Topic: Purgatory
Question:
What is the historical basis for this purgatory thing?
Answer:
A hell with eternal neverending punishment was only a speculation in the time before Christ. The rabbis actually believed in the intermediate state as a time of purgation in preparation for the resurrection. That is the real substrate to Jesus' comments about sins being forgiven "in this world or the next, the parable about Lazarus and the rich man (Surprise! The Rich man is in purgatory, not Hell.), and 1Cor 3;15. It is also the substrate for the story in 2Maccabees about prayers for he dead in anticipation of the resurrection.
Art Sippo
Catholic Apologist
Indeed, Art ... And to this one might like to add the Eastern Church's present approach, which doesn't view Purgatory as a "separate (third) place" per se, but as a time spent in hell/death/sheol, where as soul is temporarily excluded from "life" (aka, Heaven). This was a popular early notion, even in the West, before the doctrine of Purgaroty became fully developed according to the Western, Latin mindset (which based it on an idea of "place" rather than a "life-death" paradigm").
For example, about 212, Tertullian writes ...
"...and if we interpret 'the last farthing' to be the light offense which is to be expiated there before the resurrection, no one will doubt that he [the soul] should undergo some punishments ***in Hades [aka, "Sheol"] ***, without prejudice to the fullness of the resurrection, after which recompense will be made through the flesh also." (Tertullian, The Soul, 212 A.D.).
And ....
"Indeed she [a widow] prays for his [her husband's] soul and asks that he may, while waiting, find rest; and that he may share in ****the first resurrection [Heaven]****. And each year, on the anniversity of his death, she offers the Sacrifice [i.e., has a Mass said for him]." (Tertullian, On Monagomy, 212 A.D.)
Yet, even at this time, Tertullian's Latin mind begins to focus on a spacial relationship, as when he writes ....
"This place, the Bosom of Abraham (Luke 16), though not in Heaven, and yet ***above hell***, offers the souls of the righteous an interim refreshment until the end of all things brings about the general resurrection and the final reward." (Tertullian, Against Marcion, 4:34, before 220 A.D.)
Here, taking Luke 16 as his guide, Tertullian seems to have a two-fold notion of Purgatory --one based directly on the Jewish idea of Sheol, which was divided into Gehenna (a place of fiery torment) and "The Paradise of the Fathers" (or the Bosom of Abraham," in which the righteous (justified) yet imperfect (not yet fully sanctified) await entry into Heaven.
Speaking of which ... A **killer** proof for the Scriptural nature of Purgatory can be found by comparing Luke 16:19-31 with Luke 23:43. In Luke 16, Jesus speaks of the poor man Lazarus being taken up to the "Bosom of Abraham." However, despite what is commonly presumed, this cannot be Heaven, since souls did not enter Heaven at this time (not even according to Jewish theology), but awaited Jesus' death, Resurrection, and Ascension for this. Until the Lord opens the gates of Heaven ("I go to prepare a place for you"), it was not possible for humanity to enter into the Presence of God. Rather, the God-man needed to do this first in order to make a place for humanity before the Throne of the Father. Rather, this "Bosom of Abraham" in Luke 16 is what Jewish oral tradition refers to as "the Paradise of the Fathers" --the Garden of Eden, which was withdrawn from the earth; the Jewish equivalent to the Greco-Roman/pagan idea of the "Ellesian Fields" --a pleasant place, but part of Sheol/Hades/Death nonetheless.
Now, ... To show that this is the case, one only need to look at Luke 23:43, where Jesus tells the Good Thief, " **This day** you will be with me **in Paradise.** " Notice, here, that Jesus does not say, " ...in Heaven." ...And this is because, as we all know, Jesus did NOT go to Heaven THAT DAY. Rather, Jesus spent 3 days in the tomb! ...Not rising until Sunday morning. ...And we know from Scripture (e.g. 1 Peter 3:19 & 4:6) that Jesus' soul spent **that day** AMONG THE DEAD in Sheol. ...And, as John 20:17 hammers home for us, EVEN ON SUNDAY MORNING, Jesus had STILL "not yet ascended to the Father." So, the "Paradise" Jesus is talking about in Luke 23 is **absolutely** not Heaven itself. Rather, He is talking about the Paradise of the Fathers, and he is promising the Good Thief (a justly-condemned Jewish criminal) that, far from being condemned to Gehenna, he will be with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the righteous patriarchs (models of Judaism) in the Paradise of the Fathers. And this would have been enough for this Jew to die in peace --saved from hell, yet not fully-sanctified so as to immediately enter Heaven.
For more ancient witnesses to Purgatory, here are some other quotes from the Fathers and the ancient Church...
St. Perpetua (203 A.D.):
A North African martyr of noble birth, her memorirs were documented first-hand during her time in prision awaiting execution in the Roman arena. She writes:
"I saw a vision of Dinocrates going out from a gloomy place, where also there were several others. He was parched and very thirsty, with a filthy countenance and pallid color; the wound on his face that he had when he died. This Dinocrates had been my brother after the flesh, seven years of age, who died miserably with disease. For him I had made my prayer; and between him and me there was a large interval, so that neither of us could approach to the other. And I knew that my brother was in suffering, but I trusted that my prayer would bring help to his suffering; and I prayed for him every day until we passed over into the prison of the camp, for we were to fight in a camp show. Then I made my prayer for my brother day and night, groaning and weeping, that he might be granted to me. Then, on the day that we remained in fetters, this was shown to me: I saw that that place which I had formerly observed to be in gloom was now bright; and Dinocrates, with a clean body, well clad, was finding refreshment. He went away from the water to play joyously, after the manner of children; and I woke from this vision. Then I understood that he was translated from the place of punishment." (Acts of the Martyrdom of Felicity and Perpetua, Chapters iii-x)
Clement of Alexandria (c. before 215 A.D.):
"In the other life there will be two fires, a 'devouring and consuming' one for the incorrigible, and for the rest, a fire that 'sanctifies' and 'does not consume, like the fire of the forge,' a 'prudent, intelligent' fire which penetrates the soul that passes through it. (Clement of Alexandria, Stromata 8.6, c. before 215 A.D.)
The Tombstone of Bishop Abercius (216 A.D. --the year 300 of the Phrygian calendar)
The bishop of Hieropolis in Asia Minor, Abercius commissioned the following inscription for his grave:
"The citizen of a chosen city, this [monument] I made [while] living, that there I might have in time a resting-place of my body, [I] being by name Abercius, the disciple of a holy Shepherd, Who feeds flocks of sheep [both] on mountains and on plains, Who has great eyes that see everywhere. For this [Shepherd] taught me [that the] book [of life] is worthy of belief. And to Rome he sent me to contemplate majesty, and to see a queen golden-robed and olden-sandalled; there also I saw a people bearing a shining mark. And I saw the land of Syria and all [its] cities Nisibis [I saw] when I passed over Euphrates. But everywhere I had brethren. I had Paul. . . . Faith everywhere led me forward, and everywhere provided as my food a Fish of exceeding great size, and perfect, which a holy Virgin drew with her hands from a fountain and this it [faith] ever gives to its friends to eat, it having Wine of great virtue, and giving it mingled with Bread. These things I, Abercius, having been a witness [of them] told to be written here. Verily I was passing through my seventy-second year. He that discerneth these things, every fellow-believer [namely], *****let him pray for Abercius****. And no one shall put another grave over my grave; but if he do, then shall he pay to the treasury of [the] Romans two thousand pieces of gold and to my good native city of Hieropolis one thousand pieces of gold." (Abercius, Tombstone inscription)
St. Cyprian of Carthage (250 A.D.):
"It is one thing to await pardon, another to arrive at glory, one thing to be sent to prison so as not to come out until after the last penny is paid, another to receive immediately the recompense of faith and virtue, one thing to be unburdened and purified of one's sins by a long suffering in fire, and another thing still to have wiped out all one's faults by martyrdom, one thing to be in expectation until the day of judgment by sentence of the Lord, another to be immediately crowned by Him" (Letter 55; A.D. 251).
Origen (before A.D. 253):
"As John stood near the Jordan among those who came to be baptized, accepting those who confessed their vices and their sins and rejecting the rest ... so will the Lord Jesus Christ stand in a river of fire next to a flaming sword and Baptize all those who should go to Paradise after they die, but who lack purgation.... But those who do not bear the mark of the first baptism will not be baptized in the bath of fire. One must first be baptized in water and Spirit so that, when the river of fire is reached, the marks of the baths of water and Spirit will remain as signs that one is worthy of receiving the baptism of fire in Jesus Christ." (Origen, Commentary on Luke, 24th Homily, before 253 A.D)
St. Ephraim the Syrian (306 A.D.):
"I conjure you, my brothers and friends, in the name of God, Who commands me to leave you, to remember me when you assemble to pray. Do not bury me with perfumes. Give them not to me, but to God. Me, conceived in sorrows, bury with lamentations, and instead of perfumes, assist me with your prayers; for the dead are benefited by the prayers of the living saints."
Lactantius (before A.D. 317):
"When God examines the righteous, he will also do so by means of fire. Those whose sins prevail by weight or number will be enveloped by fire and purified, while those made ready by unblemished justice or fulness of virtue will not feel this flame, indeed, there is in them something that will repel the flame and turn it back." (Lactantius, Institiones 7:21, c. 317 A.D)
St. Ambrose of Milan (333 A.D.):
"Blessed shall both of you be [the deceased Gratian and Valentinian], if my prayers can avail anything. No day shall pass you over in silence. No prayer of mine shall omit to honor you. No night shall hurry by without bestowing on you a mention in my prayers. In every one of the Oblations (Masses) will I remember you." (Eulogy)
St. Cyril of Jerusalem (350 A.D.):
"...we call upon God for ...those who have already fallen asleep ...for we believe that it will be of very great benefit to the souls of those for whom the petition is carried up, while this holy and most solemn Sacrifice [the Mass] is laid out ....For I know that there are many who are saying this: 'If a soul departs from this world with sins, what does it profit it to be remembered in the Prayer?' Well, if a king were to banish certain people who had offended him, and those intervening for them were to plait a crown and offer it to him on behalf of the ones who were being punished, would he not grant a remission of their penalties? In the same way, we too offer prayers to Him for those who have fallen asleep, though they be sinners ...and thereby propitiate the benevolent God for them as well as for ourselves." (Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures, 350 A.D.)
St. Basil the Great (370 A.D.):
"...and if they are found to have any wounds from their wrestling, any stains or effects of sin, they are detained. If, however, they are found unwounded and without stain, they are, as unconquered, brought by Christ into their rest." (Basil, Homilies and Psalms, 370 A.D.)
St. Epiphanius of Salamis (374 A.D.):
"Furthermore, as to mentioning the names of the dead, how is there anything very useful in that? What is more timely or more excellent than that those who are still here should believe that the departed do live ...who are praying for the brethren as if they were but sojourning in a foreign land? Useful too, is the prayer fashioned on their behalf, even if it does not force back the whole of guilty charges laid to them." (Panacea Against All Heresies).
St. Gregory of Nyssa (385 A.D.):
"...he [the departed soul] is not able to partake of divinity until he has been purged of the filthy contagion in his soul by purifying fire." (Sermon on the Dead)
St. Augustine of Hippo (392 A.D.):
Yet plainly, though, we be saved by fire, that fire will be more severe than anything a man can suffer in this life." (Explanations of the Psalms)
"But the man who perhaps has not cultivated the land and has allowed it to be overrun with brambles has, in this life, the curse of his land on all his works, and after this life we will have either purgatorial fire or eternal punishment." (Genesis Defended Against the Manicheans)
"Temporal punishments are suffered by some in this life only, by some after death, by some both here and hereafter; but all of them before that last and strictest judgement." (The City of God)
"For some of the dead, indeed, the prayer of the Church [i.e., the Mass] or of pious individulas is heard; but it is for those who, having been regenerated in Christ [i.e., Baptised], did not spend their life so wickedly that they can be judged unworthy of such compassion, nor so well that they can be considered to have no need of it. As also, after the resurrection. there will be some of the dead to whom, after they have endured the pains proper to the spirits of the dead, mercy shall be accorded, and acquittal from punishment of the eternal fire. For, were there not some whose sins, though not remitted in this life, shall be remitted in that which is to come, it could not be truly said: 'They shall not be forgiven, neither in this world, neither in that which is to come." (The City of God, Book 21, Chap. 24)
St. Augustine explains that St. Paul's teaching in 1 Corinthians 3 is plainly referring to the Catholic doctrine of purgatory:
"Let me not be among those to whom thou wilt say: 'Depart into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels' nor 'chastise me in thy wrath.' Do thou cleanse me in this life and make me such that I shall have no need to pass through the purifying flames prepared for those who will be saved 'yet so as by fire.' Why? Is it not because in this world they are building upon a foundation of wood, hay, stubble? If they constructed with gold, silver, precious stones, they would be safe from both kinds of fire, not only from the everlasting fire which will torment the wicked forever and ever, but also from that which will purify those who are to be saved by fire. For we are told: 'He himself will be saved, yet so as by fire.' And because of the phrase 'shall be saved,' that fire is not taken seriously enough. Clearly, although they will be saved by fire, yet that fire will be more grievous than anything a man is capable of bearing in this life . . . The evils of this life, then, are far easier to bear; and yet see how eagerly men will do anything you command rather than suffer them. How much better it would be for them, to do what God commands, to avoid suffering those heavier penalties!" (Discourse on Psalm 37,3; A.D. 395)
"But if this passage (of 1 Corinthians) is to interpret that fire of which the Lord shall say to those on His left hand, 'Depart from me ye cursed, into everlasting fire,' so that among these we are to believe that there are those who build on the foundation of wood, hay, stubble, and that they, in virtue of the good foundation, shall after a time be liberated from the fire that is the award of their evil deserts, what then shall we think of those on the right hand, to whom it shall be said, 'Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you,' unless that they are those who have built on the foundation gold, silver, precious stones. But if the fire of which Our Lord speaks is the same as that of which the apostle says 'Yet so as by fire,' then both, that is to say, both those on the right as well as those on the left - are to be cast into it. For that fire is to try both, since it is said, 'For the day of the Lord shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.' If therefore, the fire shall try both, in order that (i.e., if the superstructure be not consumed by the fire), he may receive a reward, and that if his work is burned he may suffer loss, certainly that fire is not the eternal fire itself. For into this latter fire only hose on the left hand shall be cast, and that with final and everlasting doom; but that former fire proves those on the right hand. But some of them it so proves that it does not burn and consume the structure which is found to have been built by them on Christ as the foundation; while others of them it proves in another fashion so as to burn what they have built up, and thus cause them to suffer loss, while they themselves are saved because they have retained Christ, who was laid as their sure foundation, and have loved Him above all" (The City of God, XXI; A.D. 426).
St. John Chrysostom (398 A.D.):
"Let us weep for them, let us assist them to the extent of our ability, let us think of some assistance for them. But how, and in what way? By praying for them, and by entreating others to pray for them, by constantly giving alms to the poor on their behalf ...Not in vain was it decreed by the Apostles that, in the awesome Mysteries (the Mass), remembrance should be made of the departed ...For when the untire people stands with hands uplifted, a priestly assembly, and that awesome sacrificial Victim (Christ in the Eucharist) is laid out, how, when we are calling upon God, should we not succeed in their defense? But this is done for those who have departed in faith." (Homilies on Philippians)
Mark Bonocore
Catholic Apologist
December 5, 2001