Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On the Church That Is in Purgatory · Book II: On the Circumstances of Purgatory
Chapter 7: Whether after this life there is some place for just souls besides heaven and purgatory
Our translation, from the Latin of the Opera Omnia (Paris: Vivès, 1870–74), vol. II, De Ecclesia quae est in Purgatorio, Book II, 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).
Concerning the aforesaid subterranean receptacles of souls two things are accustomed to be treated by theologians, which it has pleased me to insert here briefly, for the sake of fuller teaching. First, they ask whether besides these places there is some other place where souls are kept before they come to the kingdom of heaven. Second, whether they can go out from these places.
As to the first, the difficulty is great enough, because on the one side all theologians teach that there are no other receptacles besides the four enumerated, and the Council of Florence, last session, defines that souls which have nothing to be purged are at once received into heaven. On the other side Bede relates, book 5 of the history, chapter 13, a very probable vision, to which he himself did not hesitate to give credit. Now in it there was shown to a certain soul, which afterwards returned to its body, besides hell and purgatory and the kingdom of heaven, a certain meadow, as it were, most flowery, most bright, fragrant, pleasant, in which dwelt souls which suffered nothing, but yet remained there because they were not yet fit for the blessed vision; to which revelation Denis the Carthusian, in the dialogue on the particular judgment, article 34, and Ludovicus Blosius in the Monile spirituale, chapter 6, add many others agreeing with it. It seems to me that it must be said that it is not improbable that some such place is found, but that that place belongs to purgatory. For although there is no punishment of sense there, yet there is the punishment of loss; but punishment does not belong to a soul unless it is not yet fully purged; and so that place will be a kind of purgatory, and as it were a prison, though a very pleasant and honourable one. Yet this must be added, that souls which stay in that place not only lack blessedness, but are also afflicted and tormented by that delay of blessedness. But I said that it does not seem to me improbable that some such place is found, because Saint Thomas, on the fourth book of the Sentences, distinction 21, question 1, article 1, writes that in those things which have not been determined by the Church about purgatory we must stand by what is more conformable to the sayings and revelations of the saints. I was moved also by the authority of John of Torquemada, a most learned and excellent cardinal, who in the prologue which is prefixed to the Revelations of Saint Bridget, having carefully weighed those revelations, did not hesitate to affirm that what is said in Judith 8 fits Saint Bridget: all that thou hast spoken is true, and there is no reproof in thy words. Now Saint Bridget writes, book 4, chapter 121, that a certain soul in purgatory had no other punishment than grief from the desire of the blessedness put off.
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
CAPUT vn. SUne posl luincvilam nliquis locus pro aniniahuf< jusiis praelcr coclum cl purgalorium. Dc pracdiclis rcccplaculis subterrancis anima- rum,duo c|uacdam a Ihoologis Iraclari solonl,quaG liic brevilcr inscrcro placuil. plonioris doclrinnc caussa. Primo, quacruiit , an praclcr hacc loca sit aliquis alius locus , ubi rclincantur animac antc- quam ad regnum coclorum pervcniant. Secundo , an ox bis locis cgrossi possiiil. Quanlum ad Primum:DillicuIlas cslsalis magna. quia ox una parlc omncs thcologi docent,non csso alia reccplacula pr;ielcr qunluor numcrala. el con- ciliuin ilorciUiiuun scss. ull. dofiuit. animas, quac nihil purgandum habenl.mox recipi in coclura.Ex allcrn partc narral l>cda lib. o. bist. cap. lP».visio- ncm valde probabilom.cui ipse ndem atlhibcrc non «lubilavil. Fuil aulcm in illa oslonsum cuidam ani- niac, quae ad corpus poslca rediil , praeler infcr- num cl purgalorium . ol roguum coclorum . quod- dam quasi pralum floroulissiinum , lucidissimum. Ddoralum.amocnum.in quo degcbant animae quao niliil paticbantur . sed lamcn ibi manebanl , quia iionduin itioncae cranl visioni bcalae : cui revela- BF.LLAR>li.M. Vol. 11. lioiii imilliK nliiii conriirmcts iKlilucil DionyftiuH ciir' llitisiimiis III di.do^o di; JtKlicio p ' ' iri arl. 'U . cl l.tidovicMs jtliisiiis Moiiili spin i|i. Ci. Nidciiir iiiilii ilicon«liiiii,noii 1 iprobaljilo In* lcm .iliipiciii Inciim rcpcnri.c.tihlo:; <idi lo- ctiiii iid pur^.ilonutii p(;rlinor(!. KIm i ;.,,.. m.i iiullii sit pocmi .sciisiiH , laiiMMi omI |io(<nu (liKiini : |to«-nM iiiilcni noii convcnil iii^i iiiiimiin.ipifii; iiunduiii \>W- 110 piii^Mlii csl , ilatpio cnt lorns ilb ' ' • 'im piir^Mlonum , cl (piiisi ciirccr (piiibv s, iihpic lioiKiriiliis. Iliii- tiimcii :iddciidtiiii cst , ;iniui:is , qiuu- 111 co loco moriiiiliir, iioii sidiiiti carcro boulitudino, seil oliam iil11iu'i . iic tonpiori ox illu diluliune boiililii- iliiiis. Di\i iiuli-m. milii iioii vidori impiobabilo.tn- lciii idiipicm lo(-uiii rcp(-riri, (pii;i s. 1 honia.s iri i. .sonl. dist. 21. (piacsl. 1. arl. 1. siribit. in iis (|ua)'. do piirg:itorio dcltirmiiiiitii nun sunl iib Kcclesiii , sliindum (-vsc iis tpiac siiiil nuigis conformia diclis cl ri'vi'l.iliiMiibiis s.inctortiiii.Movit mo cli;im iiuclu- ril;is Joann.(loTurrccroinal;i duclissinii aUpic opli- mi (-;iriliii;ilis, (pii in |ir(dogo. (pii priiomillilur Ho- vclalionibiis s. liir^ill.ic. (-tiiu dili^cnlcr cvpcntlis- sol oas rovcliitioncs. iillirm;ir(>. non dubil;ivil s.liir- gilbio coiivoniro iil, quod dicilur Juililh. H. omni;i (pi;i(! loipuil:i cs, V(>r;i sunt. ol uon csl in scrmoni- biis liiis ull:i niprclicnsio. Scribil ;iulom s. IJirgilla lib. 4. cap. 121. nnimam (piand;un in purgaluriu niilhim ali:un pooiuun luibuisso.nisi dolorcm cx dc- .sidcrio ilil.iUic fcliciliilis.