← Purgatory
2 Maccabees 12:42-46
And they turned to supplication, praying that the sin that had been committed might be wholly blotted out . . .. In doing this he acted very well and honorably, taking account of the resurrection. For if he were not expecting that those who had fallen would rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. But if he was looking to the splendid reward that is laid up for those who fall asleep in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Therefore, he made atonement for the dead, so that they might be delivered from their sin.
Catholic Perspective
In this text, we discover Judas Maccabeus and members of his Jewish military forces collecting the bodies of some fallen comrades who had been killed in battle. When they discovered these men were carrying “sacred tokens of the idols of Jamnia, which the law forbids the Jews to wear” (2 Macc. 12: 40), Judas and his men pray for the dead, that they may be forgiven this transgression.
Jewish belief in a place of purgation for lesser sins committed in this life but not yet “wholly blotted out” is unmistakable here. Moreover, we see an explicit declaration that the prayers of the living have a role in the purification of the dead.
Common Objections
| + | THIS BOOK DOES NOT BELONG IN THE BIBLE. |
| + | ACCORDING TO CATHOLIC THEOLOGY, THESE MEN SHOULD BE IN HELL. |
