Particular judgment
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Particular judgment, according to Christian eschatology, is the divine judgment that a departed (dead) person undergoes immediately after death, in contradistinction to the general judgment (or Last Judgment) of all people at the end of the world.[1]
Old Testament
There are few, if any, Old Testament or
New Testament
Many
Paul the Apostle generally depicts death as sleep awaiting the resurrection of a glorified body (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18),[2] and (in 2 Corinthians 5) longs to be absent from the body that he may be present to the Lord, evidently understanding death to be the entrance into his reward at an unspecified time (cf. Philippians 1:21–30).[3][4]
Some Christians believe that death is a period of dormancy, or
The uniqueness and irrepetibility of the earthly life is stated in Hebrews 9:27: "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment".
Early Christian writings
Some
After this "particular judgment", according to Orthodox dogmatic theology, the soul experiences a foretaste of the blessedness or the eternal torment that awaits it after the resurrection.[6]
Tertullian (c. 200) wrote that, even before final judgment, a soul "undergoes punishment and consolation in Hades in the interval, while it awaits its alternative of judgment, in a certain anticipation either of gloom or of glory".[7]
Hippolytus of Rome pictured a particular judgment of souls in Hades, by which the righteous are assigned to "a locality full of light" and the unrighteous are "forc(ed) down into the lower parts".[8]
In Western Christianity, the dead begin their eternal fates after death, either immediately or after being purified in purgatory.[citation needed] On judgment day, the dead are reunited with their bodies and their eternal fates continue.
Medieval concepts
The
In the supplement to the Summa Theologiae, a disciple of Thomas Aquinas argued that the soul departs for heaven or hell immediately on death, "unless it be held back by some debt, for which its flight must needs be delayed until the soul is first of all cleansed."[12]
In 1336, Pope Benedict XII (1334–1342) issued the Bull Benedictus Deus[13] confirming the teaching that souls receive immediately after death their reward or punishment, ending a controversy caused by his predecessor, Pope John XXII (1316–1334), who had personally held for a while that even pure souls would be delayed in enjoying the beatific vision.[14]
From about 1300, the term
Catholic Church
According to Augustine of Hippo (354–430 AD),
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
1021 Death puts an end to human life as the time open to either accepting or rejecting the divine grace manifested in Christ. The New Testament speaks of judgment primarily in its aspect of the final encounter with Christ in his second coming, but also repeatedly affirms that each will be rewarded immediately after death in accordance with his works and faith. The parable of the poor man Lazarus and the words of Christ on the cross to the good thief, as well as other New Testament texts speak of a final destiny of the soul—a destiny which can be different for some and for others.
1022 Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a particular judgment that refers his life to Christ: either entrance into the blessedness of heaven—through a purification or immediately—or immediate and everlasting damnation.[18]
— Catechism of the Catholic Church, pp. 1021–1022
According to the Catholic doctrine after death all "those who die in God's grace and friendship and are perfectly purified" go directly to Heaven; but "all who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified ... they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven." Pope John Paul II affirmed that "according to Old Testament religious law, what is destined for God must be perfect".
Reformation concepts
John Calvin argued that the dead are conscious while awaiting Judgment Day, either in bliss or torment depending on their fate.[22]
Non-Christian religions
With the rise of the cult of Osiris during the Middle Kingdom (c. 2040–1640 BC) in Ancient Egypt the "democratization of religion" offered to even his humblest followers the prospect of eternal life, with moral fitness becoming the dominant factor in determining a person's suitability. At death a person faced judgment by a tribunal of forty-two divine judges. If they led a life in conformance with the precepts of the goddess Maat, who represented truth and right living, the person was welcomed into the kingdom of Osiris. If found guilty, the person was thrown to a "devourer" and did not share in eternal life.[23] The person who is taken by the devourer is subject first to terrifying punishment and then annihilated. These depictions of punishment may have influenced medieval perceptions of the inferno in hell via early Christian and Coptic texts.[24] Purification for those who are considered justified may be found in the descriptions of "Flame Island", where they experience the triumph over evil and rebirth. For the damned complete destruction into a state of non-being awaits but there is no suggestion of eternal torture.[25][26] Divine pardon at judgment was always a central concern for the ancient Egyptians.[27]
In his Myth of Er, Plato (c. 400 BC) wrote that each soul is judged after death and either sent to heaven for a reward or to the underworld for punishment. After its reward or punishment, the soul is reincarnated. He also described the judgment of souls immediately after death in the dialogue Gorgias.
According to the 9th century
In
Further reading
- Challoner, Richard (1801). . Think Well On't or, Reflections on the great truths of the Christian religion for every day of the month. T. Haydock.
- de la Puente, Lius (1852). . Meditations On The Mysteries Of Our Holy Faith. Richarson and Son.
- Liguori, Alphonus (1868). . Preparation For Death. Rivingtons.
- McHugh, John Ambrose (1910). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company. . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.).
References
- ^ "Particular Judgment". 7 February 2023.
- ^ a b "The Jewish Roman World of Jesus". Under Construction. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- ^ a b c One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Particular Judgment". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- ^ "The Particular Judgment". 7 February 2023.
- ^ "A STUDY OF THE EIGHT LAST THINGS: CROSSING THE THRESHOLD TO ETERNITY PART II: INDIVIDUAL (PARTICULAR) JUDGMENT". 7 February 2023.
- ^ The Orthodox Faith; Orthodox Confession of the Faith; Saint Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church;What Are the Differences between Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism? Archived 3 June 2004 at the Wayback Machine; The Debate Over Aerial Toll-Houses; etc.
- ^ "CHURCH FATHERS: A Treatise on the Soul (Tertullian)". www.newadvent.org. Chapter 58. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- ^ "CHURCH FATHERS: Against Plato, On the Cause of the Universe (Hippolytus)". www.newadvent.org. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- ^ "CHURCH FATHERS: City of God, Book XII (St. Augustine)". www.newadvent.org. Chapter 9. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- ^ "Three Purgatory Poems: General Introduction | Robbins Library Digital Projects". d.lib.rochester.edu. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- ^ "The "Near-Death Experience"". orthodoxinfo.com. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- ^ "SUMMA THEOLOGIAE: Matters concerning the resurrection, and first of the place where souls are after death (Supplementum, Q. 69)". www.newadvent.org. Article 2. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- ^ Pope Benedit XII (1334). "Benedictus Deus On the Beatific Vision of God – Papal Encyclicals Online". Papal Encyclicals. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
- ^ "CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Pope John XXII". www.newadvent.org. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- ^ Joseph Pohle. "Existence of a particular judgement". Archived from the original on 5 November 2017.
- ^ John 5:29–30
- ^ 2 Corinthians 5:10
- ^ Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1021−1022
- ^ "General Audience of Pope John Paul II". Holy See. 4 August 1999. Archived from the original on 4 February 2015.
- ^ "General Audience of Pope John Paul II". Holy See. 4 August 1999. Archived from the original on 4 February 2015.
- ^ Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1023−1037
- ^ "JOHN CALVIN TRACTS & LETTERS – PSYCHOPANNYCHIA". godrules.net. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- ISBN 0140262520
- ISBN 0-425-19096-X
- ISBN 90-04-09231-5
- ^ "Letter: Hell in the ancient world". The Independent. 31 December 1993. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- ISBN 90-04-11695-8
External links
- What Happens to Me When I Die?, description of particular judgment (Church of Christ)