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Pope Gregory did not invent Purgatory since this doctrine existed from the time of the Apostles. There were prayers for the dead written in the Catacombs in Rome in the first few centuries, and evidence of Purgatory can be found in the writings of the early Church as well: "And after the exhibition, Tryphaena again received her [Thecla]. For her daughter Falconilla had died, and said to her in a dream: 'Mother, you shall have this stranger Thecla in my place, in order that she may pray concerning me, and that I may be transferred to the place of the righteous'" (Acts of Paul and Thecla,160 A.D.). There are other references to Purgatory in the writings of the early Christians, such as in the Epitaph of Abercius (190 A.D.), The Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity 2:3-4 (202 A.D.), and Tertullian in The Crown (3:3, 211 A.D.). There are many more references which clearly show that the Christians from the time of the Apostles believed in Purgatory.
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