Definition
- Purgatory is from the Latin root "purgare" and means to make clean or to purify
- In short, Purgatory is a temporary state after death on the path to Heaven
History of Purgatory
- Some of the early Church Fathers such as: Tertullian, Origen, Cyprian, Lactantius, Eusebius, Cyril, Gregory of Nyssa, Epiphanius, Jerome, Ambrose, John Chrysostom, Augustine, Gregory the Great, wrote about an intermediate state after death; a way station on the path to Heaven.
- The proofs for the Catholic position, both in Scripture and in Tradition, are bound up also with the practice of praying for the dead. Such prayers only make sense if a third state - one other than Heaven or Hell - exists.
- After all, if the person who died is in Heaven, prayers would be meaningless; if the person was in Hell, then they are already lost and prayers would not help them.
- Prayers for the dead are found in early Christian catacombs and in early church liturgies.
- "Both purgatory and prayers for the dead were upheld by the major councils such as: Council of Carthage in 394 AD, Council of Lyons II in 1294 AD, Council of Florence 1438 AD, Council of Trent 1545 AD, as well as, Vatican II 1963 AD.
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