Purgatory Originates in Judaism
Christians who reject purgatory not only reject Catholic teaching, but the faith of the Prophets and Patriarchs
Purgatory is an ancient doctrine that does not originate with Catholicism. It in fact was revealed to God’s people early during the Old Covenant times, and it was inherited by Christianity from pre-Messianic Judaism. Purgatory is the modern, Western term we have for the concept, but the concept has been around for many thousands of years. Protestants who reject the doctrine of purgatory are not just rejecting 1.5+ millennia of Christian teaching, but they reject the Prophets of the Old Testament as well. If the Jews prayed for those who died an earthly death, why did neither Jesus, nor the Apostles ever tell people to stop? Because Jesus and the Apostles themselves prayed for the departed. We know they did for a few reasons:
#1: The Pharisees in Jesus’ time taught the concept of purgatory authoritatively, and Jesus Christ affirmed the Pharisees teaching authority in Matthew 23:2.
#2: Praying for the souls of the departed was and is a part of Jewish culture, and Jesus Christ and the Apostles were not Sadducees. If they departed from Jewish teaching on praying for the departed, it would have been scandalous and definitely noted. The Kaddish has its roots in at least the First Temple period, but many Jewish scholars insist the practice of praying for the dead dates to at least the time of Jacob. As Maurice Lamm writes, “...in the words of the Kaddish, the nechemata, the consolation of all of the Jewish people, not only for their dead, but for the destruction of their ancient Temple and their holy city, Jerusalem. Indeed, many rabbis maintain that the Kaddish finds its origin in the prayer composed by the men of the Great Assembly, specifically for the consolation of the population following the destruction of the first Temple and their subsequent exile.”
#3: If purgatory is not real, it’s highly unlikely that neither Jesus nor His Apostles would fail to directly mention that it is not true teaching. The Apostles never taught Jewish converts to stop praying for the dead, and they never corrected the Pharisees on this widespread teaching. Turtullian confirms the Christians carried over Kaddish-style practices, including praying for the souls of the dead on the anniversary of their death. There would be no good reason to do this if the early Church did not believe in purgatory.
#4: There are verses in the Old and New Testament which confirm the concept of purgatory.
The Lord’s people have prayed for the departed from the earliest times. The aforementioned Kaddish is a memorial prayer for those who have passed on. The Kaddish can serve as a good guide for Catholics on how they might memorialize those they knew. We are not supposed to forget our dead as predominantly Protestant and secular cultures seem to do with such rapidity, and proper memorialization assists with grieving for those who still have pain over the death of a loved one.
Dr. Rachel Rosenthal, an Adjunct Professor of Talmud and Rabbinics at the Jewish Theological Seminary, gives great insight into what many religious Jews believe about the afterlife, and what they believed historically. Here are some notes from one of her lectures:
“Gehenom is often thought of as the Jewish version of hell, but an examination of the places it appears in the Talmud presents something more nuanced. Part purgatory, part hell, part passageway, Gehenom becomes a place for punishment and redemption. Through a close reading of the texts concerning Gehonom, we will gain a clearer understanding of what, exactly, its purpose might be, and what it might tell us about rabbinic views of what happens after we die.”
While there are very negative associations with the particular location of Gei-ben-hinom (Baal worship, child sacrifice), it’s still not clear why the rabbis chose this location as purgatory/hell—especially given its proximity to the Temple. Also interesting that they link it to an actual place in the world. They seem to like it being tangible. Good and bad choices are both in front of us all the time. They are up and down, but also close to either. But get further apart as you make your choices.
Reward and punishment theology: do good, go to Eden, do bad, go to Gehinnom. But not a permanent place. Deeds, or deeds done by living relatives, can get you out. But otherwise you could stay there forever. Basically, hell and purgatory are collapsed into one place, unlike two different options (along with heaven) in Christianity. Note that they are not responding to Christian theology; this is just compare/contrast. (Archangelo’s note: Dr. Rosenthal seems to be unaware that at least Catholics are very open to the idea that purgatory is a temporary holding area of hell, and many of us do believe that it is)
To the rabbis, the worst thing is ceasing to exist – not going to Gehinnom (Archangelo’s note: the Pharisees rejected this teaching, as Josephus, a Pharisee himself, confirmed. Also keep in mind Matthew 23:2)
Beit Hillel v Beit Shammai – is it a weigh station (Shammai) or a permanent destination (Hillel)? Does everyone “average” go there before they meet their fate, or only some?
Gehinnom becomes a way of understanding what the rabbis find most threatening to societal/communal cohesion.
While the Pharisees had some differing opinions, the consensus was that the afterlife consisted of a hell-like place, a purgatorial place, and a heaven-like place. Dr. Rosenthal says Rabbi’s believed in annihilationism, or “ceasing to exist,” but Josephus, a Pharisee himself who even lived during the time of the Apostles, affirms that the Pharisees strongly rejected annihilationism and fully believed in eternal punishment, so any annihilationist beliefs on the part of Rabbi’s were not held authoritatively by the Seat of Moses. Where one went was determined by their faith and works which sprang from their faith. It is a reminder that Jesus Christ did not give us a new religion, but simply a New Covenant. If your Christianity does not look at all like ancient pre-messianic Judaism, you might not be on the right track.
Only the Catholics have a priesthood, authoritative magisterium, confession of sins to a priest, the burning of incense, sacrifice of the Mass (which parallels the Temple sacrifices), prayers for the departed and other practices that originated in Ancient Israel. Some Protestant sects have aspects of these practices (and if they do it’s always watered down or made invalid due to lack of Apostolic succession), but not all of them in tandem. The Orthodox lack a unified magisterium, but since nearly all authoritative Catholic teaching comes from before the Great Schism, the Orthodox share nearly all Catholic practices, although they fall shy on an important one by rejecting the authority of the Seat of Peter. The Orthodox have some slightly different views on purgatory, but share the concept.
My Catholic readers are all likely very familiar with Scripture confirming the reality of purgatory, but for my Protestant readers (thank you for reading my blog despite any disagreements you may have with me), here is Scriptural confirmation of purgatory from a Catholic standpoint:
2nd Maccabees 12:39-45: On the next day, as by that time it had become necessary, Judas and his men went to take up the bodies of the fallen and to bring them back to lie with their kinsmen in the sepulchres of their fathers. Then under the tunic of every one of the dead they found sacred tokens of the idols of Jam′nia, which the law forbids the Jews to wear. And it became clear to all that this was why these men had fallen. So they all blessed the ways of the Lord, the righteous Judge, who reveals the things that are hidden; and they turned to prayer, beseeching that the sin which had been committed might be wholly blotted out. And the noble Judas exhorted the people to keep themselves free from sin, for they had seen with their own eyes what had happened because of the sin of those who had fallen. He also took up a collection, man by man, to the amount of two thousand drachmas of silver, and sent it to Jerusalem to provide for a sin offering. In doing this he acted very well and honorably, taking account of the resurrection. For if he were not expecting that those who had fallen would rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. But if he was looking to the splendid reward that is laid up for those who fall asleep in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Therefore he made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin.
2nd Maccabees might not be in the Protestant Bible after the “reformers” deducted books from God’s Word, but for over the 70% of Christianity that affirms the historic Christian Bible Canon established in 382 AD and uncontested for nearly 1200 years, it is canon. It was also part of the Greek Septuagint and illustrates Jewish belief regardless of canonicity.
Matthew 5:25-26: Make friends quickly with your accuser, while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison; truly, I say to you, you will never get out till you have paid the last penny.
I have noticed that some Protestants catch themselves almost saying that “Satan is the accuser!,” before it sets in that Jesus is telling people to make friends with the accuser here. The accuser is God, and prison is a euphemism here for purgatory.
1 Corinthians 3:10-15: According to the commission of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and another man is building upon it. Let each man take care how he builds upon it. For no other foundation can any one lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any one builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble— each man’s work will become manifest; for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.
Here St. Paul is saying that we have to build upon our foundation of faith in Jesus Christ, and what we have built will be judged after our earthly demise. If we build upon it with works of charity, then what we have built will not suffer loss. If we build upon the foundation of faith in Christ with hay and stubble, the fire which tests it will burn it up. Since we had faith in Christ, we ourselves will be saved, but only through the flames of purgatory, if our good works are lacking. Repentance from sin and making amends are not only positive works, but help us remove the hay and stubble on our faith foundation.
Protestants might object and say “this is only speaking of the judgment.” And actually we agree - the part of the judgment where imperfections are purged is called purgatory. Protestants should recognize that they tacitly agree with Catholicism’s teaching on this in a few ways. Protestants agree that we cannot go before God with any sin in our heart. Not only must we be forgiven of sin, but when we look upon His face, in His presence, we cannot have the stain of sin on our souls. Protestants typically teach that we are “glorified” and can thus go into God’s presence. Since Protestants believe essentially no one or almost no one dies in a state of perfection, they must then believe something takes place between dying and going into God’s presence to make them perfect. Catholics, Orthodox believers and Jews say this “something” that takes place is not necessarily instant, like a light switch being flipped.
Here is a final verse:
Matthew 12:31-32: “Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever says a word against the Son of man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”
Of course, Catholics and Protestants agree there is no forgiveness in hell. There is no forgiveness in heaven either, for all is already forgiven. But the Bible here teaches that there are certain sins that can be forgiven in the age to come, or after death. What is unforgiveable is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is the final rejection of God’s mercy and a refusal to repent of sin while in this life. As long as we accept God’s mercy, repent and believe the Gospel, then God will forgive our sins and take us into His arms. We may go to purgatory, but if we do, it’s because we need it and we want to be there. We want God to purge away our imperfections in the fire of His love. This process causes us pain in this life even, as we know how difficult it can be to take up our cross. If you make it to purgatory, the pains are said to be far beyond those of this life. But at the same time, the joy in purgatory is said to be far beyond that which we can experience in this life too, because we know we “made it.” We will be with our Lord Jesus Christ forever, and there is no way we can lose Him. We have “won the race.”
