic Churches concerns the views about Purgatory. Many of Eastern Catholic Churches do not, in general, use the word "Purgatory", but they do agree that there is a "final purification" for souls destined for Heaven, and that prayers can help the dead who are in that state of "final purification". In general, neither the members of the Latin Church nor the members of the Easter Catholic Churches regard these differences as major points of active dispute, but instead see the differences more as minor nuances and differences of tradition. For example, a treaty which formalized the admission of Eastern Catholic Churches into the Roman Catholic Church explicitly states, "We shall not debate about purgatory," implying that both sides could "agree to disagree" on the precise details of the final purification".^[20]

[edit] Eastern Orthodox views of Purgatory

Main article: Purgatory and world religions#Eastern Orthodox views of Purgatory

Eastern Orthodox Christians generally reject the Roman Catholic understanding of Purgatory. ^[3] According to Eastern Orthodox beliefs, after death, a soul is either sent to heaven or hell, following the Temporary Judgment occurring immediately after death. Eastern Orthodox theology does not generally describe the process of purification after death as involving suffering or fire, although it is nevertheless describes it as a "direful condition". ^[21] Eastern Orthodox Christians do, however, practice prayer for the dead, and they accept that those prayers can affect the state of the deceased souls.

[edit] Protestant views of Purgatory

Main article: Purgatory and world religions#Protestant views of Purgatory

In general, Protestant churches do not accept the doctrine of Purgatory. One of Protestantism's central tenets is Sola scriptura, a Latin phrase which translates to "Scripture alone". Protestants believe that the Bible alone is the basis for valid Christian Doctrine and, since the Protestant Bible contains no overt, explicit discussion of Purgatory, Protestants reject it as an "unbiblical" belief.

Another tenet of Protestantism is Sola fide-- "By faith alone". While Catholicism regards both good works and faith as being essential to salvation, Protestants believe faith alone is sufficient to achieve salvation and that good works are merely evidence of that faith. Salvation is generally seen as discrete event which takes place during one's lifetime. Instead of distinguishing between mortal and venial sins, Protestants believe that one's faith or state of "salvation" dictates one's place in the afterlife. Those who have been "saved" by God are destined for heaven, while those have not been saved will be excluded from Heaven. Accordingly, they reject the notion of any "third state" or "third place" such as Purgatory.

[edit] History

The tradition of purgatory originates from the worldwide practice of praying for and caring for the dead. The same practice appears in other traditions, such as the Chinese practice of making offerings on behalf of the dead, who are said to suffer numerous trials.^[22] Purgatory is based on the practice of prayer for the dead.^[23] Catholics consider purgatory part of the apostolic deposit of faith, finding its origins in the revelation of Jesus Christ.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Christian Antiquity

Offerings to the dead were known to ancient Jewish practice, and it has been speculated that Christianity may have taken its similar practice from its Jewish heritage.^[25] In Christianity, prayer for the dead is attested to since at least the second century,^[26] evidenced in part by the tomb inscription of Abercius, Bishop of Hierapolis in Phrygia (d. c. 200).^[27] Celebration of the Eucharist for the dead is attested to since at least the third century.^[28]

Specific examples of belief in purification after death and of the communion of the living with the dead through prayer are found in many of the Church Fathers.^[29] The patristic authors often understood those undergoing purification to be awaiting the universal judgment before receiving final blessedness, and they also often described this purification as a journey which entailed hardships but also powerful glimpses of joy.^[30] Irenaeus (c. 130-202) mentioned an abode where the souls of the dead remained until the universal judgment, a process that has been described as one which "contains the concept of... purgatory."^[31] Both St. Clement of Alexandria (c. 150-215) and his pupil, Origen (c. 185-254), developed a view of purification after death;^[32] this view drew upon the notion that fire is a divine instrument from the Old Testament, and understood this in the context of New Testament teachings such as baptism by fire, from the Gospels, and a purificatory trial after death, from St. Paul.^[33] Origen, in arguing against soul sleep, stated that the souls of the elect immediately entered paradise unless not yet purified, in which case they passed into a state of punishment, a penal fire, which is to be conceived as a place of purification.^[34] For both Clement and Origen, the fire was neither a material thing nor a metaphor, but a "spiritual fire".^[35] An early Latin author, Tertullian (c. 160-225), also articulated a view of purification after death.^[36] In Tertullian's understanding of the afterlife, the souls of martyrs entered directly into eternal blessedness,^[37] whereas the rest entered a generic realm of the dead. There the wicked suffered a foretaste of their eternal punishments,^[38] whilst the good experienced various stages and places of bliss wherein "the idea of a kind of purgatory… is quite plainly found," an idea that is representative of a view widely dispersed in antiquity.^[39] Later examples, wherein further elaborations are articulated, include St. Cyprian (d. 258),^[40] St. John Chrysostom (c. 347-407),^[41] and St. Augustine (354-430),^[42] among others.

The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church states that early Christians, with their emphasis on the imminent end of the world, expressed little interest in an interim state between death and the Resurrection, describing the dead as waiting or sleeping; that belief in prayer for the dead was a constant feature of both Eastern and Western liturgies, and is unintelligible without belief in an interim state in which the dead may be benefited; and that Christians in the West demonstrated much more curiosity about this state than those in the East.^[3]

[edit] Early Middle Ages

During the Early Middle Ages, the doctrine of final purification developed distinctive features in the Latin-speaking West differing from its development in the Greek-speaking East. Pope Gregory the Great's Dialogues, written in the late sixth century, evidence a development in the understanding of the afterlife distinctive of the direction that Latin Christendom would take:

As for certain lesser faults, we must believe that, before the Final Judgment, there is a purifying fire. He who is truth says that whoever utters blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will be pardoned neither in this age nor in the age to come. From this sentence we understand that certain offenses can be forgiven in this age, but certain others in the age to come.^[44]

For Gregory, God was further illuminating the nature of the afterlife, sending visions and the like, whereby, more fully than before, the outlines of the fate of the soul immediately beyond the grave were becoming visible, like the half-light that precedes the dawn.^[45] Visions of purgatory abounded; Bede mentioned a vision of a beautiful Heaven and a lurid Hell with adjacent temporary abodes,^[46] as did St. Boniface.^[47] In the seventh century, the Irish abbot St. Fursa described his foretaste of the afterlife, where, though protected by angels, he was pursued by demons who said, "It is not fitting that he should enjoy the blessed life unscathed..., for every transgression that is not purged on earth must be avenged in heaven," and on his return he was engulfed in a billowing fire that threatened to burn him, "for it stretches out each one according to their merits... For just as the body burns through unlawful desire, so the soul will burn, as the lawful, due penalty for every sin."^[48] Already in the early fifth century, St. Augustine had described the role of fire in the process of purgation, writing that the pains of purgatorial fire "will be more severe than anything man is able to suffer in this life".^[49] In the ninth century, Haymo stated that prayers and lamentations of the living, supported by almsgiving and masses, would shorten the period of purgatorial suffering.^[50] Others who expounded upon on the doctrine include Rabanus Maurus and Walafrid Strabo,^[51] to name just two.

[edit] High Middle Ages

In 1054, the Bishop of Rome and the four Greek-speaking patriarchs of the East excommunicated each other, triggering the East-West Schism. The schism split the church basically into the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches. In the West, the understanding of purification through fire in the intermediate state continued to develop.

The Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates several All Souls' Days in the year,^[52] but in the West only one such annual commemoration is celebrated. The establishment, at the end of the 10th century, of this remembrance helped focus popular imagination on the fate of the departed, and that the theology of penance, as developed in Paris in the 12th century, helped establish purgatory as a place to complete unfinished penances.^[3]

By the twelfth century, the process of purification had acquired the Latin name, "purgatorium", from the verb purgare: to purge.^[53] Dogmatic definition of purgatory was given in 1254: the First Council of Lyon declared that, on Scriptural grounds and because the Greeks too "are said to believe and to affirm that the souls of those who after a penance has been received yet not performed, or who, without mortal sin yet die with venial and slight sin, can be cleansed after death and can be helped by the suffrages of the Church, we, since they say a place of purgation of this kind has not been indicated to them with a certain and proper name by their teachers, we indeed, calling it purgatory according to the traditions and authority of the Holy Fathers, wish that in the future it be called by that name in their area. For in that transitory fire certainly sins, though not criminal or capital, which before have not been remitted through penance but were small and minor sins, are cleansed, and these weigh heavily even after death, if they have been forgiven in this life."^[54]

According to the Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, Thomas Aquinas formulated the classic description of purgatory, linking it directly to unsatisfied earthly punishment.^[3] The same book, which does not indicate the source of these statements,^[55] says that Aquinas stated that the dead in purgatory are at peace because they are sure of salvation, and that they benefit from the prayers of the living because they are still part of the Communion of Saints, from which only hell or limbo can separate you.^[3]

By this time, Latin theology had developed a sophisticated picture of the afterlife, articulated in legalistic terminology,^{[citation needed]} and the understanding of purgatory had become fully^{[citation needed]} associated with indulgences and other penitential practices, such as fasting. Through theology, literature, and indulgences, purgatory became central to late medieval religion.^[3]

[edit] Subsequent history

[edit] Latin-Greek relations

In the 15th century, at the Council of Florence authorities of the Eastern Orthodox Church identified purgatory as a point on which there were principal differences between Greek and Latin doctrine.^[56] The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church says that Eastern Christians were especially resistant to the legalistic distinction between forgiveness and remission of punishment and to the fire of purgatory being material fire.^[3] The decrees of the Council, which contained no reference to fire and, without using the word "purgatorium" (Purgatory), spoke only of "pains of cleansing" ("poenis purgatoriis"),^[57] formed the basis on which certain Eastern Communities were later received into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church.^[58] At the Council itself, the Catholic Bessarion (Latin Patriarch of Constantinople) argued against the existence of real purgatorial fire. In effecting full communion between the Roman Catholic Church and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church by the Union of Brest (1585), the two agreed, "We shall not debate about purgatory, but we entrust ourselves to the teaching of the Holy Church,"^[59] implying that both sides need not dispute over the details.^[60] Furthermore, the Council of Trent, in its discussion of purgatory, instructed the bishops not to preach on such "difficult and subtle questions".^[61] Today, the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Catholic Churches understand the Greek articulation of a "final theosis", or process of deification whereby the soul is transformed into perfect union with God,^[62] and the Latin articulation of "purgatory" to be essentially equivalent — a final purification.^[63] However, some Eastern Orthodox Churches continue to see "purgatory" as a matter of contention.^[64]

[edit] Protestant Reformation

During the Protestant Reformation, certain Protestant theologians developed a view of salvation (soteriology) that excluded purgatory. This was in part a result from a doctrinal change concerning justification and sanctification on the part of the reformers. In Catholic theology, one is made righteous by a progressive infusion of divine grace accepted through faith and cooperated with through good works; however, in Martin Luther's doctrine, justification rather meant "the declaring of one to be righteous", where God imputes the merits of Christ upon one who remains without inherent merit.^[65] In this process, good works done in faith (i.e. through penance) are more of an unessential byproduct that contribute nothing to one's own state of righteousness; hence, in Protestant theology, "becoming perfect" came to be understood as an instantaneous act of God and not a process or journey of purification that continues in the afterlife.

Thus, Protestant soteriology developed the view that each one of the elect (saved) experienced instantaneous glorification upon death. As such, there was little reason to pray for the dead. Luther wrote in Question No. 211 in his expanded Small Catechism: "We should pray for ourselves and for all other people, even for our enemies, but not for the souls of the dead." Luther, after he stopped believing in purgatory around 1530,^[66] openly affirmed the doctrine of soul sleep.^[67] Purgatory came to be seen as one of the "unbiblical corruptions" that had entered Church teachings sometime subsequent to the apostolic age. Hence, the Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England produced during the English Reformation stated: "The Romish doctrine concerning Purgatory...is a fond thing vainly invented, and grounded upon no warranty of Scripture; but rather repugnant to the word of God" (article 22). Likewise, John Calvin, central theologian of Reformed Protestantism, considered purgatory a superstition, writing in his Institutes (5.10): "The doctrine of purgatory ancient, but refuted by a more ancient Apostle. Not supported by ancient writers, by Scripture, or solid argument. Introduced by custom and a zeal not duly regulated by the word of God… we must hold by the word of God, which rejects this fiction." In general, this position remains indicative of Protestant belief today, with the notable exception of certain Anglo-Catholics, such as the Guild of All Souls, which describe themselves as Reformed and Catholic (and specifically not Protestant) and believe in purgatory.

In response to Protestant Reformation critics, the Council of Trent reaffirmed purgatory as already taught by the First Council of Lyon, confining itself to the concepts of purification after death and the efficacy of prayers for the dead.^[68] It simply affirmed the existence of purgatory and the great value of praying for the deceased, but sternly instructed preachers not to push beyond that and distract, confuse, and mislead the faithful with unnecessary speculations concerning the nature and duration of purgatorial punishments.^[69] It thus did not treat the elaborate medieval speculation that had grown up around the concept of Purgatory as part of Church teaching on the matter.

According to the Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, Saint Robert Bellarmine (1542 – 1621) advocated petitioning the souls in purgatory to pray for one,^[3]. Saints such as Francis de Sales spoke of Purgatory as "under the earth".^[70] Other highly regarded writers have stated that some of the souls in Purgatory pass "their purification in the air, or by their graves, or near altars where the Blessed Sacrament is, or in the rooms of those who pray for them, or amid the scenes of their former vanity and frivolity".^[71] There are many other such speculations concerning the nature and duration of purgatorial punishments.

[edit] Interpretations

The historical development of the doctrine of purgatory has been the subject of many interpretations, especially concerning its origins. Part of the divergence of views has resulted from different definitions as to what constitutes the essence of the doctrine.

Catholic scholar and apologist John Henry Newman, in his Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, argued that doctrines such as purgatory should be expected to develop over the course of the history of the Church. In this view, the essence of the doctrine is locatable in ancient tradition, and remains consistent throughout doctrinal development, but that "large accretions" are to be understood as "true and legitimate results" — indeed, Newman considered this evidence that Christianity was "originally given to us from heaven".^[72] Newman wrote:

Moreover, the very scale on which [the developments] have been made, their high antiquity yet present promise, their gradual formation yet precision, their harmonious order, dispose the imagination most forcibly towards the belief that a teaching so consistent with itself, so well balanced, so young and so old, not obsolete after so many centuries, but vigorous and progressive still, is the very development contemplated in the Divine Scheme.^[73]

Protestant theology generally does not articulate such a view on doctrinal development, and certain Protestant scholars consider purgatory to be an "unbiblical" belief not derived from revelation. Hence, Adolf Harnack, a nineteenth century Protestant historian, argued that purgatory entered the Church via Hellenistic philosophy and thus represented an infusion of "unrealistic" and "unbiblical" ideas into Christianity.^[74] Notable exceptions include Anglican apologist C. S. Lewis, who suggested that, during the Reformation, the Church of England rejected purgatory only as it was then understood by the Roman church, distinguishing this from the idea of purgatory in general and believing in the latter.^[75] Jacques Le Goff, medievalist and self-professed agnostic, argued that purgatory was "born" between 1170 and 1200, when purification after death was first said to be carried out in a specific place.^[76] Le Goff acknowledged the notion of purification after death in antiquity, arguing specifically that Clement of Alexandria, and his pupil Origen, derived their view from a combination of biblical teachings, though he considered vague concepts of purifying and punishing fire to predate Christianity.^[77] Le Goff also considered Peter the Lombard (d. 1160), in expounding on the teachings of St. Augustine and Gregory the Great, to have contributed significantly to the "birth" of purgatory. Le Goff’s view, however, has been criticized by fellow historians and scholars. Historian Alan E. Bernstein held that, "the insistence that there was no purgatory until it was conceived as a place represented by a noun seems unnecessarily strict",^[78] and stated that, "Le Goff leaves us with a tangle of abstractions."^[79] Historian Richard Trexler considered Le Goff’s "so-called birth of purgatory" to have been arrived at in part by "a priori" criteria and even occasional "tautological reasoning",^[80] writing that, "From Christianity’s earliest records, the faithful are found performing suffrages to and for their dead, as if both were able to influence each other's death."^[81]

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] Sources

• Akin, James. How to explain Purgatory to Protestants
• Blackwell Dictionary of Eastern Christianity (Oxford: Blackwell, 1999)
• Catechism of the Catholic Church, available online
• Catechism of St. Philaret (Drozdov) of Moscow
• Catholic Encyclopedia of 1914, Purgatory
• Clendenin, Daniel B. (ed.). Eastern Orthodox Theology (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1995)
• Demetry, Constas H. Catechism of the Eastern Orthodox Church
• Dragani, Anthony. From East to West: Purgatory
• Haggh, Barbara. "The meeting of sacred ritual and secular piety: endowments for music", in Companion to Medieval & Renaissance Music (Oxford University Press, 1997)
• Harnack, Adolph. History of Dogma trans. Neil Buchanan (London, Williams & Norgate, 1995)
• MacCulloch, Diarmaid. The Reformation: A History. Penguin/Allan Lee (2003)
• O' Collins, Gerald and Mario Farrugia. Catholicism: the story of Catholic Christianity (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003)
• O' Collins Gerald, and Edward G. Farrugia. A Concise Dictionary of Theology (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 2000)
• Meyondorff, John. Byzantine Theology (London: Mowbrays, 1974)
• Russian Orthodox Information Center, The Orthodox Response to the Latin Doctrine of Purgatory, given at the Synod of Ferrara-Florence
• Watkins, C. S. "Sin, penance and purgatory in the Anglo-Norman realm: the evidence of visions and ghost stories", in Past and Present 175 (May 2002)

[edit] See also

Afterlife Brig (Bridge) of Dread Christian eschatology The Divine Comedy Hades Heaven Hell Indulgence

Limbo Mortal sin Penance Purgatorial society Soteriology St. Patrick's Purgatory Venial sin

[edit] External links

• Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1030-1032
• CatholicBridge.com, Purgatory — Ecumenical article by David MacDonald concerning Evangelical and Catholic belief
• Catholic Answers, Purgatory — Catholic apologetic article
• NewAdvent.org, Purgatory — 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia article
• bringyou.to/apologetics — Readings from the Church Fathers and other sources on Purgatory, by Phil Porvaznik
• EWTN.com library, Heaven, Hell and Purgatory according to Pope John Paul II — Article from the newspaper of the Holy See, L'Osservatore Romano, July-August 1999
• JewishEncyclopedia.com, Purgatory — Article by Kaufmann Kohler in the online Jewish Encyclopedia
• New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, Purgatory — Article by C. A. Beckwith in the 19th century Protestant encyclopedia (ed. Philip Schaff)
• Purgatory account in the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
• Purgatory article in Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
• I Believe in Purgatory... — excerpt from C. S. Lewis's Letters To Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer, chapter 20
• Frequently Asked Questions at Holy Souls Online
• Purgatory and praying for the dead on Catholic Apologetic
• "Prisoner of the King: Thoughts on the Catholic Doctrine of Purgatory", H. J. Coleridge, 1889. retrieved 24 May 2007
• Three Purgatory Poems, a scholarly history of Purgatory from Medieval Institute Publications