Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On the Church That Is in Purgatory · Book II: On the Circumstances of Purgatory
Chapter 18: Whom suffrages profit
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).
As to the fourth, it is certain that the suffrages of the Church do not profit the blessed, nor the damned, but only those who dwell in purgatory; because the former do not need them, the latter cannot be helped; which all the scholastics teach on the fourth book, distinction 45, following Augustine, who in the Enchiridion, chapter 110, and on the care for the dead, chapter 1, says that the suffrages of the Church are for the very good thanksgivings, for the not very bad propitiations, for the very bad no helps of the dead, but some kind of consolations of the living. But there are three difficulties to the contrary. The first, about the blessed. For it seems false that suffrages do not profit the blessed; for Epiphanius, heresy 75, Cyril, mystagogical catechesis 5, and Chrysostom in his liturgy say that sacrifice is offered to God for the apostles, martyrs, prophets, and so on. Besides, second, the Church in the prayers for the saints often reads: We have received, O Lord, the holy mysteries, which, as they profit thy saints unto glory, so may they profit us, we beseech thee, unto healing. And in the ancient missals, as Innocent III witnesses, chapter Cum Marthae, in the Extravagants on the celebration of Masses, on the day of Saint Leo it was said: Grant, we beseech thee, O Lord, that this oblation may profit the soul of blessed Leo. And although this prayer has been changed, yet still today in the secret prayer on the same feast we say: May the yearly solemnity of Saint Leo, thy confessor and bishop, render us acceptable to thee, so that through these offices of pious appeasement both a blessed recompense may attend him and the gifts of thy grace be procured for us. Besides, Chrysostom, homily 32 on Matthew, exhorting to alms for dead children: “Do you think him,” he says, “stained with spots? Give him what is yours, that he may wipe himself clean of the spots. Do you think he departed in justice? Offer him what is yours, for an addition of reward and recompense.” To the first the answer is easy: sacrifice is offered for the saints, not that we may ask anything for them, but that we may give thanks to God for the glory conferred on them. For this is what Augustine says, that for the very good they are thanksgivings. To the rest Innocent answers, in the place above, in two ways. First, that when the Church prays for the glory of the saints who already possess the kingdom of heaven, she does not ask that they may grow in glory, but that their glory may grow among us, that is, that in this world their glory may become known, and they be more and more venerated by all. Second, he says it does not seem absurd if we ask for them an increase of some accidental glory. Add, third, perhaps for the glory of the body which they will have on the day of resurrection; for although they will certainly obtain that glory, and it is owed to their merits, yet it is not absurd to desire and ask this for them, that it be given more abundantly. When, then, Augustine says, sermon 17 on the words of the Apostle, that he does injury to the martyr who prays for the martyr, it is understood of those who ask for the martyr remission of sin, or essential glory, as if he still lacked it.
The second difficulty is about the damned. For Augustine, in the Enchiridion, chapter 110, says: “But those whom suffrages profit, they profit either to this, that there be full remission, or that the damnation itself be more tolerable.” And chapter 112 he says thus: “Let them think that the punishments of the damned are somewhat mitigated at certain intervals of time, if this pleases them, provided it be understood that the wrath of God remains upon them, that is, the damnation itself.” Likewise Chrysostom, homily 3 on the epistle to the Philippians, after he had said that prayer is to be made for the dead, adds: “But this indeed we say of those who departed in the faith. But catechumens are not judged worthy even of this consolation, but are deprived of every help of this kind, except one only; and what is that? It is lawful to give to the poor in their name; from this some little refreshment comes to them.” Besides, Damascene in the oration on the dead not only reports of Trajan and Falconilla freed from hell by the prayer of Gregory and Thecla, of whom we spoke above, but also adds from the history of Palladius to Lausus that when Saint Macarius once asked the dry skull of a certain idolater whether the prayers of the living profited them, it was answered from the skull: When you offer prayers for the dead, we meanwhile feel some relief. Besides, Prudentius, in the hymn on the new light of Easter Saturday, says: There are also for the guilty spirits often holidays of punishment under the fierce Styx, and so on. Finally Innocent III, chapter Cum Marthae, sets down a fourfold division; for he says that of the dead some are very good, who do not need suffrages; some very bad, who cannot be helped; some moderately good, whom suffrages profit for expiation; some moderately bad, whom they profit for propitiation; but certainly the last of the members seems to fit only children in limbo. For if the very good are in heaven, the very bad in the fire of hell, the moderately good in purgatory, where will the moderately bad be, unless in limbo? Therefore suffrages profit them, although they are not in purgatory. I answer, to the first, that by a more tolerable damnation Augustine understands the mitigation of the punishments of purgatory, as is plain from the threefold division set down before. To the second I say that Augustine there does not treat of prayer for the damned, but only of that which he wishes to grant the heretics, though doubting, as Augustine himself says; which he teaches more clearly in book 21 of the City of God, chapter 24. To the third: Chrysostom seems only to deny that prayer is to be made publicly, or in sacrifice, for a catechumen, as also sometimes the councils forbade, the first of Braga, canon 35. To the fourth: blessed Thomas, on the fourth book, distinction 45, article 1, question 3, after relating the foolish solutions of Praepositinus, Porretanus and others, answers that the souls of the damned perceive from the prayers of the saints no true mitigation of punishments, but only a certain vain and false joy, because namely they see that they have companions in punishments, as is the joy of the demons when they deceive anyone. But perhaps the things which are related of that skull are rather to be rejected as false and apocryphal; for nothing of the kind is found in the book of Palladius, nor is it likely that Saint Macarius prayed for unbelievers. To the fifth I say nothing else than that Prudentius played in poetic fashion. To the last, which is accustomed to torment many, I suspect that Innocent III, by a slip of memory, thought that the division which in Augustine has three members was fourfold; for in Augustine the moderately good and the moderately bad are the same. But Innocent divides this member into two, saying: some are moderately good, others moderately bad; we can say, however, that those are called moderately good who have no fault but yet have the guilt of punishment; moderately bad, those who have some fault, but venial only.
The third difficulty is about the souls of purgatory. For the theologians agree in two things, and in one they do not agree. They agree, first, that all suffrages profit all, at least insofar as they bring new joy; for that is common to every good work, that all the good rejoice at it, according to that of Psalm 118: I am a partaker with all them that fear thee. Second, they agree that common suffrages, which are made for all the dead, profit also all the souls of purgatory, not only by way of joy but also by way of satisfaction; for there is no reason why some should be excluded. But they disagree about particular suffrages. For Cajetan, volume 1 of the little works, tract 16, question 5, teaches that all souls indeed can be helped, and are helped by common suffrages; but by particular ones, which are made for them, none are helped except those which particularly merited that such things should profit them. And he says those particularly merit which here on earth had a special devotion to the keys of the Church, and were solicitous for the souls of others; and he proves it from Augustine, book on the care for the dead, chapter 1, and in the Enchiridion, chapter 109. But others, whom blessed Thomas cites on the fourth book, distinction 45, question 2, article 4, said that suffrages which are made for one profit not him alone, but all the others too, and no less the others than him, as a lamp lit for the master equally lights the servants who are in the same place. The common opinion is in the middle, namely that particular suffrages profit by way of satisfaction every one and only that one for whom they are made. That it is every one, against Cajetan, is plain, because the foundation of the communication of suffrages is not some particular merit, but the state of grace. For Saint Augustine, when he says that suffrages profit only those who merited that they could profit them, by the exclusive, only, does not exclude any souls of purgatory, but damned souls; and it must be carefully noted that Augustine in the Enchiridion does not say that suffrages help those dead who merited that they should profit them, but who merited that they could profit them. Wherefore Cajetan, who says that all souls can be helped but in fact are not helped, does not have Augustine on his side, as he himself thinks. But that these particular suffrages profit only him for whom they are made is plain; for the application of goods of this kind depends on the intention of the one applying, nor ought these suffrages to be compared to the light of a lamp, but rather to money which is paid by one for another. To be noted also is the place of Augustine for this opinion from the book on the care for the dead, chapter 4, where he says that the Church prays sometimes for all the dead in general for this reason, that those who lack parents or friends to pray for them, and accordingly remain destitute of help, may at least have help from the common mother, which is the Church.
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
CAPUT XVIII.
Quibus prosint suffragia.
Quanlum ad quarlum, cerlura est. Ecclesiae sul-
fragia non prodesso bcalis. ncc damnalis . sed so-
ium iis, qui in purgatorio degunt;quia prioies non
egent,posleriores non possunt juvari; id quod do-
ccnt omncs scholaslici in 4. dist. 45. scquuti Au-
gustinum, qui in enchiridio , cap. 110. el de cura
pro inortuis, cap. 1. dicit, Ecclesiae sudragia pro
valde bonis graliarum actiones esse,pro non valde
nuilis propitiationcs,pro valde malis nulla esse ad-
jumenla morluorum , scd qualescuraque vivorum
consolaliones.
At sunl in contrarium trcs difficullates. Primo,
dc beatis. Videlur enim 1'iilsum , quod bealis non
prosinl suITragia;nam Epiphanius haeres.75.et Cy-
rillus calech. 5. myslagogica , cl Chrysoslomus in
sua lilurgiii,dicunl.sacrificium offerri Deo proapo-
slolis, martyribus, prophetis etc.
Priieterea sccumio , Ecclesia in oralionibus dc
sauclis sacpe legil: Sumpsimus , Domine, sancta
mystoria, quae sicut sanciis tuis prosunt ad glo-
riam, ita nobis. quaesumus,proficiant admedc-
lam. Ei in anliquis missalibus , ut testatur Inno-
centius III. cap. Cum Marthae, cxlra de celebra-
tione missarura , iii die s. Leonis , diccbatur: An-
nue , quaesumus , Domiue, ut animae b. Leonis
haec prosit oblatio. El licet haecoratio mutata sit,
lamen adhuc hodic in secrcta oratione in eodem
fcsto dicimus: Sancti Leonis cojifessoris tui atquf.
ponti(icis annuasuleninitasnos tibi reddat acce-
ptos, ut per haec piae placalionis officia,etillum
heata retributio comitctur , etnobis graliae tuaa
dona conciliet.
Practcroa Chrysoslomus homil. 33. inMallh.ex-
hortans ad eleemosynas pro defunctis filiis , Pu-
tas. inquil,ciifn maculis inquinatum? da illisua,
ut illis se a maculis detergat. Putns injustitia
decessisse? praebe ipsi tua, ad mercedis,ct retri-
bulLonis adjcclionem.
Ad priinuin facilis cst responsio : sacrificatur p-
niin pro sanclis , iiou ut eis a!i(p.iid petamus , sed
ut pro gloria illis collala Deo gratias agamus, Id
I IIILII Sl.' I M'l S
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ciiiiii <'sl , (|ii(i<l Aii^ii^liiiiiH (li.ii |)i,i ^,,1,1,. I i^
^nili.iiiiiii iiclioiics dssr.
Aij n'lii|iia nvspoiHlcl liiiiiiciMiliiis . iilii sii|trii .
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(ii>, i|iii rcjjiii •(Miltiriiiii j;iiii piisMilciil.iiiiii |ic-
Irro , iil illi iii kIi"Iii (•.ro.scniil , simI . m ii|mii| hhn
^jltiri;! (Miriiiii crcsciil , itlcsl . ni luji iiiiiiiiji) ^|,„-|,|
<<(inilll illlKtlcscill.cl illl llliiipic |||;|.;is (•[ III |..|^ ^i|„.
nllcciiliir. Scciiiiiiii (licil. noii \i(lcri iilisiiniiiin. .si
pclaiiiiis ilhs iin^iiiciiliiiii t^loriiio iilicniiis iicciili'n-
liilis. Aililc 'rciiio , forliissc pcii j.'|iiri,:iii (drporis.
(piiiiii liiilHliiinl III (lic n-siirrcclioiiis. i>;iiii (ii.iinsi
^loriiiin illinii ccrlo coiisiiipicnlnr , li dcliciiir ro
riiin nicrilis, |;iniiMi iioii csl iilisiirilnin lioc illisdi;-
sidiMiirc cl piicrc , nl plnriliiis iiio,||> drln. .11,11.,
Cnm or;,'() An^inslinns dicil scrni.l7.d(i \ciins npo'
sloli. inpiriiiin liK cr(» niiniyri . ipii oriil pni ni.irly-
rc , iiil(ili;,'iliir dc illis . (pii niiniyri prcciminr rc-
iiiissioiKMii piMM-iili, vcl •,'loriiiin cssiMili.iJcin, ipiiisi
iliii ciUiMii.
Soonndii dilVuMilliis (>>i dc (liMiiii.iiis. I\iim An-
^Misl. cndiir. ciip. MO. dicil: {Jidhiis (iiilriit pn)-
sunt nulfriujia, aul ad hocproaunl, ul ]>h'iia fmi
rcmistiio , aut tolorahUior sit ipsa daiiuialio. Kl
Ciip. 112. sic iiil: /•(>c/i((s daiuuatoruin crrlis tnn-
poriun inlrrvaUis (wistiincnt . si /loc cis placcl
alitiuatcnua iniliijari . duininodo inlcnijiatur iil
citi iiiancrc ira Uci. hoc cst. ipsa daiiuiiilio.
llciii Clirysoslomns liomil. ;{. incpisl.iid IMiilip
posU^iKiniiin (lixoriil onindnin pni (iorniuiis.siilidil*
Vcruin isiudiiuidcin dc Hlis diciinus, (lui in lidc
alisccsscruut.Calcchunicni vcro muiuc hac diani
vonsolationc cens(2ntur,scd omni hujusmodi sunl
(ULvHio dcstitui. praclcr unum solum: quod au-
lcin iUud? paupcrihus corum uoinincdiwe liccl
umic cis nonnihil rcfriiicrii acccdit. '
Piiuioroii Diimiisooims iii or;dionc dc dofniiclis
non soUim rorcrl (\c Triijiino ol Fiilconillii lihoriilis
c\ iiilorno pcr oriilioncm (Irooorii cl Tliocliic dc
(juihns snpiii di.ximus, scd cliiim iiddit ox liisll)ria
ridliulii nd I.iinsnm.s. Maoliiino nliqn.mdo pcrcun-
clanli craninm ariduiu onjiisdam idololnlrac an
ois prodessonl prccos vivcnlinni.rosponsum luissc
c\ cranio: ()u(i/i(/o pro morluis o(fcrs prcccs. nos
inlcriin (Uii]uid lcnimcnli sculimus
Praotcroa I»nidcnlius in hynino dc'novo Iniuinc
pascliulis siihhallii ail:
Sunl el spiritibus saope nocenlilni<i
Poemmim cctebrcs sub slyije feride , elc.
Dcniqno Innoocnlius Ilf. cap.Cum mirthac po-
nil quadnmcmhrcm divisioncm ; dicil cniin c.\
morluis quosdam essc valdc bonos , qni non c^onl
sulTragiis: quosdam valdc malos. qui non possunl
juvari: quosdam mcdiocrilcr honos. quibus sun'ra-
gia prosunl ad expialioncm: quosdam mcdiocrilcr
malos. quihus prosunl ad propitialioncm : al certc
ullimum mcmbrorum nou vidctur convonirc nisi
pucns in lymho.Si enim valdc honi siinl in coolo
valde raali sunt ingehenna ignis. mediocriler honi
in purgalorio: uhinam crunt mcdioiM-ilcr mali. nisi
in lymbo? Ergo illis prosunt sullragia , cum tamen
in purgalono non sinl.
Ilc iMiii.|i-o .iil piiiiMiiii Ao/ii .iiiiiiin p>'i toji 1,1
l>iltor(iii il.iniiiiilioiiciii iiit(ili^iMii iiiili((iil)(Mit in
poiMiiiriiiii piir^Mlorii . ul |iiil(;| ux priicrc.icnii in
nirnilii 1 divisloiic.
Ad MTiinduin dii o.Aii^iislitiniii ihi iinii ir
or.ilinnc pr.i dcriniiiis . ti Milnni dn (mc ,1 .•
(Mroiiciiiii (MMic(;(l(M'(', (liidiiiiiliis piiiiin iMlrii cimhU*
iMinm . ipioil cl.iriii^ doc(i lih. 21. dc Civil. Iioi .
(Mp. '1\.
Ad tcrliiint: (^lirysosloiiiiis sidiini \i<l(iiir licunro
(Miindiiui issc pnhlin-, \c| s;ii nlii jindniti pro ciilc-
cliuiticiiu . nl ctl.iin iiliipiiiiido diiiiiiMl coik ilii.tit
hracarciisc I. citn. .'l.*».
Ad (piarlnin : II. Tluuiias in i. dist. 4'». art. t.
(jiiacsl. J.post rclnliilas lucptiis solulioncs Pr.icpo-
sili\i . l*oir(i.iiii . li aliornin , rcspiMidcl: Aniui.is
daninitlorniii oratioiiihns siiiirlonttii itott |icrcipcrc.
vcriiiu idii|ii;iiii pocniiinm inili;; ilioiKint, scd solnni
iiiiuic. (i r,illii\ alupiod ^Mudtuin.^piod nimiruin vt-
dcattl sc liiil)(!ro socios iti poiMiis, (pinlo csl (jiiudi
iiui diuMiioiinm.iMiiit iiliipicnt (lciMpinnl.At rortnssc
iiuiins rcjKMMcntnr, ul l.ilsii ct apoiMyitliii.fpiac iif-
liM-niiliir dc illo (Miinio ; iion (Miiut 111 lihro l'.ill.idii
liih; aliipiid iitvcnilitr, itcc csl vcrisiiiiilc,s.Maclia-
riniii orassc pro inlidclihiis.
Ad (piinluin niliil aliud dicu , iiisi itiorc poctico
Insissc Prndonlinm.
Ad ullimuiii. (piod miiltos tonpicro sohi.snspi-
cor iiiuoccntium ill. mcinoria lii|tsniii pulassc di-
visioncm , (piac cst apud An^Mistiniim tnmiMiihris,
fuiss(! (piadriuiomhrcm ; niim apnd Angiisl. iidciii
siint modio(M'it(M" honi (i modi()(Mil(;r nuili. luuo-
cciitius iiutcui ilistiiiguit Iioc luomltruiu in duo.di-
ociis: Alii suiil mcdiocrilcr lioni alil uii^liocritcr
inali; possuiuns l;uncii di(MM'C, modioiMit^ir honos
dioi. (pii nullam hahiMil oulp;un.sod 1;iukm) habiMit
realiim poonac ; mcdiocrilcr malos , dici cos , qni
halii!!!' cnlpiim ali(piam. scd vcnialcm tanlnm.
Tortia diJliiMillascsl dc animahus purgatorii..\;im
Ihcologi couvcninnt in duohns, cl in uno noii con-
vcniuiit. Convcniunt primo , quod sullragia Qinnia
prosiiil omnihus, sallom (pialenns ;i(lfcrunl novuiii
gaudium, id cniiii communc cst omiii hono opcri.
ut dc illo gaudeanl omnes honi juxta illud psnlmi
\ IS. Particcps cgo siun omniuintimcntium te.
Seoundo. convcniunt. quod sulTragia communia,
quac fiuut pro omnihns dcfunctis, prosinl cliam
omnihus animahus purg;itorii, non solum in ralio-
nc gaudii,se(l cliam in rationc salisfaclionis, nulla
eiiim est caussa cur aliqui cxcludantur.
Al dissenliunl de suffragiis partlcularihiis- Nam
Cajelanus lom. I. opusculorum , tracl. IG. quacst.
o. docct. omnes quidem auimas juvari possc, et
juvari cliam communihus suffragiis: at particuiari-
bus, quac pro illis fiunt , non juvari. nisi illas ,
quae pcculiarilcr meruerunt. ut sihi talia prodes-
soiit. Dicit autcm cas pcouliariter mereri.quae hic
in lerris hahuernnl specialcm devotionem ad cla-
vcs Ecolosiao. ol solliciti fuerunt pro animahus a-
liorum ; cl probat ex Augustino lih. de cura pro
mortuis, cap, 1. ct in enchirid. cap. 109.
Alii Ycro, quos cital h. Thomas in 4. dist. 45.
q. 2. art. 4. dicohant suffragia.quae fiunt pro uno,
non ei solum prodesse.veruui eliaiu oranibus aliis,
408
bE PUIJGVTUUIO
iicc raiiius aliis quam illi , sicul luccrna ;iccens;i
pro doiuiuo , aequaliler illuminal servos , qui iu
cotlcm loco sunl.
Sentenlia communis csl in mctlio,quod nimirum
sufTragia parlicularia , omni ct soli illi prosinl in
ralione salisfaclionis pro quo liunt. Quod omni
conlra Cajelanum, palct quia fundamenlum com-
municalionis suffragiorum non est aliquod pecu-
liarc. merilum, sed slatus gr;itiae. Sanctus enim
Auguslinus cum dicil solis iilis prodessc suffragia
qui meruerunl ut sibi prodesse possint pcr exclu-
sivam, soIiS;,non excludil ullas animas purgatorii,
sed animas damnatas, el notandum diligenter Au-
guslinum in cnchiridio non diccre suffragia juvarc
illos defunclos, qui meruerunl ut sibi prodessent,
sed qui mcrucrunt ut sibi prodesse possent.
Quocirca Cnjelanus, qui dicit omncs animas ju-
vari possc, scd dc faclo non juvari, non liabet pro
se Auguslinum,ut ipse arbitralur.Quod aulem hacc
suffragia parlicularia soli illi prosint,pro quo fiunt,
palel; nam applicalio cjusmodi bonorum pendct
ex inlenlionc applicantis , nec dcbcnl coraparari
isla sulTragia lumini Iuccrnac,sed potius pecuniae,
quae solvilur ab uno pro altero.
IVoiandus est cliam locus Augustini pro hac sen-
tentia ex lib. de cura pro morluis, cap. 4. ubi dicit
ideo Ecclcsiam orare interdum pro dcfunctis omni-
bus in genere, utquibus desunt parentes vel ami-
ci, qui pro cis orenl, et proinde remanent auxilio
dcstituti, habeant saltem auxilium a comrauui ma-
Ire, quae est Ecclesia.