Purgatory

From The Book of THoTH (Leaves of Wisdom)

Purgatory commonly refers to a doctrine in the Roman Catholic Church, which posits that those who die in a state of grace undergo a purification in order to achieve the holiness necessary to enter heaven.<ref>Catechism of the Catholic Church 1030; see also [1]</ref> This purification of the elect is entirely different from the punishment of the damned in hell.<ref>Cf. Council of Florence (1439): DS 1304; Council of Trent (1563): DS 1820; (1547): 1580; see also Benedict XII, Benedictus Deus (1336): DS 1000.</ref> The Catholic doctrine holds that the souls in purgatory undergo temporal punishment due to venial sins or as satisfaction due to their transgressions,<ref>Catholic Encyclopedia entry on Purgatory</ref> and that they can be aided by the prayer and sufferings of the faithful and the Sacrifice of the Mass.<ref>c.f. Council of Trent 6.30, 22.2-3</ref> Hence central to the Catholic doctrine of purgatory is prayer for the dead.

Non-Catholic positions include the Left Behind Theory, which states that upon death one's imperfections are left behind on earth. The main Protestant belief of an instantaneous and painless event, glorification, however, generally is not referred to by the term purgatory. Certain Islamic, Jewish, and Zoroastrian beliefs are sometimes interpreted to be equivalent to purgatory.

The Anima Sola, a "lonely soul" in Purgatory; from a Roman Catholic holy card.
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The Anima Sola, a "lonely soul" in Purgatory; from a Roman Catholic holy card.

Purgatory is a setting in the three-part world-scheme of Dante's Divine Comedy, written in the early 14th century.

Contents

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Early References to Purgatory

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Scriptural References

The word Purgatory does not explicitly appear in the Bible. Scripture verses cited in support of a period of purgation after death and/or the efficacy of prayers for the dead include Dan 12:10; Zech 13:9; Mal 3:2-3; 2 Mac 12:42-45; Matthew 5:26; Lk 12:47-48; Lk 12:58-59; 1 Cor 3:13-15; Apoc 21:27; and others. The extent to which these passages refer to a state of purgation remains subject to interpretation.

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Early Christian Writings

The essential concept of purgatory was referred to by Clement of Alexandria (202),<ref>Clement of Alexandria, Stromata 6:14</ref> Cyprian of Carthage (253),<ref>Cyprian, Letters 51[55]:20</ref> Lactantius (307), Cyril of Jerusalem (350),<ref>Cyril, Catechetical Letters 23.5.9</ref> Gregory of Nyssa (382),<ref>Gregory, Sermon on the Dead</ref> St. John Chrysostom (392),<ref>John Chrysostom, Homily on First Corinthians 41:5; Homily on Philippians 3:9-10</ref>, and St. Augustine (411),<ref>Augustine, Sermons 159:1, 172:2; City of God 21:13; Handbook on Faith, Hope, and Charity 18:69, 29:109</ref> among others. Similarly, prayer for the dead was mentioned in the Acts of Paul and Thecla (160), and in the Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity (202) where it is associated with the relief of suffering in the afterlife. A certain Abercius left a request for them on his gravestone erected in (190). Likewise, Tertullian (216) wrote: "A woman, after the death of her husband . . . prays for his soul and asks that he may, while waiting, find rest; and that he may share in the first resurrection."<ref>Tertullian, Monogomy 10:1-2</ref> Pope Gregory I related penances in this life to the reduction of temporal punishment in purgatory, and also gave the following argument:

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.<ref> Gregory the Great, Dial. 4, 39: PL 77, 396; cf. Mt 12:31</ref>
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Use of the word Purgatory

Besides the concept expressed in early Christian writings of purification and suffering after death, as well as the efficacy of prayer for the dead (see above), no explicit use of the Latin word purgatorium (purgatory) is recorded before the 11th century. One of the first documents to mention purgatorium by name was a letter from the Benedictine Nicholas of Saint Albans to the Cistercian Peter of Celle in 1176.<ref>Barbara Haggh, "The meeting of sacred ritual and secular piety: endowments for music", Companion to Medieval & Renaissance Music. (Oxford University Press)</ref>

Dogmatic definition of purgatory was given in 1254, following the normal pattern of doctrinal clarification, with concepts having roots in Scripture and Tradition being given explicit names and further unambiguous theological description by dogmatic decrees as needed. Against those who denied purgatory the Catholic Church asserted: "[W]e, 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...".<ref>see Denziger §456</ref>

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Catholic Theology

In official Catholic teaching, every sin carries a punishment, and there are two punishments for sin: eternal punishment inflicted in Hell, and temporal punishment inflicted in this life or in purgatory if left uncompleted upon death. Forgiveness of sin, for example through the absolution granted by Confession, remits the eternal punishment. Penance, such as almsgiving, prayer, fasting, and suffering remit temporal punishment. Thus temporal punishment is a satisfaction for sin.<ref>concerning the preceding paragraph, see the Baltimore Catechism 629, 804, and 805.</ref>

Those who die in a state of grace, i.e. without unforgiven mortal sins, but who as yet retain either unforgiven venial sins or temporal punishment due for sins are purged before entering Heaven, so as to be made perfect. Everyone who enters Purgatory belong to the elect, and will therefore eventually reach Heaven. Hence, purgatory is not some lesser form of Hell. Prayers for the dead and indulgences, related to the concept of penance mentioned above, can reduce this temporal punishment.

A concise explication of the Roman Catholic doctrine of Purgatory was presented by Julian, Cardinal Cesarini to the Eastern Orthodox fathers assembled at the Council of Ferrara-Florence, Session VI, June (1438?):

"From the time of the Apostles," he said, "the Church of Rome has taught, that the souls departed from this world, pure and free from every taint,—namely, the souls of saints,—immediately enter the regions of bliss. The souls of those who after their baptism have sinned, but have afterwards sincerely repented and confessed their sins, though unable to perform the epitimia laid upon them by their spiritual father, or bring forth fruits of repentance sufficient to atone for their sins, these souls are purified by the fire of purgatory, some sooner, others slower, according, to their sins; and then, after their purification, depart for the land of eternal bliss. The prayers of the priest, liturgies, and deeds of charity conduce much to their purification. The souls of those dead in mortal sin, or in original sin, go straight to punishment."[2]
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Christian spirituality

Roman Catholics and many Eastern Orthodox Christians consider it to be a fact of great beauty that God provides a means of purification after death, considering it "a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead that they may be loosed from sins" (2 Mac 12:39-46).

Belief that the dead may be loosed from venial sins, defined with differing levels of explicitness as mentioned, plays a very large part in the spiritual life of Catholics and Orthodox (see below), as numerous prayers and liturgical actions, many dating from the earliest Christian times, assume that purification after death is possible for those who do not die in a state of mortal sin, whom the Eastern Orthodox might refer to as "the righteous dead".[3]

For example, one Catholic prayer, often included in the Grace after meals, states: "...and may the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace." In addition to the everyday and liturgical spiritual life of the Catholic, there exist Purgatorial societies which regularly offer prayer, especially the Mass, for the deceased. Of course, none of these ceremonies or doctrines should be construed as a license for sin. [4].

Prayers after Communion such as the "Prayer before a Crucifix"[5] and an Our Father, Hail Mary and a Glory Be to the Father for the fulfilment of the intentions of the Pope are offered to reduce or remove time spent in Purgatory, and may be offered for other souls already in Purgatory.

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Protestant theology

Though most Protestant churches embrace the somewhat similar doctrine of glorification, they largely reject explicit belief in Purgatory, especially in the precise Catholic theological definition.

Lutherans, following the later teachings of Martin Luther, deny the existence of purgatory and do not pray for people who have already died. 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."

Article 22 of the Thirty-Nine Articles of the Anglican Church states that:

"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."

John Calvin, central theologian of Reformed Protestantism, considered purgatory a superstition, and even had a woman whipped for praying at the grave of her son. He wrote 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."

Protestant disbelief in "purgatory" partially centres on the idea that it implies that Christ's blood sacrifice on the cross was insufficient to save humanity in whole and represents a human desire to perform some works that can "assist" them through into Heaven. Also important to this position is the notion that purgatory explicitly contradicts the doctrine of sola fide, which entails a categorical shift from "not saved" to "saved" rather than a gradational one. Protestants following this doctrine believe that all those who have faith in Christ are justified freely by his grace and require no more purgation than the cleansing of Christ's blood taken on when a new Christian is clothed in Christ and born again through baptism.<ref>c.f. Romans 3:21-2; Galatians 3; John 3</ref>

It should be noted, though, that in the Catholic doctrine only the "saved" are elected to Purgatory; thus, purgatory does not entail a change in the salvation status. Furthermore, Catholic doctrine asserts that Purgatory is "powered" by the Blood of Christ and could not exist without it. Lastly, Catholic theology makes a distinction between justification and sanctification, the latter being a process that takes place all along the believer's life. Thus Purgatory is the final stage of sanctification. Total sanctification, therefore, is attained only in heaven, where one is unable to sin.

Many Protestants claim that belief in Purgatory has been used by unscrupulous priests, if not by the Catholic Church itself, to terrify parishioners into donating money to fund Church projects, on the pretext that they might effectively buy their loved ones out of the torment of Purgatory. The implication is that this "fleecing of the flock" reduces the believability of Purgatory (See: History of Indulgences).

Several protestant theologians and spiritual leaders (such as C. S. Lewis) stated belief in the existence of an intermediate state between Earth and Heaven, persuaded by the argument that a period of cleansing and purification is necessary before one can enter Heaven and be in the presence of God. There are also those who equate various "times of testing", linked to theories the Rapture, with Purgatory. The extent to which these realms or periods can be equated with the Catholic doctrine of purgatory varies between different Protestant sects and theologians.

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Eastern Orthodox theology

The Eastern Orthodox church, separate from the Roman Church since well before 1054 (see East-West Schism), has neither explicit recognition of the term "Purgatory" nor official acceptance of such a state distinct from being "asleep in the Lord".{{fix |link=Wikipedia:Citation needed |text=citation needed |class=noprint Template-Fact |title=This claim needs references to reliable sources |date={{{date|}}} |cat= |cat-date=Category:Articles with unsourced statements}}{{#switch:|Template:-0|Template|Talk={{#if:{{{date|}}}|{{#ifexist:Category:Articles with unsourced statements since {{{date}}}||}}|}}}} That said Eastern Orthodox Bishop Kallistos Ware acknowledges several schools of thought among the Eastern Orthodox on the topic of purification after death indicating the Catholic view, more than the concept itself, is what is universally rejected. Also there are Orthodox sources that indicate some sins can be forgiven after death[6], with their rejection of purgatory revolving more around the concept of indulgences and the idea of purgatorial fire.

Some Eastern Orthodox sources, including the Ecumenical Patriarchate, consider Purgatory to be among "inter-correlated theories, unwitnessed in the Bible or in the Ancient Church" that are not acceptable within Orthodox doctrine,[7] and hold to a "condition of waiting"[8] as a more apt description of the period after death for those not borne directly to heaven. This waiting condition does not imply purification as it is linked to the idea "there is no hope of repentance or betterment after death." The prayers are simply to comfort those in the waiting place.

Other Orthodox believe in the "toll gate" theory by which the dead go to successive "toll gates" where they meet up with demons who test them to determine whether they've been guilty of various sins and/or tempt them to sin. If they have not repented and been absolved of those sins, or if they give in to sin after death, they will be taken to Hell.

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Jewish theology

The Jewish Talmud may be thought to indicate Purgatory in Sabbath 33b and Rosh HaShanah 16b-17a; a similar belief in the efficacy of prayers for the dead is manifest in the Mourner's Kaddish which is prayed for 11 months after a loved one dies. The Septuagint Scriptures do include the Maccabees which incorporate prayer for the dead (2 Mac 12:42-45). However, Jewish theology is inconclusive about Jewish teaching in this area, as indeed it is about almost all life-after-death teachings (for instance, Maimonides belived that all punishment was temporal, and the worst punishment is nonexistence; while the Nachmanides argued that eternal punishment does exist). It should be noted, however, that Jews do pray for their dead.

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Zoroastrian view

The Zoroastrians have a belief in a place called hamistagan. This is where souls go when "their good deeds equal their evil deeds."[9] Hamistagan seems to have been a place without suffering where you waited until the judgment at the final Resurrection. This might be the oldest Purgatory concept so critics of the Catholic Church, like Frank Hughes, indicate they borrowed the idea from Zoroastrianism for nefarious purposes.[10]

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Islamic view

There are some who feel the Islamic concept of Barzakh is relational to Purgatory, but this is disputed. It is a place of judgement until the last day. What relationship, if any, this has to Purgatory or hamistagan is not entirely clear. Others believe that the statement that sinners who go to Hell can be purified and sent to Heaven if they had "an atom's weight of faith in them" in life makes the Islamic Hell closer to the Catholic purgatory.

There is also Araf, which is a borderland between Hell and Heaven. Those who escape from Hell must stay here till they are allowed into Heaven. Also, children and lunatics who are neither good nor evil go here.

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Purgatory in literature

Purgatory or Purgatorio is the second book of Dante's The Divine Comedy. Scholars disagree whether the Ghost in Hamlet presupposes a belief in Purgatory [11]. British Canadian author and artist, Nick Bantock, illustrates an idealistic contemporary idea of purgatory as a place of deciding while in transition to a utopia, dystopia, or reincarnation in his book, The Museum at Purgatory. This relates to the use of purgatory as a metaphor, which occurs in several mystery novels, rather than as an actual place or condition.

Author Piers Anthony conceived a world where Purgatory was a place half-way between Heaven and Hell, where mythical incarnations such as Death and Time lived, in his Incarnations of Immortality series.

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See also

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Footnotes

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Sources

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External links

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