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The Definition of the Local Synod of Jerusalem in 1672 (Article XVIII) says the following:
We believe that the souls of those that have fallen asleep are in repose or in torment, depending on their actions; because as soon as they are separated from their bodies, they immediately enter into a condition of either joy or sorrow and sighs, although they are admittedly not in perfect bliss or condemnation. After the general resurrection, however, when the soul will be reunited with the body, depending on whether it behaved with a good or evil disposition, every soul will obviously receive the completion of bliss or condemnation. Those who corrupted themselves with mortal sins and did not leave this life in a condition of desperation, but repented while they were still in the life of the body, without however producing any fruit of repentance (i.e. shedding tears, bowing the knee in prayer, grieving with full consciousness and showing their love toward God and neighbor in deeds), they will go with their souls to Hades and will receive the punishment that befits the sins they committed. These souls, however, will have the sense of their deliverance from this condition. They will be delivered by the infinite goodness of God, through the prayers of the priests, which are requested by the relatives of those who have departed from this life. Especially potent is the bloodless Sacrifice, which is offered by each of us for his relatives and daily by the Catholic and Apostolic Church. Naturally, we know that the time of the acquittal of each one that has fallen asleep is unknown to us. We only know, then, and believe and have no doubt at all that these souls will be delivered from the torments before the resurrection and the final judgment.
We believe that the souls of those that have fallen asleep are in repose or in torment, depending on their actions; because as soon as they are separated from their bodies, they immediately enter into a condition of either joy or sorrow and sighs, although they are admittedly not in perfect bliss or condemnation. After the general resurrection, however, when the soul will be reunited with the body, depending on whether it behaved with a good or evil disposition, every soul will obviously receive the completion of bliss or condemnation. Those who corrupted themselves with mortal sins and did not leave this life in a condition of desperation, but repented while they were still in the life of the body, without however producing any fruit of repentance (i.e. shedding tears, bowing the knee in prayer, grieving with full consciousness and showing their love toward God and neighbor in deeds), they will go with their souls to Hades and will receive the punishment that befits the sins they committed. These souls, however, will have the sense of their deliverance from this condition. They will be delivered by the infinite goodness of God, through the prayers of the priests, which are requested by the relatives of those who have departed from this life. Especially potent is the bloodless Sacrifice, which is offered by each of us for his relatives and daily by the Catholic and Apostolic Church. Naturally, we know that the time of the acquittal of each one that has fallen asleep is unknown to us. We only know, then, and believe and have no doubt at all that these souls will be delivered from the torments before the resurrection and the final judgment.
Very similar to the concept of purgatory.
ReplyDeleteAureo, I was going to say the same thing. This sounds eerily similar to Purgatory, especially this part:
ReplyDeleteThose who corrupted themselves with mortal sins and did not leave this life in a condition of desperation, but repented while they were still in the life of the body, without however producing any fruit of repentance (i.e. shedding tears, bowing the knee in prayer, grieving with full consciousness and showing their love toward God and neighbor in deeds), they will go with their souls to Hades and will receive the punishment that befits the sins they committed. These souls, however, will have the sense of their deliverance from this condition. They will be delivered by the infinite goodness of God, through the prayers of the priests, which are requested by the relatives of those who have departed from this life. Especially potent is the bloodless Sacrifice, which is offered by each of us for his relatives and daily by the Catholic and Apostolic Church.
That could have been written by the Council of Trent or any other Roman General Council. It just lacks all those little details and distinctions that the West loves to throw in. :-)
It is noteworthy that the Council of 1722 in Constantinople, in an encyclical to the Orthodox of Antioch, referred, among other things, to the subject of the purifying fire. It is a synodal text which is very important and valuable.
ReplyDeleteIt says that while the Latins affirm that there are three places to which the souls of the dead go, "we the godly, following the truth and turning away from such innovations, confess and accept two places for the souls of the dead, paradise and hell, for the righteous and sinners, as the holy Scripture teaches us. We do not accept a third place, a purgatory, by any means, since neither Scripture nor the holy Fathers have taught us any such thing. However, we believe that these two places have many abodes... None of the teachers of the Church have handed down or taught such a purgatory, but they all speak of one single place of punishment, hades, just as they teach about one luminous and bright place, paradise. But both places also have different abodes as we said; and since the souls of the holy and righteous go indisputably to paradise and those of the sinners go to hell, of whom the profane and those who have sinned unforgivably are punished forever and those who have offended forgivably and moderately hope to gain freedom through the unspeakable mercy of God. For on behalf of such souls, that is of the moderately and forgivably sinful, there are in the Church prayers, supplications, liturgies, as well as memorial services and almsgiving, that those souls may receive favour and comfort. Thus when the Church prays for the souls of those who are lying asleep, we hope that there will be comfort for them from God, but not through fire and purgatory, but through divine love for mankind, whereby the infinite goodness of God is seen" Source: http://www.pelagia.org/htm/b24.en.life_after_death.05.htm#pu1
It seems then that while the Latins believe that purgatory is the vestibule of Heaven, a place that can only be entered after one is purified completely, the Orthodox believe that the sinners go to Hades (the vestibule to Gehenna/Hell, which will only become fully realized after the Last Judgment), and that some might be delivered from this place through the prayers of the faithful.
Nikolaos Vassiliades goes over this all much more thoroughly in his book "The Mystery of Death" and Met. Hierotheos does a good job of it too in his book quote above, although it is not as comprehensive and filled with citations as Vassiliades's.
Thank you, Fr. Anastasios.
ReplyDelete