All throughout human history, people have struggled with the idea of what happens to us after death. Much of what is known as world religions came about by people trying to answer that and other difficult questions. Religion tries to answer this question, giving people some sense of comfort in death, mostly by promising some sort of afterlife. The alternative, that of the atheist, is that there is nothing after death, we merely die and cease to exist. Clearly, there is no hope in that.
The Bible makes it clear that there is an afterlife and that how we live in that afterlife will be dependent on how we live in this life. Heaven and Hell are spoken of as very real places; one of which is inhabited by God and those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and the other inhabited by the devil and those who have refused the redemption that Christ offers.
Some other religions accept this basic concept, although they might call heaven and hell by different names. However, rather than gaining entrance into heaven through a relationship with Jesus Christ, one gains entrance by their good works. In the religion of Islam, for example, one’s works are put on a scale; if the good outweighs the bad, and each good deed weighs as much as one bad deed, they gain entrance into paradise. Otherwise, they go to Jahannam (hell).
Of course, not all religions see it that way. A much more common belief in ancient religions was that the dead passed through the underworld, which was a place of hardship, on their way to heaven. In the Mayan religion, for example, both heaven and the underworld were divided into levels, with there being nine levels in the underworld. Each level had its own “Lord of the Night.” Those who succeeded in traveling through all nine levels could ultimately arrive at the lowest level of heaven, where they could communicate with the gods, acting as intermediaries for their dependents still alive on Earth.
The idea of an underworld or place where the dead pass through hasn’t been lost on those who believe in the Bible either. Many Jews, in the time of Christ, believed in a place where the dead went, awaiting their coming Messiah. Although such a place is not This place was referred to by Jesus in his parable of the poor man and Lazarus:
So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. – Luke 16:22-2
Interestingly enough, although Jesus mentions Abraham’s bosom here in this verse, He doesn’t mention it anywhere else. This parable only shows up in the Gospel of Luke and Jesus makes no mention of that place anywhere in His teachings.
This Jewish belief probably was adopted from the Greek’s, who were a strong cultural and religious force in the last couple of centuries before Christ and the first few after Christ. The Early Church, which was predominantly in Roman lands, could not avoid this influence all around them, as the Romans had adopted much of Greek philosophy and religion. As the Jews had always depended heavily upon their “Oral Law,” favoring it often over the written Law (the Torah), it was easy for their beliefs to become corrupted by those around them.
At the time of Jesus, the common understanding amongst the Jews seems to have been that the dead went to the Bosom of Abraham, otherwise known as the upper level of Hades, a paradise where they awaited their final judgment and entrance into Heaven. Those who were righteous, serving Jehovah God, would be taken to heaven by their Messiah, while those who were not, essentially living as atheists, would be cast into the Lake of Fire (hell).
The Apostle Paul, a noted Jewish scholar before his conversion to Christ, alludes to this in his epistle to the Ephesians, saying:
Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.” 9 (Now this, “He ascended” – what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) – Ephesians 4:8-10
In the early days of Christianity, there was no written New Testament. The books we know as part of the New Testament were written in the first century, between the years 40 and 96 AD. The canon of the New Testament wasn’t officially determined until the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, although the list of which books would be included in that canon was largely decided by about 170 AD. This gap in time offered considerable opportunity for teachings to enter into the body of believers, which were not included in the teachings of Jesus, Paul or any of the other apostles.
We must understand that the Christian faith has been under attack since the time of Christ. We all know that He was crucified for His teachings and work. But the attacks didn’t stop there. All of the original apostles, save John, were martyred for their faith. But persecution and death aren’t the only sorts of persecution the Early Church received; there were also considerable attacks on the basic teachings of the faith. Paul was forced to address several of these false teachings in his epistles.
This gave rise to what we know today as the Roman Catholic church. While it is officially adopted policy that the Catholic Church started with Peter, in reality, the church was rather divided, more by space than by doctrine, up until the First Ecclesiastical Council in Nicaea. That council, which was called by the Roman Emperor Constantinople, was primarily called for the purpose of unifying the faith, so that believers in Christ everywhere would receive the same foundational teachings.
One of the major results of the Council of Nicaea was the creation of the Nicene Creed, a declaration to be made by Christians everywhere, stating the basics of their belief in Jesus Christ. As such, it became a very useful teaching tool for the Catholic Church.
We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made. Who, for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Ghost, The Lord and Giver of life; who proceedeth from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified; who spake by the prophets. And I believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
While this creed is no longer used, it covers most of the same points that were later established in the Apostle’s Creed, which is still in use by the Catholic Church today.
It can be justly argued that another result of the Council of Nicaea was the creation of the Roman Catholic Church, as the council brought unity amongst the believers. As part of this, five bishops were established to be the ruling bishops for divisions of the Roman empire where they were located, beginning the hierarchy that would one day rule over the Catholic Church.
Regardless of when it was officially founded, the main purpose of creating the Roman Catholic Church was to preserve orthodoxy. As I already mentioned, the faith was under attack by those who wanted to interject false teachings into the church’s doctrine. Preserving the soundness of doctrine was seen as an essential responsibility of the church leadership, leading to the creation of the Nicene Creed and the Catholic Church.
The Doctrine of Limbo
Although Limbo is considered to be a Catholic doctrine, it should be noted that the doctrine of Limbo was never an officially adopted doctrine in the Catholic Church. Rather, it was something that was widely accepted, in a similar manner as the Virgin Mary being a “co-redeemer with Christ.” Not being an official doctrine has not stopped people from believing in it or teaching it. It should be noted that as of this time, the doctrine of Limbo has been denounced officially by the Catholic church. Nevertheless, it is useful to understand what it is and where it came from.
In a very real sense, the doctrine of Limbo is an extension of the Jewish teaching on the Bosom of Abraham. It was understood to be a place where the dead awaited their Messiah. The widespread acceptance of this belief can be traced to two principles taught in the Catholic faith:
- All humans are born with original sin
- The sacrament of baptism is necessary to receive salvation and enter into Heaven
This leaves a quandary as to what happens to righteous people who died before the Cructification of Christ and what happens to infants and children who die before the age of accountability, when they can decide for themselves if they believe in Christ. Denying those people salvation, because of the time they were born or the untimeliness of their death would be unjust and God is incapable of doing anything which can be considered to be unjust. Should Moses or Abraham be denied entrance into heaven, just because they were born before the time of Christ? Should a baby who dies in childbirth be denied entrance?
Creation of the doctrine of Limbo provided an answer, borrowing directly from Jewish belief. Rather than awaiting the Savior in the Bosom of Abraham, these people would await Him in a place called “limbus,” which is a Latin word meaning “an ornamental border to a fringe.” The idea was that Limbo was on the border of heaven, while not truly being a part of it.
There is no direct reference in the Bible to anyplace called “Limbo,” although there are a few verses that can be understood to imply its existence. In addition, the parable of the 10 Virgins, in Matthew 25 and Jesus’ statement to the thief on the cross, have been used to support this doctrine.
Then he (the thief on the cross) said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” 43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” – Luke 23:42-43
It should be noted that this same passage can be taken to mean that the thief would be in heaven with Jesus, rather than in Limbo. This interpretation is supported by what Paul wrote to the Corinthians:
We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. – 2 Corinthians 5:8 KJV
The Doctrine of Purgatory
As with the doctrine of Limbo, the doctrine of Purgatory did not originate in scripture or in the church. The word “Purgatory” doesn’t exist anywhere in scripture and only exists by inference. That’s not to say that it can’t be true, but explains why no Christian denomination, other than the Roman Catholic Church, accepts it, not even the Orthodox Church, which was the first group in church history to separate from Roman Catholicism.
The doctrine of Purgatory, as well as the associated doctrine of indulgences, were the driving force behind the Reformation, especially Martin Luther’s disagreement with the Catholic Church. Luther supposedly traveled to Rome, where he saw the practice of indulgences on display in an almost commercial way. This apparently disgusted him, resulting in some of his preaching and writings that later led to his expulsion from the Roman Catholic Church.
Churches which are considered “Protestant churches” by the Catholics do not have a definitive replacement for the doctrine of Purgatory. If you were to ask, most would either say that once a person dies, they go immediately to heaven or hell, depending on whether they had received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Some would say that those who die “fall asleep” until the day of the White Throne Judgment, mentioned in Revelations 20:11-15. This indicates just how little the Bible tells us about what happens after death.
Many of the same verses mentioned above, which support the doctrine of Limbo, are also used to support the doctrine of Purgatory. In addition, verses like 2 Maccabees 12:41-46 and 1 Corinthians 15:29 are taken to mean that we should pray for the dead. If those prayers didn’t have any impact, why should we pray for those people?
It is believed that those in Purgatory are there being purified, so that they can eventually enter heaven. It was St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD), who wrote much of what became official Catholic Church doctrine, including defining the purification flames of Purgatory as being different than the eternal flames of consumption in hell, for those who remain unrepentant. This was built upon by Pope Gergory the Great (540-604 AD), who established a connection between penance served here on Earth and the purification of souls in purgatory’s flames, after death.
It wasn’t until the 11th century that medieval theologians established Purgatory as an actual place, rather than a state of being. This is significant, as it demonstrates that this was not a part of the original church doctrine. We can also see that from its omission from the Nicene Creed.
In a sense, Purgatory can be seen as a provision of God’s grace, in that it offers an opportunity for those who did not attain salvation in life a second opportunity. However, the very doctrine of Purgatory seems to contradict the concept that salvation is a gift from God, not something we earn on our own.
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 now of works, lest anyone should boast. – Ephesians 2:8-9
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved. – Acts 4:12
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. – John 3:16-18
What’s the Difference Between Them?
With all that, laid as a foundation, we can get to the original question about the difference between Limbo and Purgatory. The two seem incredibly similar, to the point where it can be said that the are the same or that the doctrine of Purgatory grew out of the doctrine of Limbo, as many theological points do. But there is one key difference that must be taken into consideration. Whereas Limbo was a place for the spirits of the righteous departed to await the coming of the Messiah, Purgatory was a place of purification for those who are seeking entrance into heaven.
This gets a little sticky, because although the doctrine of Limbo is not official Catholic doctrine, the doctrine of Purgatory really doesn’t account for those who are righteous and those who died young. While the doctrine of Limbo was in use, those two categories resided in their own prepared places of Limbo. What happens to the souls of those who would otherwise go to Limbo is never answered.
Regardless of whether one accepts the doctrine of Limbo, Purgatory or neither, the ultimate goal of all who are sent there, is heaven. Those who deny Christ are ultimately bound for hell. According to Catholic doctrine, not being baptized is synonymous with denying Christ.