Purgatory and prayers for the dead
- S17.1 Prayers and offerings for the dead from c. 200; liturgical by c. 350 (high)
- S17.2 Post-mortem purification taught from Augustine (T3), anticipated in a T2 vision (Perpetua); no clear Scripture basis; not the later defined purgatory (medium)
From the study it came from: Agree on the intermediate state, resurrection and final judgement; diverge on prayers for the dead and purification, which the fathers practise without clear Scripture basis.
Two separate measures, shown side by side; neither is combined with the other (confidence-weighted, out of 4; counts show how many of this doctrine's 2 questions each rests on). This doctrine is second-order (tier weight 2). How scoring works · Scripture and tradition · Glossary · Every score with its citation
Closeness to Scripture
Closeness to the fathers
Charts: closeness to the fathers by question, and timeline
- c. 203 Perpetua S17.2
- c. 205 Tertullian S17.1
- c. 350 Cyril of Jerusalem S17.1
- c. 415 Augustine S17.1
- c. 415 Augustine S17.2
- 1439 Council of Florence Orthodox
- 1531 Apology of the AC Lutheran
- 1537 Smalcald Articles Lutheran
- 1563 Trent XXV Catholic
- 1646 Westminster Confession Presbyterian
- 1672 Confession of Dositheus Orthodox
S17 · Purgatory and prayers for the dead
Purification after death; praying for the departed.
Tier: Second-order (scoring weight 2). How the tiers were set: theological triage. Site structure: structure.
Questions
Verdicts and trace
S17.1 · Prayers for the dead
| Question | Verdict | Confidence | Reasoning | Key sources | Scripture (benchmark) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S17.1 | Prayers and offerings for the dead from c. 200; liturgical by c. 350 | High | S17.1.1 · S17.1.3 weighing | tertullian-aft-s2 · cyril-of-jerusalem-aft-s1 · augustine-aft-s1 | S17.1.4: low-medium |
S17.2 · Purification after death
| Question | Verdict | Confidence | Reasoning | Key sources | Scripture (benchmark) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S17.2 | Post-mortem purification taught from Augustine (T3), anticipated in a T2 vision (Perpetua); no clear Scripture basis; not the later defined purgatory | Medium | S17.2.1 · S17.2.3 weighing | augustine-aft-s2 · perpetua-aft-s1 | S17.2.4: medium |
Post-750 development
Which of this doctrine’s questions each tradition stays closest to, or departs from. Each row links to the tradition’s notes.
| Tradition | Closest to the fathers on | Departs or sharpens on |
|---|---|---|
| Catholic | S17.1 | S17.2 over-defined |
| Orthodox | S17.1 and S17.2 | Openness to restoration among some (minority) |
| Oriental Orthodox | S17.1; partly S17.2 | — |
| Lutheran | — | S17.2; partly S17.1 |
| Anglican | — | S17.1; S17.2 |
| Presbyterian | — | S17.1; S17.2 |
| Reformed Baptist | — | S17.1; S17.2 |
| General Baptist | — | S17.1; S17.2 |
| Anabaptist | — | S17.1; S17.2 |
Origin
Plan, overall verdict and verification status of the former afterlife category (shared with the other doctrines that came from it)
Afterlife: intermediate state, purification, prayers for the dead, resurrection, final state
Method and conventions: docs/conventions.md. Reasoning: afterlife reasoning.
1. Plan
Questions: L1 intermediate state; L2 prayers for the dead; L3 purification; L4 resurrection; L5 eternal torment vs. annihilation vs. restoration (one question, per the project scope). Sources: Tertullian, Soul 7, Corona 3, Res. 1; Passion of Perpetua; Cyril of Jerusalem, Myst. 5; Augustine, Enchiridion, City of God XXI; Ignatius; Irenaeus; Origen, De Princ.; Gregory of Nyssa; Arnobius; Constantinople 553. Planned but not yet read: Epitaph of Abercius; Gregory the Great, Dialogues IV.41; Augustine, Confessions IX.13 (Monica); Basil; Justin, 1 Apol. 8.
2. Verdicts and trace
Weighed under the source-proximity principle: Scripture first, then the father tiers T1–T4. Verdict changes are listed in docs/proximity-changes.md.
3. Post-750 development
4. Overall verdict
Orthodox closest (L1–L4 match without over-definition; L5 majority A, with tolerance of a minority hope). Catholic is very close but defines purgatory further. Lutheran and Presbyterian match on L1, L4 and L5, and depart on prayers for the dead and purification. Confidence: medium–high.
5. Verification status
- Verified: all entries above; Trent XXV; Dositheus 18; WCF XXI.4, XXXII.1, XXXIII.2.
- To verify: Abercius; Gregory the Great, Dialogues; Augustine, Confessions IX.13 and Enchiridion 69; the XXI.17 “very many” wording; the formal status of the 553 anathemas; Rufinus’s editing of Origen; Smalcald Articles; Apology XXIV; Florence; the αἰώνιος lexical debate; LSB English.