In Roman Catholic and some Orthodox teaching, the place and state in which the souls of the dead suffer for their sins before being admitted to heaven. Those in purgatory may be assisted by the prayers of the faithful on Earth.
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. The Catholic doctrine holds that the souls in purgatory undergo temporal punishment due to venial sins or as satisfaction due to their transgressions, and that they can be aided by the prayer and sufferings of the faithful and the Sacrifice of the Mass. Hence central to the Roman Catholic doctrine of purgatory is prayer for the dead. The main Protestant belief of an instantaneous and painless event, glorification, presupposes some manner of purgation, but is generally not referred to by the term "purgatory".
Early References to Purgatory
Scriptural References
The word Purgatory, just as the words Trinity and Rapture, does not appear in the Bible, nor is the concept spelled out in detail.
Early Christian Writings
Catholics point to the essential concept of purgatory in the writings of Clement of Alexandria (202), Cyprian of Carthage (253), Lactantius (307), Cyril of Jerusalem (350), Gregory of Nyssa (382), St. John Chrysostom (392), and St. Augustine (411), among others. Pope Gregory I related penances in this life to the reduction of temporal punishment in purgatory, and also gave the following argument:
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.
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...".
Catholic Theology
See also: IndulgenceIn Roman 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. 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.
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;Eastern Catholics do not generally employ the word "purgatory", a Latin term, and instead describe the transition from death to heaven as the "Final Theosis".
Christian spirituality
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".
For example, one Roman 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 Roman Catholic, there exist Purgatorial societies which regularly offer prayer, especially the Mass, for the deceased.
Prayers after Communion such as the "Prayer before a Crucifix" 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 as well as the famous prayer: "Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family.
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. 211 in his expanded Small Catechism:
Article 22 of the Thirty-Nine Articles of the Anglican Church states that:
However, like all Roman Catholic doctrines, that of purgatory is held in some Anglo-Catholic circles, including the Guild of All Souls. Lewis suggested that Anglicanism rejected only Purgatory as it was then understood by the Roman church, distinguishing this from the idea of Purgatory in general and believing in the latter.
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. 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."Among some systems, 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 some versions of 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.
It should be noted, though, that in the Roman Catholic doctrine only the "saved" are elected to Purgatory; Furthermore, Catholic doctrine asserts that Purgatory is "powered" by the Blood of Christ and could not exist without it. Thus Purgatory is the final stage of sanctification: total sanctification is attained only in heaven, where one is unable to sin.
Several Protestant theologians and spiritual leaders have 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. The extent to which these realms or periods can be equated with the Catholic doctrine of purgatory varies between different Protestant sects and theologians.
Others, however, cite portions of the New Testament that would appear to preclude the need for the further purification of sins. Some Protestant historians trace the source of purgatory as a doctrine to the introduction of "non-Biblical ideas into the church around 300 A.D."
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.
Mormon theology
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon or LDS) believes in a post-life “spirit world.” On the cross, Christ told one of the thieves that “today thou shalt be with me in Paradise.” Yet, upon his resurrection, Christ commanded Mary to touch him not, because Christ had “not yet ascended unto the Father.” Hence, LDS believe in an intermediate spirit world between this mortal life and the Father’s presence.
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". Also there are Orthodox sources that indicate some sins can be forgiven after death, 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, and hold to a "condition of waiting" as a more apt description of the period after death for those not borne directly to heaven.
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.
Jewish theology
The Jewish Talmud refers temporary punishments, but these references do not match the current doctrine of purgatory.
Rabbinic literature describes gehinom as a place or state of temporary suffering immediately after death.
Zoroastrian view
Zoroastrians believe in hamistagan, a place where the souls of those whose good and bad deeds are equal await resurrection on Judgment Day. 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.
Islamic view
The Islamic concept of barzakh states that the dead await Judgment Day either in bliss or in torment. There is no "middle state" after death corresponding to purgatory. Thus hell, for these sinners, is more like purgatory than like Christian hell, which is eternal.
Academic view
Secular historians of religion see purgatory as an innovation of the Roman Catholic church . Tabor, none of the various afterlife beliefs in the Bible, as seen by secular academics, match the Roman Catholic doctrines of particular judgment or purgatory in their current formulations. (see his article here)
Purgatory in literature
Purgatory or Purgatorio is the second book of Dante's The Divine Comedy. 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.
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. The Old Catholic Encyclopedia "Purgatory article" How to explain Purgatory to Protestants The Catechism of the Catholic Church (i.e. the official Roman Catholic teaching on Purgatory) The Orthodox Response to the Latin Doctrine of Purgatory, given at the Synod of Ferrara-Florence Leslie Rumble;
User Comments Add a comment…