Purgatory (Latin purgatorium) is a “place of purification” in the afterlife. Heaven, hell, and purgatory constitute the core of the eschatological mindscape (Eschatology with fig. 1), which, specifically in the Roman (later Roman Catholic) tradition, shaped the Church’s social manifestation as an “institution of grace” (Max Weber) and was defined dogmatically in that sense. The groundwork was laid by the theologians of the early church without clear biblical support (despite 2 Macc 12:44 f. and 1 Cor 3:15); the doc…
Purgatory(968 words)
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Ebertz, Michael N., “Purgatory”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 07 December 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_SIM_019174>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20210107
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