In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

The History of the Church 34 The Polemic over Purgatory The gradual emergence of the dogma of purgatory triggered one of the most serious crises to have shaken the church. The dogma concerns the existence of an in-between state which is neither hell nor heaven, where sinners who do not merit going to hell endure a period of purification before attaining heaven.* Theconcept of purgatory implies that the living can, in effect, influ ence the destiny of the dead, as outlined by the Council of Florence in 1439: “their souls are purified after death by the pains of purgatory, and for their release from these pains, the suffrages of the faithful who are alive are profitable to them; to wit, offering masses, prayers and alms, [and other works of piety].” This led to the controversy over indulgences and eventually to Protestantism, which denies the existence of purgatory. In this context , the iconography of purgatory is often polemical, using imagery to evince its reality and, in a certain way, trace its mode of operation. What is portrayed is a place of torment that, unlike hell, is not closed. The Blessed Virgin or the archangel Gabriel often appears, coming to release the souls and lead them into heaven. Another source of inspiration for artists was found in Dante’s Divine Comedy, which offered them an extraordinary description of purgatory (where the poet placed certain popes not of his liking). Such is the success of this literary work that it has been illustrated by countless artists throughout history, from medieval illuminators up to Delacroix and Manet. * Some notion of a state of purgation for the dead, and the possibility of the living helping them by their prayers and offerings, has existed in one form or another over time. Plato spoke of a lake where the dead were to atone for their faults. In Jewish tradition, helping the deceased by suffrages is explicitly alluded to in 2 Macc 12:44–45, and the custom of praying for the departed is retained by Orthodox Jews to this day. This belief and practice continued among early Christians, with inscriptions in the catacombs giving evidence of prayers for the deceased and the fathers of the church expounding on the matter in their writings, most notably, St. Augustine of Hippo. — Trans. Domenico di Michelino (1417–1491) Dante and the Divine Comedy Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence ...

Share