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'' Purgatorio '' (18), by Gustave Doré , an imaginative picturing of Purgatory.]] Purgatory, or "the final purification of the elect", is the process by which, according to Catholic doctrine, "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."Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1030-1031 (section entitled, "The Final Purification, or Purgatory) All the ancient Christian Churches pray for the dead in the belief that they are thereby assisted.'' Why do we pray for the deceased? '' (.For an Orthodox view of the debate, see The Orthodox Response to the Latin Doctrine of Purgatory , and for a Catholic view, see Cleansed after Death Eastern Orthodox theology does not generally describe the process of purification after death as involving suffering, resulting in a distinctly Eastern understanding of the final purification, which nevertheless describes it as a "direful condition" from which, through the prayers and good works of the living, souls are delivered before the Common Resurrection and Judgment , '' Confession of Dositheus '', Decree 18. Naturally, Greek theology does not employ the Latin term "purgatory", and the doctrine is often seen by Orthodox theologians as a doctrinal difference. Eastern Catholic Churches – including those of Greek tradition – are in full communion with the Latin Catholic Church and interpret the Greek and Latin understandings as essentially equivalent expressions of a final purification of the dead with assistance from the living.Anthony Dragani, '' From East to West '' During the Protestant Reformation , certain Protestant theologians developed a view of salvation ( Soteriology ) that excluded Purgatory. Today, Protestants, with few exceptions, do not believe in a process of purification after death. Apart from this strict sense of the word "Purgatory", the term is sometimes, though rarely, used of the temporary purification or punishment for wrong-doing that people other than Catholics believe takes place after death. In this sense, the word is used in connection with the belief of, for instance, Buddhists . Online Encyclopaedia Britannica CATHOLIC CHURCH The teaching of the Catholic Church on Purgatory is stated succinctly in the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church as follows: :Purgatory is the state of those who die in God’s friendship, assured of their eternal ic sacrifice, so that, thus purified, they may attain the Beatific Vision of God. The Church also commends Almsgiving , Indulgence s, and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead.''Catechism of the Catholic Church'', 1032 ; cf. Council of Trent 6.30, 22.2-3. The nature of this final purification from the attachment to creatures which precedes entrance into full union with God in heaven is expressed as follows: : 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. … While patiently bearing sufferings and trials of all kinds and, when the day comes, serenely facing death, the Christian must strive to accept this temporal punishment of sin as a grace. He should strive by works of mercy and charity, as well as by prayer and the various practices of penance, to put off completely the "old man" and to put on the "new man" (cf. ).''Catechism of the Catholic Church'', 1472-1473 Purgatory is imagined as a place, in the same way as Heaven and Hell are pictured as places. This picture has been and is used as a way of speaking about these after-life states. The idea that they are places within physical space is no part of the Church's teaching. Pope John Paul II explicitly excluded such an idea with regard to Purgatory, stating that "the term does not indicate a place, but a condition of existence". Audience of 4 August 1999 As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, the pain of purification has traditionally been likened to fire. The image of fire has been common in the West from at least the time of Saint Augustine , "the fire will be worse than anything a human being can suffer in this life", (In Ps. 37 n. 3 (PL, col. 397), and Saint Gregory The Great , who speaks of those who after this life "will expiate their faults by purgatorial flames," and adds that "the pain will be more intolerable than any one can suffer in this life.", (Ps. 3 poenit., n. 1). The image of fire appears in many other texts, including the Catechism Of The Council Of Trent , which under the heading "What we pray for" includes the following: "that we be not sentenced to endure the fire of purgatory, from which we piously and devoutly implore that others may be liberated." [http://www.clerus.org/bibliaclerusonline/EN2/ben.htm The Catechism of Trent] However, at the Council Of Florence , the Greek participants "were assured that the Roman Church had never issued any dogmatic decree on this subject" of fire. In fact, it has been concluded that the only differences enunciated by the Greek participants between their belief and the Western teaching were the two images of place and fire. Cleansed after Death Accordingly, , Sermon on the Dead, A.D. 382, quoted in The Roots of Purgatory Eastern Catholic Churches of other traditions freely use the name "Purgatory"."Purgatory" is used by, for instance, Maronite and Syro-Malabar Catholics. With regard to other secondary questions and theological hypotheses connected with Purgatory, the Catholic Encyclopedia advises: "It is well to heed the warning of the Council of Trent when it commands the bishops 'to exclude from their preaching difficult and subtle questions which tend not to edification', and from the discussion of which there is no increase either in piety or devotion" (Sess. XXV, ''De Purgatorio'')." Eastern Catholic Churches The Eastern Catholic Churches are a set of Particular Church es which, together with the Latin Church , form the one Catholic Church . Those of Byzantine tradition, after being involved in the East-West Schism , left the Eastern Orthodox Church to enter full communion with the Church in Rome. The largest of these is the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church . Others, of non-Greek tradition, have entered full communion with Rome after a much earlier break or were never out of communion. The largest of these is the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church . They are said to make up about 2% of the Catholic Church membership. Being "in Full Communion " with the Pope, they subscribe, like the Latin Church, to the same basic beliefs and teachings, including that on Purgatory, while differing in liturgy, tradition, and various other ways. All Eastern Catholic Churches celebrate a Liturgy for the Dead, and pray for the dead. Those of non-Greek tradition have adopted without difficulty the term "Purgatory", which originated in the Latin language and the Latin Church. Regarding the differences in doctrinal nuances between the Greek and Latin traditions, Article V of the Treaty Of Brest (which effected full communion between the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and the see of Rome) "states 'We shall not debate about purgatory' implying that both sides can agree to disagree on the specifics of what the West calls 'Purgatory'", while "Eastern Catholic Churches agree with the Latin Church fully on both of ... (the) only two points (that) are necessary dogma concerning 'purgatory': 1) There is a place of transition/transformation for those en-route to Heaven, and 2) prayer is efficacious for the dead who are in this state." From East to West EASTERN ORTHODOX CHURCHES See Also: Eastern Orthodox Church of the Many Eastern Orthodox reject the concept of Purgatory, at least as they interpret its description by Catholics."Today most if not all Orthodox theologians reject the idea of Purgatory, at least in Catholic form.' " [http://www.religioustolerance.org/purgatory1.htm] Regarding punishment, one view within the Eastern Orthodox Churches "sin is a sickness to be healed and not a crime to be punished"."This is because Orthodoxy teaches that sin is a sickness to be healed and not a crime to be punished. Along the same lines, we don't talk in terms of venial or mortal sin." ("Herman", at [http://en.allexperts.com/q/Eastern-Orthodox-1456/Orthodoxy-vs-Protestantism-Catholosism.htm Experts: Eastern Orthodox] This in contrast to Eastern Orthodox Church declarations, such as that of the Synod Of Jerusalem , that there is indeed afterlife punishment for sin and that some are released from that punishment some time before the Last Judgment ."The souls of those that have fallen asleep are either at rest or in torment, according to what each hath wrought;" but the souls of some "depart into Hades , and there endure the punishment due to the sins they have committed. But they are aware of their future release from there ... We know and believe that there is deliverance for such from their direful condition, and that before the Common Resurrection and Judgment " ('' Confession of Dositheus '', Decree 18) The Eastern Orthodox Church holds that prayer and works of mercy done for their memory is efficacious for the dead, "that they may be aided towards the attainment of a blessed resurrection" Catechism of St. Philaret of Moscow '' #376; Constas H. Demetry, ''Catechism of the Eastern Orthodox Church'' p. 37; John Meyondorff, ''Byzantine Theology'' (London: Mowbrays, 1974) p. 96; cf. "The Orthodox party ... remarked that the words quoted from the book of Maccabees, and our Saviour's words, can only prove that some sins will be forgiven after death" (OrthodoxInfo.com, ''The Orthodox Response to the Latin Doctrine of Purgatory'' ) The dead, with some "exceptions, such as the Theotokos, who was borne by the angels directly into heaven", are thought of as awaiting the general resurrection, and meanwhile "some have a prevision of the glory to come and others foretaste their suffering."Michael Azkoul ''What Are the Differences Between Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism?'' The souls of the righteous are in light and rest, with a foretaste of eternal happiness; but the souls of the wicked are in a state the reverse of this. Among the latter, such souls as have departed with faith, but without having had time to bring forth fruits worthy of repentance may be aided by the living towards the attainment of a blessed resurrection.'' Catechism of St. Philaret of Moscow, '' 372 and 376 The legalistic terminology present in the Latin tradition is not employed in the Greek, and the notion of redemption through "satisfaction" of sins is, according to John Meyondorff, not an articulation found in traditional Greek theology, which instead interprets sin as a spiritual disease that must be healed by divine love.John Meyondorff, ''Byzantine Theology'' (London: Mowbrays, 1974) pp. 9 and 220-221. The Orthodox Confession of Faith of ", ''What Are the Differences Between Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism?'' ; e.g. Constas H. Demetry, ''Catechism of the Eastern Orthodox Church'' p. 37 since Greek tradition, without denying the ). The Eastern Orthodox Synod Of Jerusalem , held in 1672, declared that "the souls of those that have fallen asleep are either at rest or in torment, according to what each hath wrought" (an enjoyment or condemnation that will be complete only after the resurrection of the dead); but the souls of some "depart into Hades , and there endure the punishment due to the sins they have committed. But they are aware of their future release from there, and are delivered by the Supreme Goodness, through the prayers of the Priests, and the good works which the relatives of each do for their Departed; especially the unbloody Sacrifice benefiting the most; which each offers particularly for his relatives that have fallen asleep, and which the Catholic And Apostolic Church offers daily for all alike. Of course, it is understood that we do not know the time of their release. We know and believe that there is deliverance for such from their direful condition, and that before the Common Resurrection and Judgment , but when we know not."'' Confession of Dositheus '', Decree 18 The ''Orthodox Confession'' of Peter Mogila , adopted, in a Greek translation by Meletius Syrigos, by the 1642 Council of Jassy , in Romania, professes that "many are freed from the prison of Hell ... through the good works of the living and the Church's prayers for them, most of all through the unbloody sacrifice, which is offered on certain days for all the living and the dead" (question 64); and (under the heading "How must one consider the purgatorial fire?") "the Church rightly performs for them the unbloody sacrifice and prayers, but they do not cleanse themselves by suffering something. But, the Church never maintained that which pertains to the fanciful stories of some concerning the souls of their dead, who have not done penance and are punished, as it were, in streams, springs and swamps" (question 66).".'' Orthodox Confession of Faith '', questions 64-66. CATHOLIC SPIRITUALITY in German, with a Rosary and attached Crucifix ]] Prayer For The Dead was customary throughout the early Church, continues today in all the ancient Churches. Inscriptions in the Catacombs are in the form of prayers for those buried there. Other funeral monuments, such as the Inscription Of Abercius of Hieropolis in Phrygia (latter part of the 2nd century), beg the prayers of the living. Catholics and Orthodox, in harmony with Jewish custom, consider it "a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead that they may be loosed from sins" (). They therefore pray frequently for the dead. One particular short Latin prayer, "May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace", which has been adopted by other traditions also,http://www.kcmgeorgia.org/mainprayers.html is often added to other prayers, such as grace after meals. Latin, Greek (including Greek Orthodox),Constas H. Demetry, ''Catechism of the Eastern Orthodox Church'' p. 37 Coptic, Syrian, Chaldaean, and the other traditions represented in the Catholic Church offer the sacrifice of the Eucharist on behalf of the dead. When St Augustine's mother Monica was dying she told her two sons: "Lay this body anywhere, and do not let the care of it be a trouble to you at all. Only this I ask: that you will remember me at the Lord's altar, wherever you are." Confessions, Book Six, Chapter XI Catholics believe they can assist the dead by gaining Indulgences for them, by Giving Alms on their behalf, and through fasting and other Penitential acts, in accordance with the exhortation of Saint John Chrysostom : "Let us then give them aid and perform commemoration for them. For if the children of Job were purged by the sacrifice of their father, why do you doubt that when we too offer for the departed, some consolation arises to them? since God is wont to grant the petitions of those who ask for others. ... Let us not then be weary in giving aid to the departed, both by offering on their behalf and obtaining prayers for them: for the common Expiation of the world is even before us. ... and it is possible from every source to gather pardon for them, from our prayers, from our gifts in their behalf, from those whose names are named with theirs. Why therefore do you grieve? Why mourn, when it is in your power to gather so much pardon for the departed?" Homily 41 on 1 Corinthians, 8 PROTESTANTISM 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 dismiss the Second Book Of Maccabees , which advocates prayer for the dead, as un-canonical), Protestants reject it as an "unbiblical" belief despite verses quoted by Catholics as supporting the existence of Purgatory. 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 ''evidence'' of that faith. Instead of distinquishing between mortal and venial sins, Protestants believe that one's faith 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. HISTORY As formulated in the current Catechism of the Catholic Church, the doctrine of purgatory, also termed the "final purification", is articulated as a purification after death prior to entrance into heaven, and explained as "based on the practice of prayer for the dead." Catechism of the Catholic Church § 1030 - 1032 Catholics consider purgatory part of the apostolic deposit of faith, finding its origins in the revelation of Jesus Christ. Christian Antiquity in the Catacombs of 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 for the dead is attested to since at least the third century.Gerald O' Collins and Mario Farrugia, ''Catholicism: the story of Catholic Christianity'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003) p. 36; George Cross, "The Differentiation of the Roman and Greek Catholic Views of the Future Life", in ''The Biblical World'' (1912) p. 106 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 (354-430), Augustine, ''Sermons'' 159:1, 172:2; ''City of God'' 21:13 ; ''Handbook on Faith, Hope, and Charity'' 18:69, 29:109; ''Confessions'' 2.27; Gerald O' Collins and Mario Farrugia, ''Catholicism: the story of Catholic Christianity'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003) p. 36; Gerald O'Collins and Edward G. Farrugia, ''A Concise Dictionary of Theology'' (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 2000) p. 27 among others. Early Middle Ages with a dove alighting on his shoulder while the Pontiff writes his Homilies , an ancient tradition about the saint.''Vita Gregorii'', ed. B. Colgrave, chapter 26 (see also Colgrave's introduction p. 51); John The Deacon , ''Life of Saint Gregory'', IV, 70.]] 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. Gregory the Great, ''Dialogues'' 4, 39: PL 77, 396; cf. 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.Peter Brown, ''Rise of Western Christendom" (Oxford, Blackwell Publishing, 2003) p. 258; cf. Gregory the Great, ''Dialogues'' 4.42.3 Visions of purgatory abounded; 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". In the ninth century, Haymo stated that prayers and lamentations of the living, supported by Alms giving and Masses , would shorten the period of purgatorial suffering.George Cross, "The Medieval Catholic Doctrine of the Future Life", in ''The Biblical World'' (1912) pp. 192-193 Others who expounded upon on the doctrine include Rabanus Maurus and Walafrid Strabo , George Cross, "The Medieval Catholic Doctrine of the Future Life", in ''The Biblical World'' (1912) p. 192 to name just two. 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 purgatory continued to develop. By the twelfth century, the process of purification had acquired the Latin name, "''purgatorium''", from the verb ''purgare'': to purge.For a useful discussion, see C. S. Watkins, "Sin, penance and purgatory in the Anglo-Norman realm: the evidence of visions and ghost stories", in ''Past and Present'' 175 (May 2002) pp. 3-33. , wish that in the future it be called by that name...".see Denziger §456 By this time, Latin theology had developed a sophisticated understanding of the afterlife articulated in legalistic terminology, and the understanding of purgatory had become fully integrated with Indulgences and other penitential practices. Subsequent history Latin-Greek relations (''c''. 1403-1472), Latin Patriarch Of Constantinople .]] In the 15th century, at the continue to see "purgatory" as a matter of contention. ''What Are the Differences Between Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism?'' Protestant Reformation During the ) 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 s, such as the Guild Of All Souls , which describe themselves as Reformed and Catholic (and specifically not Protestant) and believe in purgatory. Interpretations , aged 23.]] 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".John Henry Cardinal Newman, ''An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine'', chapter 2, section 3, paragraph 2. Newman wrote: Moreover, the very scale on which 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.John Henry Cardinal Newman, ''An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine'', chapter 2, section 3, paragraph 2. 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, (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",Alan E. Bernstein, "Review of La naissance du purgatoire", in "Speculum" (1984), p. 181. and stated that, "Le Goff leaves us with a tangle of abstractions."Alan E. Bernstein, "Review of La naissance du purgatoire", in "Speculum" (1984), p. 182. 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 ",Richard Trexler, "Review of the Birth of Purgatory", in ''American Ethnologist'' (1986), p. 160. 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."Richard Trexler, "Review of the Birth of Purgatory", in ''American Ethnologist'' (1986) pp. 160-161 FOOTNOTES SOURCES
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