Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On the Church That Is in Purgatory · Book II: On the Circumstances of Purgatory
Chapter 14: On the gravity of the punishments
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).
On the fourth, that the punishments of purgatory are most atrocious, and that no punishments of this life are to be compared with them, the Fathers constantly teach. Augustine on Psalm 37: “Although saved by fire,” he says, “yet that fire will be more grievous than anything a man can suffer in this life.” Gregory on the third penitential psalm: “I judge that transitory fire,” he says, “more intolerable than every present tribulation.” Bede on the same psalm says that no torments of martyrs or of robbers are to be compared with those purgatorial punishments. Blessed Anselm has the same on 1 Corinthians 3, and blessed Bernard in the sermon on the death of Humbert. The same is proved by all the revelations which are found in Bede, books 3 and 5 of the history, in Saint Bridget, in Denis the Carthusian, and in the life of Christina the Wonderful. The same reason proves, at least of the punishment of sense; for both for pain and for joy three things concur: the power, the object, and the conjunction of the one with the other. Now as to the power, the rational power is beyond comparison more capable of pain than the animal; for as to apprehension, the intellect is as it were the spring, the sense as it were the rivulet; as to appetite, the will is as it were the spring, the lower appetite as it were the rivulet; since, then, the soul itself, naked, is immediately tormented, that pain ought to be the greatest on the side of the sufferer; for now it is not so much the soul as the body that is tormented, and through the body some pain also passes to the soul. As to the object, if there is a true fire there, it will be altogether most sharp, since it is instituted for this alone, to be an instrument of the divine justice; if it is not a true fire, it will be something much more horrible, such as God could prepare, who wished to show his power in this. As to the conjunction, it will be the greatest; for here, where all things are bodily, conjunction takes place only by the contact of extremities and surfaces; but there the fire will penetrate the very inmost of the soul.
But although all admit in some way that the punishments of purgatory are greater than the punishments of this life, yet it is difficult how this is to be understood. For blessed Thomas on the fourth book, distinction 20, question 1, article 2, teaches two things. First, that the punishment of loss is the greatest of punishments, both of those in purgatory and of those which can be found in this life. Second, he says that the least punishment of purgatory is greater than the greatest punishment of this life. The first he proves because, as the possession of a desired good begets joy, so the absence of a desired good begets pain. But the good which the souls of purgatory desire is the highest, and the desire too is the highest; for the intellect knows more clearly how great a good it is to see God, and the appetite, both natural and of infused charity, puts forth its strength, and is most intense, and is not hindered by the mass of the body and by sensible delights; as in this life examples can be given, as if someone were vexed by a most vehement hunger, or burned with intolerable thirst, and saw before him a table set with the best foods and the sweetest wine, and could touch nothing, and yet knew that otherwise all those things had been prepared for him. Then Saint Thomas proves the second, because everyone who dwells in purgatory is tormented at least by this punishment of loss, which is the greatest of all; therefore the least punishment of purgatory is greater than the greatest punishment of this life. But blessed Bonaventure, on the fourth book, distinction 20, article 1, question 2, teaches, first, that the punishment of loss in purgatory is not greater than every punishment, whether of purgatory or of this life. Second, he teaches that the punishments of purgatory are greater than the punishments of this life only in this sense, that the greatest punishment of purgatory is greater than the greatest punishment of this life, although some punishment of purgatory may be found less than some punishment of this life. Which opinion pleases me; for although the absence of the highest good of itself begets in the lover the highest sadness, yet in purgatory this sadness is mitigated and relieved in great part on account of the certain hope of acquiring that good; for that most certain hope brings incredible joy, and the nearer the end of that exile approaches, the more the joy grows. And so only in hell is the punishment of loss the highest, because it is joined to a most certain despair; and of this Chrysostom speaks, homily 24 on Matthew, when he says that a thousand hells are nothing if compared with the loss of the divine sight; and Augustine, who in the Enchiridion, chapter 112, says that the least punishment of loss, provided it is eternal, is greater than all the punishments of this life. You will say: but the damned do not love God; therefore they do not desire to see him. I answer that they do not love God on account of God, but yet on account of themselves they are compelled to love his sight most ardently, because they understand that their highest good consists in the vision of God. This argument is confirmed, first, because if the punishment of loss were most grievous even in purgatory, it would follow that the Fathers in limbo suffered a most grievous punishment; which is so false that in Luke 16 Abraham says to the damned rich man about Lazarus: Thou art tormented, but he is comforted. And blessed Augustine, epistle 99, denies that that of Acts 2, having loosed the sorrows of hell, can be understood of the Fathers, because namely Christ found them not in sorrows but in rest. And blessed Gregory, book 12 of the Morals, chapter 22, says that the Fathers had in the lower world no torments, but rest. It is confirmed, second, because Augustine, Gregory, Bede, Anselm and Bernard, when they say that the punishment of purgatory is greater than every punishment of this life, expressly speak of the punishment of fire, by which all understand the punishment of sense, not of loss. The other saying of Bonaventure is proved, first, because from certain revelations it is agreed that the punishment of some is so slight that they seem to suffer nothing, such as those who, clothed in white garments, were seen in pleasant and bright places, in Bede, book 5 of the history, chapter 13. Second, it is proved because it can happen that someone dies carrying no debt with him except of one idle word; but it would seem incredible that on account of one idle word alone someone should have to suffer torments more grievous than all the punishments of this life. Third, because although it is a question whether the punishments of purgatory always torment equally grievously, from the beginning to the end of the purgation, or whether they are lessened little by little until they come to an end, yet the more probable opinion is that they are remitted little by little; from which it follows that not every punishment of purgatory is greater than the greatest punishment of this life; for that punishment of purgatory which is near the end ought to be so remitted that it cannot be remitted further, whereas here punishments are found most intense, which can be very much remitted. And that the punishment of purgatory is remitted little by little is proved; for Saint Bernard in the life of Saint Malachy writes that when Malachy prayed for his dead sister, the dead woman herself appeared three times: first, in a black garment, and outside the church; second, in a dusky garment, and within the threshold of the church; third, in a white garment, and at the altar itself with the other saints. From which he himself understood that the soul of his sister, the punishments remitting themselves little by little, had come to the end of her purgation. And many like visions could be brought forward.
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
CAPUT XIV.
Da nravilate poenarum.
De quarto, poenas purgalorii esse atrocissimas,
et cuin illis nullas poenas hujus vitae comparan-
das docent constanter Patres. Auguslin. in psal.
37. Quamvis. \nqu\l, salviper ignem.gravior ta-
men erit illc ignis, quam quidquid polest liomo
pati in hac vita. Gregorius in psalm. 3. poenilen-
tialem: Illum , inquit. transitorium ignem omni
tribulaUonc praesenti cxistimo intolerabiliorcm.
Beda in eundem psalmum dicit, nulla esse suppli-
cia marlyrum , vel latronura cum illis purgaloriis
poenis conferenda. Idcm habet b. Anselmus in 1.
Corinth. 3. et b. Bernardus serm. de obitu Ilura-
berli.
Idem probant omnes revelaliones , quae apud
Bedam lib. 3. et 5. historiae , apud s. Birgillam ,
apud Dionysium carthusianum,et in vita Christinae
uiirabiles habentur.
Idem probat ratio, saltem de poena sensus;nara
lam ad dolorem , quam ad gaudiura tria concur-
runl, potenlia , objectum et conjunctio unius cum
altero. .Tam quantum ad potentiam, sine compara-
tione capacior est doloris potentia rationaIis,quam
animalis; nam quantum ad apprehensionem,inlel-
lectus esl veluli fons. sensus veluli rivulus; quan-
tum ad appetitum, voluntas est veluti fons,appeli-
tus inferior est velati rivulus;cum ergo anima ipsa
nuda immediate torquealur , maximus debet esse
ille dolor ex parte palientis ; nunc enira non tam
anima, quam corpus tor<]uelur , et per corpus ali-
quis etiam dolor ad animam Iransit.
Quantum -id objectum,si ibi est verus ignis,erit
omnino acerrimus , cum ad lioc solum sil inslilu-
tus, ut sit instrumentnm justiliae divinae ; si non
sit ignis verus, erit aliquid multo horribilius,quaIe
Deus parare poluit, qui potentiam suam in hoc o-
stendere voluit.
Quanlum ad conjunclionera , maxima erit ; nam
hic ubi sunt omnia corporalia , non fit conjunctib,
nisi per contractum extremitatum ; et superticie-
I.llilll Si:(TMHS
40 1
niiii. iil itii iiniiiiain ipsiiiii iiiliiiH; ixtrii;) illii |icni*-
ti.iliil.
l.)ii:iiiivi>^ aiili'111 :ilii|ii() iikmIii niiiiirs iiiliiiilliiiil ,
jxifiiiis |iiirj^iit(iril r.ssr liiiiiinr.s |inriii"^ liiijiis vilin',
l:iiiirn ililliillin i'»t, i|iltilll(Ml(i lior llilflli^iitiil. linm
I). TlKiiMiis iii 4. ilisl. 2(K (|ii.ii'sl. I. iirl. 2, (Idccl
ilnn. iMiiiii), |MM'iiiiiii (I..IIIIII rssc inii\iiii;iiii |micii;i-
rnin ; (uin (jniK^ in piirKiiloiio , i|iiiiin i|nii(^ iii liin'
vlln rcpcriii possiiil. .Scciiiiilo.tlicii iiiiiiiiiitnii |i(M'-
niiiii pnr^iiloiii cssc niiijoriMii ni.iMiiiii immiui lnijiis
Vll.Ml.
1'iiinnin proliiil , (jiiiii sicnl posscssio drsidcriili
honi ^::i;,Miil ^mikIiiiiii . il;i iihsciiliii ilcsiilcr.ili boni
^'i^nit (lolorciir. Scil Iioiiiiiii.i|iiimI .iiiiiiiiic piir^Mlo-
ni (lcsidcriinl , osl sniniiinin . ct dcsidcrinin otiiiin
<'sl Miiuimiim , iiilcllcctiis ciiiiii cl.iriiis coi^Mioscil,
(jniim iiKi^MiniM hotiuin sit vidcn^ lh!nin, ct iippcli-
Ins Inni niitiiridis. Inm oliiim infnsiic cliiniliilis r\-
orit vircs , cl intiMisissimiis csl , ncc iiiipcdiliir ;i
molc corporoii , ct sciisiliilibus dclccliiiioiiiliiis: nt
in liiu". vilii cxcmplii diui possunt, nl si (|iiis vclic-
incnlissimii liimc voxiirctur, vcl iirdcrc.l sili intolc-
rnbili, cl vidcrot iinto sc mcnsiim iiislrucliim iipli-
mis cil)is,ilulcissim()(pic viiio.ucc posscl (|uiilqii:ini
iillin^^oro , cl tiimou soircl iilioqui sibi piiriitii illa
omuia fuisso.
Probiit doindc. Sccnudum s. Tliomiis,(]uia omiiis
(|ui iu purj:;nlorio dO};it , orucialur sidlom liac poc-
na damni, quac osl omiiium mii\iuia:ori;o miiiimii
pooua purj^iilorii ost niiijor (luam sil maximii pocir.i
liujus VltilO.
.\l b. Honavonturo in i. dist. 20. art. 1. quacst.
2. doocl. INimo. pociiiim diimni in purt!;atorio iioo
csse uiiijorcm omui poena.sivo |niit;alorii,sivo liii-
jns vitac. Secnndo doccl , purtiatorii pocnas csse
majoros pociiis luijus viliic , solum in lioc soiisti .
quia ma\ima pocn:i purgalorii ost niiijor. qiiam sil
ma\iiiia poona hujus vitae. liccl idiciua pocna pur-
gnlorii rcporiiilnr minor aliciua poena liujus vilao.
Quiio scnlcnlia milii pliicoi:nam lioel abscnlia sum-
nii ])oni cx sc gcuorot in amanlc summam Iristi-
tiani . lamen in purgalorio miligalur haec Irislilia.
vi Icvainr magna cx parle propter corlam spem il-
lius honi acquirondi: isla cuim ccrtissima spes iil-
fcrl incrcdibile gaudium, ot quo magis |)ropinqu;il
Iinis illius cxilii. laiito magis gauiiium crcsoil. Ila-
qno solum in iuroruo poeua damui esl sumiua.quia
ost anncx:i desperalioui cortissimae . el dc luic hi-
qiiitur Chrysostom. homil. '2'i.h\ 3Iallh. cum mille
Ijehonnas dicil nihil esse.si conferantur cuin ainis-
sionc divini oon6|)eclus; el .\ut;uslinus, qui in en-
chirid. cap. 112. dicil, miniinam poenam damni ,
si tamon aeterna sil , majorem esse omnibus poe-
nis hujus vitae.
Diocs: At damuali non diligunl Deum , ergo non
cupiunt videre. Hespondoo : IVon diligunl Deum
propler Deutn . sed lainon proplor soipsos cogun-
lur cnnspeclum ojus ardenlissiine diligere.quia in-
lelliguul in visioue Dei consislere suum summum
bonuin.
Contirmalur lioc argumenlum. Primo , quia si
poona dainni esset gravissima eliam in purgalorio.
seqnerelur,P:ilres in iynibo passos fuisse gravissi-
m;nn poenaiu ; quod adeo lalsum est . utLue. IG.
dlciil Ahriihiim divili d.itnnalu do l.iiiaro : 7>i rrt/-
riiiriH, hir rvrtt nniHnliiiur. \'\ h.Aiit'iistiniiH ppitl,
'.)'.>. nc^ill. jMis^o |iili||i(,'i dc •cilirlt^f 1'iilrthiin llliid
Art. 2. Siilulin ilnh)rit>HH infrnxi , qniii nlniirnin
iioii in doloiiltiis.scd iii rcqiiic iIIoh riirititm iiivr-
iicril. Kt h, (irc^oriiis jiti. n. niorii!. 4'ti|i. 22. iJi-
rit, 1'iitros iii iiifcrno non loriiicnlii nll.i.sc.l rr(|tii-
cin litihniHsc.
Ooiilli iii.iliir sc(iii|.|i) , ijiiM Aii/nstiniis , (ir<'^'»i-
rins . llMd.i , ,\iisr|iiiiis ct llcrn.irdm, riiin du iinl,
|Micn!iiii pnr^iilorii ossc iniijortnn inniii pocnii hujii.H
vitii<\ disortc loquitnltir dc pociia iy^iiis pcr (ptiiiii
intclli^unl oniiics pocniitn sciisiis , tion d.iiiinl.
Allcruiii dicliiin noiitivctiiitriic , prob;ilnr Priiiio:
(Mtia ox ccrlis ritvohilionilnts coiisliii , ;ilii|iioriirii
pociKim ossc liim c\i^'ii!ittt. nl nihil [itili vidciitilnr,
qii;ilcs Mitit illi, i|iii tilbis vcsltbit^ iiiduti.vi>i siint
in loris ainocnis ct Incidis, apitd Hcdam lit). .*>. tit-
sloritif. c:i|i. 1.'l.
Socnndo pndiiilur: (..)uia pot( .st iicri.nt (jiji.s nio-
ri:iliir , niillutn dcbilntn sccnm fi;rcns , nisi ntiiiis
vcibt otiosi: al iiicrcdibih! vidcrclur.prophT iiiiiim
soliiin otiosiim vcrbum pali (|i'bor(! iili(|ucm snp-
jdiiiii gr:ivior;i omnilins pociiis liiijiis vit;io.
TiMlin: (Mii;i licol sit qit;K:slio:An pocnac purga-
lorii scmpcr crnciciit -•i.'ipio graviler, ab iiiiiio iis-
(|U(' ad liiiciii piirgatioiiis ; an v(!ro paidiitim mi-
nuanlttr. doticc (iticm nccipiiinl;tatncn probiihilior
sonlciili;» csl, ptiuliiiim rciuilti ; liinc aiilcm S(!i|iti-
tiir . iioii (lunmlibcl piirgidorii poonani cssc itiiijo-
toin tii!i\iin.i pocmi Imjns vil;ic;.>iim poona illa pur-
giitorii, qu;K! osl propo lincin, debet csse adco rc-
missii . iit ;iiii[)lius n^inilli non possit . hic ;iiiloni
|)oiMi;K! iiivciiiuiilur inlcnsissimae, (juae plurimnm
remitli possunl.
Onod ;iutcm poena [lurgatorii |);ii!l;iliin r(Mnill;i-
liir , |)robalnr ; n;im s. Hernanlns in vila s. .M.ilti-
chiae scribit.oranti Miilacliiiie pro sorore dcfuncla.
ipsiin; defunclam ter iipparuisse. Primo ,dn vcslc
nigra. el cxlra ccclesiam. Secundo , in veslc snb-
fuscii , cl iulr;i lumen ecclesiae. Terlio , in vcsti;
alba , ot ad ipsuin allare cum caetcris sanctis. Ex
qiiibiis ipse intelloxil.animam soroiis paulalim re-
inilleiuibiis si; poctiis ad fiuem purgaliotiis vcnis-
se. Et similes multae visiones adferri possent.