CONTENTS

I

A Teacher come from God

Jesus Christ the Divine Teacher-Is there a future life?-How we
know what Christ taught-The Bible in the Church-The
Church teaches, Scripture proves-The Faith once delivered—
The witness of miracle—and of the power of the faith—The
Church not an oracle, but a witness-Dogma and doctrine-The
General Councils-Little revealed as to Intermediate State-
Tradition, Jewish and Pagan-" Back to the Holy Scriptures"

II

Body, Soul, and Spirit

What is man?-Man a compound being-Various channels of

revelation-What do we mean by the human soul?—and spirit ?

-No definition in Holy Scripture-Value of ancient Greek

speculations-"The fulness of time "-Aristotle's definition of

the soul-Materialism-Whence came life?-Pre-existence of

the soul-rejected by Church-Origin of the soul-Soul and

spirit-Creationism and Traducianism-Carnal, natural, spiritual

III

38 the Soul Immortal?

No experimental knowledge of the soul apart from the body-

Teaching of Plato-Jewish beliefs-What does the Bible teach

as to immortality?-Dr. Agar Beet-Delitzsch-Conditional

immortality-The Scriptural office of the Church-Our Lord's

teaching confirmed belief in the immortality of the soul-All

souls survive death-are united with the body in the resurrection

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-Existence of God incapable of absolute proof--but an entirely

reasonable belief—The immortality of the soul likewise reasonable

-and commonly taught from the first-Dr. Liddon's words-

The life everlasting"

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IV

The Breaking of Dreams

Death looked at from two points of view—as a physical fact—as a

change of environment-Does death alter the moral attitude of the

soul?-Parable of Dives and Lazarus-a basis of hope-Proba-

tion, does it extend beyond the grave?-Spiritual death-Future

correction-Progress of the soul "until the day of Jesus Christ"

49

V

The Witness of the Old Testament

What the Jews understood the Old Testament to teach-difficult

to ascertain--Patient study of Book of Nature and written Word

of God-Heaven and Sheol-Sheol a place of gloom-not of

punishment or reward—Ancestor worship among Jews-Doctrine

of individual retribution-References to a future life-Spiritualism

-Growth of doctrine as to reward and punishment-Vital prin-

ciples-Sin-The Purgative, Illuminative, and Unitive Ways of

the Church-State of the dead before Incarnation a temporary

one-Influence of Greek thought on Judaism

63

VI

The Witness of Ancient Greece and Rome

Objection to consideration of paganism—The Fathers on pagan
philosophy-Eastern beliefs-The Rig-Veda-Institutes of Manu
-Hinduism-Homer-Tartarus and the Islands of the Blest-

Plato-Influence of Greek thought on Deutero-canonical books—

The Greek anthology-Some Greek sepulchral epigrams-No

mention in them of place of torment-The Latin authors-Virgil

-Rites for the Dead-Cicero .

87

VII

Witness of Jewish Tradition

Gap between the Old and New Testament-History of the Jews

during this period-Influence of Greece-Socrates-Asmonean

dominion-Conquest by Rome-Teaching of the Jewish Church—

concerned chiefly with outward observances-No agreement as

to the future life—Jewish parties—The resurrection and prayer

for the departed-Apocryphal books-Schools of Shammai and

Hillel - Eternal punishment — Josephus - The Talmud — Dr.

Edersheim- "Children of Gehinnom " "Children of the

kingdom"-Prayer for the departed-Quotation from Professor

Plumptre's writings-Greek and Jewish eschatology compared-

Value of Jewish tradition

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VIII

Witness of the New Testament-hades

Our Lord came to fulfil, not to destroy-He accepted some Jewish

traditions-rejected others-Figurative language as to future life

-Heaven a place above-the abode of God and His angels-

the destined home of the redeemed-Hades, Gehenna, Tartarus

-The gates of Hades-Gehenna and Paradise in Hades-Gehenna

either an eternal or temporary place of punishment-the equivalent

of Tartarus among the Greeks-Our Lord's teaching-" Everyone

shall be salted with fire"-Did our Lord teach everlasting punish-

ment? Dean Farrar's Eternal Hope-a valuable protest —

Punishment and Life are each aonian-Destruction of wicked-

Summary of chapter

135

IX

The Witness of the New Testament-Paradise

The Jewish Hades included Gehenna and Paradise or Abraham's
Bosom-Our Lord accepted this tradition-but revealed little
about Hades-Careful consideration of Scripture necessary—
The Primeval earthly Paradise-lost by sin-a type-Signifi-

cance of the word Paradise-The Jewish Elysian Fields—

Abraham's Bosom-God lost sight of—The Bosom of God—

The Paradise of God-restored by Jesus Christ-The descent of

the spirit of Christ into Hades-as the Redeemer-He liberates

the righteous souls-abolishes the Paradise in Hades-and

transfers Paradise to heaven-"Where Christ is there is Paradise"

-The tradition of Christendom on this point-in Liturgies,

Fathers-The vision of God

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X

The Teaching of the Primitive Church

Expectation of speedy return of Christ-" Absent from the body"
"Present with the Lord"-St. Justin Martyr-St. Irenæus-

Tertullian-St. Cyprian-St. John Chrysostom-St. Cyril of

Jerusalem-St. Augustine-“I believe in the communion of

saints"- -a
late addition to Apostles' Creed-its original

significance-The invocation of saints-in the writings of

St. Chrysostom-and St. Augustine-Superstitious growth of

cultus of the saints-Dr. Newman on invocation of B.V.M.-

Strange passage in Faber's writings-Anglican statements .

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XI

Prayer for the Departed in the Primitive Church

Prayer an instinct-God the God of the living-Antiquity of prayer

for souls of departed-God, not man, the Judge of all souls-The

Martyrs believed to be in Heaven-St. Cyril's words-The

Primitive Liturgies-That of St. James-and St. John Chrysostom

-and St. Mark-The Malabar Rite-Petrine Liturgy-Bishop

Forbes - Commemoration and prayer-St. Augustine on a

Purgatory hereafter-The sinful dead-Quotation from St.

Chrysostom-Sinners especially objects for prayer and alms—

they depend entirely on such prayers-Doctrine of St. Augustine

-differs in some respects from Eastern-His words as to a

purgatorial fire are figurative-Paradise not a place of purification

--but reward

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XII

Patristic Teaching on future Purification

Christianity not entirely a new revelation-Correlation of doctrines-

A gradual process-Differences as to Intermediate State in the

Fathers-The growth of purgatorial doctrine-The condition of

the early Christians-one of trial-The hope of rest-Judgment-

day Purgatory-Need of repentance-Forgiven sin-Temporal

punishment—The faithful Christian perfected immediately—and

received into Paradise - The penitent but sin-stained need

purification-Contradictory doctrines of the Fathers-Drift of

their teaching-St. Thomas Aquinas on Infernus and Abraham's

Bosom-Two abodes, Heaven and Hades - Eastern Church

denies material fire in Hades-Growth of Western doctrine of

Purgatory as a distinct place-"Saved, so as by fire"-Prayers

for departed

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XIII

Teaching of the Mediæval and Greek Church

St. Augustine thought some purgatorial fire possible-St. Gregory

the Great taught a purgatorial fire certain before the Judgment—

Beginning of controversy between East and West-Hitherto two

abodes of departed—Origen taught Hell to be only a Purgatory-

St. Gregory of Nyssa-Doctrine of Church at time of final schism

between East and West-Greek liturgies represent floating

opinions of Fathers-Contrast to teaching of later theologians—

Latin Missal-Canon of Mass-Later additions contrasted-

Latin Church did not originally distinguish between Hell and

Purgatory-Her offices do not teach the modern doctrine-but

the medieval and Greek belief-Offertorium in Mass for the

Dead-Archbishop Bramhall's comment upon it-Dies Ira-

Collects-St. Thomas at first taught Hell and Purgatory were

one place-Council of Florence-Growth of Latin doctrine-

rejected by Greeks-Modern Greek authorities-The "Orthodox

Confession"-Synod of Bethlehem-Macarius-Other statements

of Orthodox Church-Summary-[See also Appendix at end of

this volume]

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