Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On the Church That Is in Purgatory · Book I: On Purgatory
Chapter 1: On the name of purgatory
Our translation, from the Latin of the Opera Omnia (Paris: Vivès, 1870–74), vol. II, De Ecclesia quae est in Purgatorio, Book I, the third general controversy. The Latin source text is public domain; this English rendering is released with the site. Scripture quotations follow Bellarmine's Vulgate citations, rendered in Douay-Rheims wording where he quotes exactly. Click “Show the Latin” for the original (raw OCR of the scan; scanning errors remain — the scan itself is the authority).
Preface. We have discussed thus far that part of the Church which is on earth. Now we must dispute about that which dwells beneath the earth, intending to dispute last about that which reigns in heaven; and since the faithful already dead, but not yet blessed, are beneath the earth both in body and in soul, in different places, we shall speak first of the place of souls, second of the place of bodies, that is, of burial. But before we come to the questions, three things must be set out first. First, what we understand in this place by the name of purgatory. Second, what the errors about purgatory have been. Third, in what order this disputation is to be set out. Now there have written on purgatory John of Rochester against the articles of Luther; John Eck, book 4, on purgatory; John Bunderius in his compendium, title 18; John Garetius in the book on prayer for the dead; Jacob Latomus in the explanation of the sixth article of the Louvain theologians; Josse Clichtove in the book on purgatory; Bernard of Luxembourg in a single book on purgatory; Alphonsus de Castro, under the word purgatory; Martin Perez de Ayala on traditions; Claude Coussord against the Waldensians; Cajetan, volume 1, tracts 23 and 24; Francis Orantius, book 5, on Catholic places; Hugh Etherianus on the return of souls from the lower regions; Catharinus in the book on the truth of purgatory.
Three things are found in the Scriptures to which the purging of sins is attributed, and which can be called purgatories. First, Christ himself, of whom it is said in Hebrews 1, “making purgation of sins”; John 1, “Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who taketh away the sin of the world.” But of this we do not speak, both because Christ is not accustomed to be called purgatory, and because it is beyond controversy that he is the purger of sins. Second, the tribulations of this life, of which Malachi, chapter 3, seems to be understood literally: “he shall sit refining and cleansing the silver, and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and shall refine them as gold, and as silver.” For, as blessed Jerome rightly expounds, the matter here is the tribulation which will precede the day of judgment, for purging the sins of the faithful; and John 15, “Every branch in me, that beareth not fruit, he will take away: and every one that beareth fruit, he will purge it, that it may bring forth more fruit.” Of this purgatory we do not speak, both because it is beyond controversy, and also because the tribulation of this life is not always purgatorial. For many just men are afflicted, not to be purged, but to be exercised and proved, according to that of Ecclesiasticus 27, “The furnace trieth the potter's vessels, and the trial of affliction just men.” And many unjust men are afflicted, not to be purged, but to begin to taste the punishments of their damnation. Third, then, purgatory is the name of a certain place in which, as in a prison, souls are purged after this life which were not fully purged in this one, so that, thus purged, they may be able to enter heaven, into which nothing defiled shall enter. About this is the whole controversy.
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
PRAEFATIO
Disseruimus haclenus dc ca pnrlc EcclesiQC ,
quao esl in lcrris: Nunc de ca dispulondum esl ,
quae dcgil infru terram; dispulnluri ullimo de llla,
quao regnat in coclis; et quoniam fldeles jam de-
funcli, necdum bcali , el corporc el animo sunl
infra lerram, diversis in locis, ideo primum de lo-
co animarum dicemus ; sccundo de loco corpo-
rum, idosl, de scpuUura.
Scd anlequam ad quaesliones veniamus , Iria
praemillcnda sunl. Primo, quid nomine purjjalorii
hoc loco inlelligamus. Secundo, qui fuerint erro-
res de purgalorio. Terlio, quo ordine sil explican-
da haec dispulalio.
Scripserunt aulem de purgalorio Joannes Rof-
fensis conlra arliculos Lulhcri ; Joannes Eckius
lib. 4. dc purgulorio ; Joannes Bunderius in suo
compcndio lilul. 18. Joannes Garelius lib. de o-
ral. pro defunclis; Jacubus Latomus in cxplicalio-
nc arlic. scxli Lovaniensium; Jodocus Cliclovaeus
in lib. de purgalorio; Bernardus Lutzenburg. lib.
unico dc purgalorio; Alphonsus de Caslro , verbo
purf/afo?'Mm;)LirtinusPeresius Ajalade tradilioni-
bus; Claudius Coussord conlra Waldcnses; Cajcla-
nus tom. 1. tracl. 23. el 24. Franciscus Oranlius
lib. o. de locis calholicis; Ilugo Elhcrianus de re-
gressu animarura ab inferis; Gatharinus lib. dc ve-
rilale purgalorii.
^C^ ^A
«-
CAIM T ri5l.>ll M
l)o niniiiuc pnyrjdlorii
Tria iii Scripluris invcniiinlur . <|uil)ns Iribuilur
purj^alio poccalonnn , <H pur^raloria tlici possunt,
INinio, ('.hrislus ipso , do (pu) (licilur ail llohr. I.
Punjaliononi pcccotoruin fdcirua, .loan. 1. Eccc
(ujnuti Dci, cccc qui toUil pcccutn inundi. Scd
dc lioc nou hxpiiinur, luni qnod non soh\il Cliri-
slus vocari puri^aloriuni , Inin <piod sil cxlra con-
Irovcrsiam cuni purj^alorcm pcccalorum cssc.
Sccundo , Irihuhdionos hnjus vilac, dc (piihus
nd lilcrani vidclur iulclligcndus iMalachias cap. i».
Ipsc scdcbil (luasi i<jnib conflans, cl quasi lierba
fullonuni, ct pur(jabit jilios Levi, cl colabit cos
quasi auruni, cl quasi argcntum. Nam , ul rcclc
exponil 1). Uieronymus. hic agilur dc Irihulaliono,
(inac praeccdcl dicm judicii ad purganda peccala
lidclium, el Joan. 15. Onincm palmitcm in me
non fcrcntcm fructum tollel cum, ct omncni qui
fcrt fruclum , purgabit eum , ut fructum plus
afferat. Dc hoc purgalorio non lotiuimur , luin
(luod sil cxtra conlroversiam. lum cliam quod non
scmper tribulalio hujus vilac sil purgatoria. Nam
mulli jusli alHignniur , non ul purgcntur , scd ut
cxcrccanlur , el probenlur juxla illud Ecclesiasl.
27. Yasa figuli probat fornax, et homincs juslos
tcntatio tribulationis. Et mulli injusti ailliguntur,
non ul purgenlur. sed ul incipiant damnationis
suac pocnas guslare.
Vocatur ergo lertio purgatorium , locus quidam,
in quo lamquam in carcere post hanc vitam pur-
ganlur animae, quae in hac non pleno purgalae
fuerunt , ut nimirum sic purgatae in coelum ingro-
di valeant , quo nihil intrabit coinquinalum. Dc
hoc cst tota controversia.