Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On the Church That Is in Purgatory · Book II: On the Circumstances of Purgatory
Chapter 9: On the time for which purgatory lasts
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).
Now as to the time for which purgatory will remain, there are two extreme errors. The first error is Origen's, who extends the times of purgatory beyond the day of resurrection; for so he has it in homily 14 on Luke: “I think,” he says, “that even after the resurrection from the dead we need a sacrament washing and purging us; for no one will be able to rise without stains.” But this is an established error; for blessed Augustine, book 21 of the City of God, chapter 16: “Let no one think,” he says, “that there will be any purgatorial punishments except before that last and dreadful judgment.” And the reason is that the Lord in Matthew 25 says that in the judgment there will be only two orders of men, one of the blessed, the other of the damned. You will say: the soul did not sin alone, but together with the body; therefore it ought to be purged together with the body; accordingly men will be purged after the resurrection. I answer that if the argument concluded, it would also prove that the separated soul cannot be punished in hell, nor enjoy delights in heaven, against the gospel, Luke 16, I am tormented in this flame, and Luke 23, This day thou shalt be with me in paradise. I say, then, that the soul is deservedly punished even alone, because it is the subject and efficient cause of sin; for there are certain works of men which cannot be done except by the whole composite, nor received except in the whole composite, as all those which are done by organic powers, such as to speak, to see, to hear, and so on; and such are no longer found when the composite is dissolved; and if sin were of this kind, the argument would plainly conclude. But it is not so; for sin is an act of free will, and therefore is properly said to be done by the will alone, and is formally found in the will alone; when the man is dissolved, then, sin is found whole and only in the will, and through it in the soul, but not in the dead flesh. But it ought to be punished or purged there where it is found. Add also that the flesh is punished too in its own way; for as the separated soul is punished with the punishment of loss, because it lacks the vision of God, and the punishment of sense, because it is tormented by fire; so the flesh is punished with the punishment of loss, because it lacks life, and the punishment of sense, though improperly, because little by little it rots and is reduced to ashes. Yet the former solution is better; for the bodies of the saints also suffer these things, who nevertheless need no purgation.
The other error is Luther's, who on the contrary makes purgatory too short. For he holds that all the remains of sin are purged by the pain of death in those who die in faith, and that therefore there is no other purgatory besides death. This error can easily be refuted; for by the remains of sins is understood either the fomes, or the bad habits contracted, or the guilt of temporal punishment, and venial sins; for these alone, and all of these, can remain in a justified man of the things which belong to sin, and accordingly can be called the remains of sins. And first, the fomes is indeed taken away in death, because then sensuality is extinguished; but we do not establish purgatory on account of the fomes; otherwise even baptized children dying would have to suffer purgatorial punishments, since baptism did not take away the fomes from them. But Augustine, book 21 of the City of God, chapter 16, expressly teaches that children of this kind suffer no purgatorial punishments. But bad habits, which exist in the will, are not necessarily extinguished by death, since they are in powers which are not bound to an organ, as is plain. Nor yet do we establish purgatory on account of habits of this kind; for otherwise it would follow that adults who are baptized after many bad habits contracted, and die at once, or certainly are killed for Christ, cannot be saved except through purgatory, because neither baptism nor martyrdom dissolves habits of this kind. For we see the baptized still have the same bad propensities which they had before, and that they must little by little take away habits of this kind by contrary acts. It is credible, then, that all those habits are taken away by the first contrary act of the separated soul, which it elicits immediately from the separation. For although here a habit contracted by many acts cannot be destroyed by one act, yet there it will be possible, because that act will be much more vehement, since the soul is then more powerful as to spiritual acts, and does not have the fomes contrary and resisting, as it has here. There remain, then, the guilt of punishment and venial sins, which can properly be called the remains of sins, on account of which there is a purgatory. Now these remains it is sometimes certain are purged in death, sometimes certain are not purged, sometimes doubtful what happens, and most probable that they are partly purged, partly not purged. I prove each. And first indeed, that a violent death undertaken for Christ, which is called martyrdom, without doubt purges all remains of this kind. For Cyprian, book 4, epistle 2, clearly says that all sins are purged by suffering; and that he does not speak there of mortal faults is plain, because he expressly says that charity not martyrdom is set before all things; which also blessed Paul teaches in the first epistle to the Corinthians, chapter 13. Hence the Church never prays for the martyrs, since, as Augustine says, sermon 17 on the words of the Apostle, it is an injury to pray for a martyr, to whose prayers we ought rather to be commended. The second I prove: for those who die unwilling, or without the use of reason, as infants and those asleep, and those whom a sudden fall crushes, cannot in any way be purged by that death; for either death itself purges absolutely of itself, or by reason of some voluntary act accompanying it. Not the first, because death of itself is something natural, at least after the sin of the first parent; whence it is common to the good and the bad, indeed to men and to beasts; but by natural things, which happen necessarily, we neither merit nor demerit, nor can we dissolve debts voluntarily contracted. Therefore if death purges, this happens by reason of a voluntary act accompanying it; but we speak in this place of those who die without any such act. Besides, we often see the best men suffer a very hard death, and the less good a very light one; but if the remains of sins had to be purged in death, the contrary would necessarily have to happen. The third I prove: for there are many who bear death with an even mind on account of their sins, whose patience without doubt avails for satisfying; but whether it is equal to the debts contracted by sins no one can know for certain.
Besides these errors there was the opinion of Dominic Soto, on the fourth book of the Sentences, distinction 19, question 3, article 2, that no one remains in purgatory for ten years; and his reason is that if here on earth by some punishments we can in a short time be freed from all punishment, why not much sooner in purgatory, since those punishments are infinitely graver and more intense than these? Besides, here punishments are long because they cannot be very intense, for they would destroy the subject; but after this life they can be most intense, because the subject is incorruptible; therefore it is credible that God purges those souls, panting for glory, in a very short time by most intense punishments. But these reasons do not conclude. To the first it can be said that here is the time of mercy, there of justice. To the second I say that God can compensate extension by intensity, but does not will to; otherwise it would follow that souls do not remain in purgatory for one hour, because God by increasing intensity can reduce the punishments of ten years to one hour. Besides, the most approved visions of the saints are repugnant to this opinion. For Bede writes, book 5 of the history, chapter 13, that to a certain man the punishments of purgatory were shown, and it was said to him that the souls which dwell in purgatory are all to be saved on the day of judgment, although some are helped by the prayers and alms of the living, and especially by the sacrifice of the altar, so as to be freed even before the day of judgment. Where he clearly indicates that some already dead will remain in purgatory until the day of judgment. We could bring forward many like visions from Denis the Carthusian and from others. The custom of the Church also is repugnant, which celebrates anniversary sacrifices for the dead, even though it is agreed that they have been dead a hundred or two hundred years, which certainly would not be done if the Church believed that no souls are punished beyond ten years. The matter, then, is most uncertain, and cannot be defined except rashly.
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
OAPUT IX.
Detcmpore qiio durat purgaloriuiii.
Jam vero de lempore,quo purgalorium permane-
bit,duo sunt errores extremi.Primus error esl Ori-
genis , qui exlendit tempora purgalorii ullra diem
resurrectionis; ita enim babet homil.l4.in Lucam:
Ego puto, inquit, quod elpostresurreciionemex
mortiLis indigeamus sacramento eluente nos ,
atque purganle, nemo enim ahsque sordibus re-
surgere polerit. Hic tamen est error exploratus ;
nara b. Augustinus lib. 21. de Givit. Dei, cap. IG.
Purgatorias poenas, inquit,7mZ;as fuluras opine-
tur, nisi antc illud ultimum , tremendumque ju-
dicium. Et ralio est , quia Dominus Mallh. 25. in
judicio soluni duos ordines hominum dicit futuros,
unum beatorum, allerum damnatorum.
Dices: Anima non pcccavit sola, sed simul cum
corpore , igitur simul cum corpore purgari debet;
proinde post resurrcclioncm homines purgabun-
lur. Rcspondeo: si argumenlum concludcret, pro-
barel eliam , animam scparatam non posse puniri
in infcrno , nec vohiplalibus in coelo frui , contra
evangelium Lucae IG. Crucior in hac flamma.El
Lucae 23. Ilodie mecum eris in paradiso.
Dico igitur: Merilo puniri animam etiara solam,
quia ipsa cst subjeclum et c;uis?a efliciens peccati;
nam sunt quaedam opera honiinnin,([uae non pos-
sunl ticri, nisi a toto composito, ncc rocipi, nisi in
totum compositura , ut illa omnia quae fiunl a po-
tenliis organicis,ul loqui, Yidcrc,audire etc. et ta-
lia dissoluto composito non inveniunlur amplius;
ct si quidcm lale essot pcccatum,argumcnlum pla-
ne concluderet: At non ita csl; pcccalum enim csl
aclus hberi arbilrii , et ideo a sola volunlate pro-
pri<! fieri dicilur, et in sola volunlale formahter in-
venilur; dissolulo ergo homine, peccalum integre,
cl sohmi reperitur in voUmlate,et per illam in ani-
ma, non aulem in carne morlua. Ibi autem puniri
vel purgari dcbct, ubi invenilur.
Adde etiam, quod caro suo modo quoque puni-
tur; nam, ul anima separala punilurpoena damni,
quia caret visione Dei, el poena sensus, quia lor-
quiilur igne ; ila caro punilur poena damni , quia
caret vila ct poena sensus , licet improprie , quia
paulalim putrelit , et in cineres redigilur. Tamen
prior solulio est melior:nam eliara corpora sancto-
rum baec paliunlur , qui taraen purgatione non
egenl.
Alter error est Lulheri , qui e contrario nirais
breve efllcit purgatoriura. Vull enim , omnes pec-
cali reliquias dolore mortis purgari in iis, qui in
fide moriunlur, el ideo nullum aliud esse purgalo-
rium , praelcr mortem. Ilic error facile refcUi po-
lesl; nam pcr reliquias peccalorum,vel inlelligitur
fomes, vel mali babilus contracli , vel realus poe-
nac lcmporalis.Et pcccala venialia;haec enim sola
et omnia remanere possunl in homine juslificato
ex iis, quae ad peccalum perlincnt, et proinde re-
liquiae peccalorum dici possunt. Ac primuni , fo-
raes lollilur quidera in morte , quia lunc exlingui-
tur sensualitas, sed non propter fomilem nos pur-
gatorium conslituimus ; alioqui etiam pueri bapti-
zati morienles , deberenl purgatorias poenas pati,
cum baplismus eis non abstulerit fomitem. Al Au-
guslinus lib. 21. de Civit. Dei, cap.lG. diserle do-
cet, ejusmodi pueros nullas pati purgatorias poe-
nas. Mali aulem habilus, qui in voluntate exislunt,
non nccessario exlinguuntur per mortcm, quando,
quidein sunl in polcnliis.quac organo non sual al-
ligatae, ut patel.rVec tamen propter hujusmodi ha-
bilus constituimus purgatorium ; nam alioqui se-
qucrelur , adultos , qui posl multos malos habilus
contraclos baptizanlur, et stalim moriuntur , vel
certe pro Christo occidunlur , non possc salvari ,
nisi per purgatorium , quia nec baplismus , nec
martyrium dissolvil ejusmodi habitus. Yidemus e-
nim bnptizatos adhuc habere easdera malas pro-
pensiones , quas antea habebant . et oportere eos
paulalira actibus conlrariis ejusraodi liabitus lol-
lere.
Credibile igitur est,omnes islos habilus tolii per
primum aclum conlrarium aniraae separatae,quem
statim a separatione elicit. Elsi enira hicnon pos-
sil uno actu destrui habitus contractus per nuiltos
actus, tamen ibi poterit , quia aclus ille multo ve-
hemenlior erit;cum anima tunc sil potenlior.quan-
tum ad actus spirituales nec habeat fomitem con-
Irarium et resistenlem, ut his habet.
Reslat ergo realus poenae , el peccala venialia,
quae p.-oprie dici possunl reliquiae peccatorum,
ob quas est purgalorium. Ilas autera reliquias ali-
quando cerlum cst in morle purgari,aliquando cer-
tum esl non purgari , aliquando dubium cst quid
fiat, et probabilissimura est , partim purgari, par-
tirn non pur2,ari.
Probo singula. Ac priraum quidem , quia raors
violcnta pro^Christo susccpla, quac dicilur marly-
iiiiiiii m;i:im)I>s
401
liiuii.slnn tlubio piir^iil oiiinns liiijusiiKi.li rcliqiil
os. ('.ypriiiuus ciiiiii lih. ♦. «pisl.2. rltiro diril.ptMv
ciilii otiuii.i piissiiiin' |iiir^iiri'.('t ipiiHl tiiiii liKptiiiiir
(lo nilpis tti(irt;iltlMts. p:ilrl, iptct tluilritt iltrtl.stiio
(■Itiiriliitd iiiu' tiiiirtyrittiit (piiilipiiuu priii|()SHi>;ipi(Kj
iiliti^ CypiiiiMiitil iliiiiiniit li. P;iiilits iii piiuri r|iisl.
iiil Cnriiilli. ciip- lil. Iliiipn'. KrclcMii iiiiittipiaiii nral
|)i'0 iiiinlyiilxis , ipitii , til .\u(;ustittiis dtrtl, scriii.
n. (Ii< vcrliis iipdsliili: Injuria c.sl oidvt' pm vuir-
liirOy ('i//'i«s Jio.s (Irhciinis imlius onitidnifiuH ram-
mcinltiri.
SuciiiKltiiii pi-(il)o: I\iitu ipti tiioriitiilttr itiviti, vi>l
siiie ttsu riiliotiis.iil iiinciilcs cl ilortiiiciilcs.t;! iptos
rcpctiliiii ciisus oppniiiiiiit . iioii possiiiil cii iiiorto
ullo tuoilo pur^;iiri ; iiaiu vcl ipsii itiors per so iib-
soluto. purniit, vcl riiliotu! aliciipis voliitilarii iicliis
ipsaiu coiicoiuilaiilis. Noii priitiiiiii , (piiii iiiors sc-
ciiiuliiiii sc cst (piiil iiiiliiriilc.siillciii posl priiiii pa-
rontis peccatum; iiiuli^ coiuuiiinis esl iMinis (;l inn-
lis. iiiiiiio lioiniiiiliiis cl iiiiiictilis; al pcr ii:iliiriili;i,
(pia(>. uccossario cvcuiuiil , uoii iiicrciiuir, iicc ilc-
uicrciiiur , nec possuinus (lissolvcre (lcl)itit voltiii-
liiric coiilracla. l;^iliir si iiiors piir;;iil,i(l lil ralioiic
volunlarii iiclus coiic(Uuilaiilis:al iins loipiiiiiiir lioc
loco (lc illis , qui sitic iillo ciiisiiioili aclu iiioriun-
lur. Praclcrea , viiiciuus sacpc opliiuos viros pali
uiorlciu tliiii.ssimniu . ct uiiiuis hoiios lc\issimaiu;
at si iu morlc (lcbcrcnt inirjiari rcliiptiac iicccato-
rum, ncccssario coulrarium licri (lchcrct.
Tcrliuiu prolio: Nam miilli suul, ipii acquo ani-
ino mortciu lolcriinl proplcr sua pcccnla , (piorum
l^iiticutia sinc dubio piviil ad Sitlisfacicndum , sed
utrum acquivalcaut dcbila contracla pcr pcccata ,
ncmo ccrlo scire polcst,
Practcr Itos crrorcs fuil opinio Dominici a Solo,
in 4. scnlcnt. disl. 19. q. 3. art. 2. ncminem in
inirjijalorio maucrc ad dcccm nnnos ; cl ralio ejus
csl.quia si bic in lerris aliquibus poenis brevi tcm-
pore libcrari possumus ab omni poena; quaro non
niullo citius in purgatorio . cuui illae poeniic sinl
pocuac in inruiilmu j^M-aviorcs, cl intcnsiorcs islis?
rraelcrca, bic siml prolixac poenac,quia non pos-
suul esse mulluiu inlcnsae , nam subjcclum de-
slrucrcul ; al posl banc vilam possunt csse intcn-
sissimae , quia subjcclum csl incorruplibilc: eriio
credibile esl, Dcum illas animas ad gioriani anhe-
lanlcs, brcvissimo lcmporc pcr inlcnsissimas poc-
nas purgarc.Scd islac ralioiics non concludunt.
Ad primum dici polesl: Ilic esse tempus miseri-
cordiae, illic jusliliac.
Ad secundum dico:Deum posse compcnsarc ex-
•"lcnsioncm inlcnsionc, scd noUc, alioqui scqucre-
lur.animas non mancre in purgalorio ad unam bo-
ram. qnia polcsl Dcus augendo inlensionem redi-
gere pocnas dcccm annorum ad unam horam.
Praclerea, repugnant huie sentenliae probalissi-
mac visioncs sanclorum. Scribit cnim Bcda lib. o.
hislor. cap. 13. cuidain ostcnsas fuisse purgatorii
poenas, dicUimque illi esse.animas quae in purga-
lorio degunl, salvandas omnes in die judicii, licel
aliqnac orationibus ct eleemosynis vivenlium . ct
praecipnc allaris sacrillcio, juYenlur.iil etiani i.ulc
dicmiudicii liberenlur. Ubi clare indicat , aliijuos
jam dcfunclos usquc ad diem judicii mansuros in
piir^.itiirio. SiiiiiMs visiitMCH iiiult.ih airerrc \i>> •■
uius (v\ Dioiiysio ciirlliusiiiiiu, ct ux aliJN.
Ilc|)ii^'iiiil ('litirti Kcclcsiiii' c()iiHiioliiito, ipi;i<- .111
tii\ci -lari.i hiicra cclchrat pro dcfiMtcli-^.cliiiimi roii-
8lu( (M)H iiiilo rriilutn viil (IucimiIoh iiniios (;ssc iiior-
tuos , quod ccrtc 111)11 llcrcl , Hi Kccli-niii (rcdcrcl.
iiiiti piitiiri iitiiiiiiiH iillrii d(M'iMii iiiiiM/M. ilcs i/ttiir
cst iiiciMtissiina , cl iioii iiisi lciiicrc dclliiiri \m-
lcsl.