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| Quotable Quotes from the Early Church |
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One of the Fundamentalist objections to the doctrine of Purgatory is that it was invented by the Catholic Church. Their common claim is that Pope St. Gregory III was the creator of Purgatory in the 6th Century. If this was true, then this belief should not have been taught before this time, especially by the leaders of the early church. There are many instances of the ancient Church talking about Purgatory. In the 2nd Century, Abercius requested prayers for his soul on the place he would later be buried, The citizen of a prominent city, I erected this while I lived, that I might have a resting place for my body. Abercius is my name, a disciple of the chaste shepherd who feeds his sheep on the mountains and in the fields, who has great eyes surveying everywhere, who taught me the faithful writings of life. Standing by, I, Abercius, ordered this to be inscribed; truly I was in my seventy-second year. May everyone who is in accord with this and who understands it pray for Abercius (Epitaph of Abercius). This was written at 190 A.D. There are also many others who talk about Purgatory. After the beasts had been shown, Trifina took Thecla home with her, and they went to bed. And behold, the daughter of Trifina, who was dead, appeared to her mother and said: Mother, let the young woman Thecla be reputed by you as your daughter in my place, and ask her to pray for me, that I may be translated to a state of happiness. Upon which Trifina, with a mournful air, said, My daughter Falconilla has appeared to me and ordered me to receive you in her place; wherefore I desire, Thecla, that you would pray for my daughter that she may be translated into a state of happiness and to life eternal. Acts of Paul and Thecla, 8:5-6; 160 AD But when He shall have judged the righteous, He will also try them with fire. Then they whose sins shall exceed either in weight or in number, shall be scorched by the fire and burnt: but they whom full justice and maturity of virtue has imbued will not perceive that fire; for they have something of God in themselves which repels and rejects the violence of the flame. Lactantius; Divine Institutes 7:21; 307 AD Lawrence and Ignatius, though they fought betimes in worldly camps, were true and spiritual soldiers of God; and while they laid the Devil on his back with their confession of Christ, they merited the palms and crowns of the Lord by their illustrious passion. We always offer sacrifices for them, as you will recall, as often as we celebrate the passions of the martyrs by commemorating their anniversary day. St. Cyprian of Carthage; Letter to His Clergy and to All His People 39 (34), 3 (250 AD) Purgatory has been taught since the time of the Apostles. It wasn t until the 16th Century when Protestants decided to reject this ancient doctrine. If you study Church history and read the writings of the early Church, it will be seen that Purgatory has always been taught by the Church. To reject it, is to reject the teachings handed down to us from the men that Jesus had taught. |
