Prayer for the dead
Religions with the belief in a
Buddhism
For most funerals that follow the tradition of Chinese Buddhism, common practices include chanting the name of
Other practices include
Christianity
New Testament
A passage in the New Testament which is seen by some to be a prayer for the dead is found in 2 Timothy 1:16–18, which reads as follows:
- May the Lord grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain, but when he was in Rome, he sought me diligently, and found me (the Lord grant to him to find the Lord's mercy on that day); and in how many things he served at Ephesus, you know very well.
As with the verses from 2 Maccabees, these verses reflect the deep-felt desire that God will deal mercifully with the deceased "on that day" (perhaps
Tradition
Prayer for the dead is well documented within
The tomb of the Christian Abercius of Hieropolis in Phrygia (latter part of the 2nd century) bears the inscription: "Let every friend who observes this pray for me", i.e. Abercius, who throughout speaks in the first person.[1]
The inscriptions in the Roman
- Mayst thou live among the saints (3rd century);[1]
- May God refresh the soul of . . . ;[1]
- Peace be with them.[1]
Among Church writers
An important element in the Christian liturgies both East and West consisted of the diptychs, or lists of names of living and dead commemorated at the Eucharist. To be inserted in these lists was a confirmation of one's orthodoxy, and out of the practice grew the official canonization of saints; on the other hand, removal of a name was a condemnation.[1]
In the middle of the 3rd century, St. Cyprian enjoined that there should be no oblation or public prayer made for a deceased layman who had broken the Church's rule by appointing a cleric trustee under his will: "He ought not to be named in the priests prayer who has done his best to detain the clergy from the altar."[1]
Although it is not possible, as a rule, to name dates for the exact words used in the ancient liturgies, yet the universal occurrence of these diptychs and of definite prayers for the dead in all parts of the
Remember, O Lord, the God of Spirits and of all Flesh, those whom we have remembered and those whom we have not remembered, men of the true faith, from righteous Abel unto to-day; do thou thyself give them rest there in the land of the living, in thy kingdom, in the delight of Paradise, in the bosom of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, our holy fathers, from whence pain and sorrow and sighing have fled away, where the light of thy countenance visiteth them and always shineth upon them.[1]
Public prayers were only offered for those who were believed to have died as faithful members of the Church. But
Catholic Church
In the West there is ample evidence of the custom of praying for the dead in the inscriptions of the
However, in the case of martyred Christians, it was felt that it was inappropriate to pray "for" the martyrs, since they were believed to be in no need of such prayers, having instantly passed to the beatific vision of Heaven. Theoretically, too, prayer for those in hell (understood as the abode of the eternally lost) would be useless. However, since there is no certainty that any particular person is in hell, prayers are offered for all the dead, except for those believed to be in heaven who are prayed to, not for. In prayers for the dead, there is usually reference to them being in purgatory. In view of the certainty that by the process of purification and with the help of the prayers of the faithful they were destined for heaven, they are referred to as the "holy souls".[citation needed]
Limits were placed on public offering of
On the other hand, "provided their own minister is not available, baptised persons belonging to a non-catholic Church or ecclesial community may, in accordance with the prudent judgement of the local Ordinary, be allowed Church funeral rites, unless it is established that they did not wish this."[18]
During the slaughter of the First World War, Pope Benedict XV on 10 August 1915 allowed all priests everywhere to say three Masses on All Souls' Day. The two extra Masses were in no way to benefit the priest himself: one was to be offered for all the faithful departed, the other for the Pope's intentions, which at that time were presumed to be for all the victims of that war. The permission remains.
Each Eucharistic Prayer, including the
In Communio Sanctorum, the Lutheran and Catholic Churches in Germany agreed that prayer for the dead "corresponds to the communion in which we are bound together in Christ ... with those who have already died to pray for them and to commend them ... to the mercy of God."[19] Likewise, in the United States, the Evangelical Lutheran Church and Catholic Church formulated a statement The Hope of Eternal Life, which affirmed that "there is communion among the living and the dead across the divide of death. ...Prayerful commendation of the dead to God is salutary within a funeral liturgy. ...Insofar as the resurrection of the dead and the general final judgment are future events, it is appropriate to pray for God's mercy for each person, entrusting that one to God's mercy."[19]
Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy
Theology
Saint
Saint
Eastern Orthodox praxis
The various prayers for the departed have as their purpose to pray for the repose of the departed, to comfort the living, and to remind those who remain of their own mortality. For this reason, memorial services have an air of penitence about them.[26]
The Church's prayers for the dead begin at the moment of death, when the priest leads the Prayers at the Departure of the Soul, consisting of a special
Orthodox Christians offer particularly fervent prayers for the departed on the first 40 days after death. Traditionally, in addition to the service on the day of death, the memorial service is performed at the request of the relatives of an individual departed person on the following occasions:
- Third day after death[27]
- Ninth day
- Fortieth day
- First anniversary of death
- Third anniversary (some will request a memorial every year on the anniversary of death)
In addition to Panikhidas for individuals, there are also several days during the year that are set aside as special general commemorations of the dead, when all departed Orthodox Christians will be prayed for together (this is especially to benefit those who have no one on earth to pray for them). The majority of these general commemorations fall on the various "Soul Saturdays" throughout the year (mostly during Great Lent). On these days, in addition to the normal Panikhida, there are special additions to Vespers and Matins, and there will be propers for the departed added to the Divine Liturgy. These days of general memorial are:
- Meatfare Saturday (two Saturdays before Great Lent begins); in some traditions families and friends will offer Panikhidas for their loved ones during the week, culminating in the general commemoration on Saturday
- The second Saturday of Great Lent
- The third Saturday of Great Lent
- The fourth Saturday of Great Lent
- Radonitsa (the second Tuesday after Easter)
- The Saturday before Pentecost; in some traditions families and friends will offer Panikhidas for their loved ones during the week, culminating in the general commemoration on Saturday
- Demetrius Saturday (the Saturday before the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel, November 8, instead of the Demetrius Soul Saturday.
The most important form of prayer for the dead occurs in the
Normally, candidates for sainthood, prior to their
Lutheran Church
The Lutheran Reformers recognized that the early Church had practiced prayer for the dead, and accepted it in principle. Thus in the 1580 Book of Concord, the Lutheran Church taught:
"... we know that the ancients speak of prayer for the dead, which we do not prohibit; but we disapprove of the application ex opere operato of the Lord's Supper on behalf of the dead."[29]
The Lutheran cleric Richard Futrell wrote that "The historic practice within the Lutheran Church had prayers for the dead in their Prayer of the Church. For example, if we were to look at a typical Lutheran service during Luther’s lifetime, we would find in the Prayer of the Church not only intercessions, special prayers, and the Lord’s Prayer, which are still typical today in Lutheran worship, but also prayers for the dead."[30] For those who have died, Martin Luther declared that 'I regard it as no sin to pray with free devotion in this or some similar fashion: Dear God, if this soul is in a condition accessible to mercy, be thou gracious to it. (Luther’s Works, Volume 37)[30] To console women whose children were not born and baptized, Martin Luther wrote in 1542: "In summary, see to it that above all else you are a true Christian and that you teach a heartfelt yearning and praying to God in true faith, be it in this or in any other trouble. Then do not be dismayed about your child or yourself. Know that your prayer is pleasing to God and that God will do everything much better than you can comprehend or desire. 'Call upon me,' he says in Psalm 50. 'In the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.' For this reason, we ought not to condemn such infants. Believers and Christians have devoted their longing and yearning and praying for them."[31] However, with regard to what he perceived as nonscriptural extensions of the practice (such as repeated Requiem Masses for the dead), in the same year 1542 he stated in his Preface to the Burial Hymns: "Accordingly, we have removed from our churches and completely abolished the popish abominations, such as vigils, Masses for the dead, processions, purgatory, and all other hocus-pocus on behalf of the dead".[32][33]
The largest Lutheran denomination in the United States, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, "remembers the faithful departed in the Prayers of the People every Sunday, including those who have recently died and those commemorated on the church calendar of saints".[34] In Funeral rites of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, "deceased are prayed for" using "commendations: 'keep our sister/brother ... in the company of all your saints. And at the last ... raise her/him up to share with all the faithful the endless joy and peace won through the glorious resurrection of Christ our Lord.'"[34] The response for these prayers for the dead in this Lutheran liturgy is the prayer of Eternal Rest: "Rest eternal grant him/her, O Lord; and let light perpetual shine upon him/her".[34]
On the other hand, the edition of Luther's Small Catechism widely used among communicants of the
For whom should we pray?...We should pray for ourselves and for all other people, even for our enemies, but not for the souls of the dead.[35]
This question and answer do not appear in Luther's original text, but reflect the views of the twentieth-century Lutherans who added this explanation to the catechism. Similarly, the conservative Lutheran denomination WELS teaches:
Lutherans do not pray for the souls of the departed. When a person dies his soul goes to either heaven or hell. There is no second chance after death. The Bible tells us, "Man is destined to die once and after that to face judgment" (Hebrew 9:27, see also Luke 16:19-31). It would do no good to pray for someone who has died.[36]
Anglicanism
The Church of England's 1549 Book of Common Prayer still had prayer for the dead, as (in the Communion Service): "We commend into thy mercy all other thy servants, which are departed hence from us with the sign of faith and now do rest in the sleep of peace: grant unto them, we beseech thee, thy mercy and everlasting peace."[1] But since 1552 the Book of Common Prayer has no express prayers for the dead, and the practice is denounced in the Homily "On Prayer" (part 3).[37] Nonjurors included prayers for the dead, a practice that spread within the Church of England in the mid-nineteenth century, and was authorized in 1900 for forces serving in South Africa and since then in other forms of service. Many jurisdictions and parishes of the Anglo-Catholic tradition continue to practice prayer for the dead, including offering the Sunday liturgy for the peace of named departed Christians and keeping All Souls' Day.
The 1979 Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church (United States) includes prayers for the dead. The prayers during the Sunday Eucharistic Liturgy include intercessions for the repose of the faithful departed. Furthermore, most of the prayers in the burial rite are for the deceased, including the opening collect:
O God, whose mercies cannot be numbered: Accept our prayers on behalf of thy servant N., and grant him an entrance into the land of light and joy, in the fellowship of thy saints; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.[38]
According to the Catechism in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, "We pray for (the dead), because we still hold them in our love, and because we trust that in God's presence those who have chosen to serve him will grow in his love, until they see him as he is."[39] Although this statement indicates that prayer is typically made for those who are known to have been members of the Church ("those who have chosen to serve him"), prayer is also offered for those whose faith was uncertain or unknown – authorized options in the Prayer Book burial rite allow for prayers that thus entrust the deceased to the mercy of God while retaining integrity about what was known of the deceased's religious life. For example, following the intercessions, there are two options for a concluding prayer: the first begins, "Lord Jesus Christ, we commend to you our brother (sister) N., who was reborn by water and the Spirit in Holy Baptism . . ."; the second, however, would be appropriate for one whose faith and standing before God is not known:
Father of all, we pray to you for N., and for all those whom we love but see no longer. Grant to them eternal rest. Let light perpetual shine upon them. May his soul and the souls of all the departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.[40]
Methodist Church
Moravian Church
In its Easter liturgy, the Moravian Church prays for those "departed in the faith of Christ" and "give[s] thanks for their holy departure".[46]
Reformed Churches
Reformed churches are often opposed to prayer for the dead, because it is seen as useless. However the Presbyterian church USA has a "commemoration of those who have died in the faith", they are not petitions for the dead but reminders that the church on earth is a part of a larger company of saints with the church in heaven, other prayers combine thanksgivings for the dead with petitions for the living.[47]
Irvingian Churches
The
Other churches
Prayer for the dead is not practiced by members of Baptist and nondenominational Christian churches.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Hinduism
In
Islam
In
Dogma states it is obligatory for every Muslim adult male to perform the funeral prayer upon the death of any Muslim, but the dogma embraces the practical in that it qualifies: when Janazah is performed by the few it alleviates that obligation for all.
In addition, "Peace be upon him" (sometimes abbreviated in writing as PBUH) is a constantly repeated prayer for dead people such as prophet Mohammed.
Judaism
Prayers for the dead form part of the
El Maleh Rachamim is the actual Jewish prayer for the dead, although less well known than the Mourner's Kaddish. While the Kaddish does not mention death but rather affirms the steadfast faith of the mourners in God's goodness, El Maleh Rachamim is a prayer for the rest of the departed. There are various translations for the original Hebrew which vary significantly. One version reads:
God, filled with mercy, dwelling in the heavens' heights, bring proper rest beneath the wings of your Shechinah, amid the ranks of the holy and the pure, illuminating like the brilliance of the skies the souls of our beloved and our blameless who went to their eternal place of rest. May You who are the source of mercy shelter them beneath Your wings eternally, and bind their souls among the living, that they may rest in peace. And let us say: Amen.[This quote needs a citation]
A record of Jewish prayer and offering of sacrifice for the dead at the time of the
But under the tunic of each of the dead they found amulets sacred to the idols of Jamnia, which the law forbids the Jews to wear. So it was clear to all that this was why these men had been slain. They all therefore praised the ways of the Lord, the just judge who brings to light the things that are hidden. Turning to supplication, they prayed that the sinful deed might be fully blotted out. The noble Judas warned the soldiers to keep themselves free from sin, for they had seen with their own eyes what had happened because of the sin of those who had fallen. He then took up a collection among all his soldiers, amounting to two thousand silver drachmas, which he sent to Jerusalem to provide for an expiatory sacrifice. In doing this, he acted in a very excellent and noble way, inasmuch as he had the resurrection of the dead in view; for if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been useless and foolish to pray for them in death. But if he did this with a view to the splendid reward that awaits those who had gone to rest in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be freed from this sin.[53]
Jacques Le Goff, French historian and agnostic, concluded: "At the time of Judas Maccabeus – around 170 B.C., a surprisingly innovative period – prayer for the dead was not practiced, but that a century later, it was practiced by certain Jews.”[54]
This extract does not explain on what grounds Le Goff argued that prayer for the dead was not in use in the first half of the 2nd century BC. The account of the action of Judas Maccabaeus was written midway through the second half of the same century, in about 124 B.C.,[55] and in the view of Philip Schaff its mention of prayer for the dead "seems to imply habit".[56]
Mandaeism
In
Baháʼí Faith
Followers of the Baháʼí Faith believe that the soul continues to progress toward God in the afterlife. In fact, the Baháʼí definition of heaven and hell are nearness and remoteness from God in the afterlife, respectively. The belief is that souls continue their journeys through can be aided in their progress by the saying of prayers for the departed. Here is a sample of one such prayer:
O my God! O Thou forgiver of sins, bestower of gifts, dispeller of afflictions!
Verily, I beseech thee to forgive the sins of such as have abandoned the physical garment and have ascended to the spiritual world.
O my Lord! Purify them from trespasses, dispel their sorrows, and change their darkness into light. Cause them to enter the garden of happiness, cleanse them with the most pure water, and grant them to behold Thy splendors on the loftiest mount.
The Prayer for the Dead is a particular prayer for the departed, said at Baháʼí funerals before interment.[58][59][60]
Taoism
Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrians chant prayers for the dead in their funeral ceremonies, asking God to forgive the deceased.[64]
Other religions
Many spiritual traditions have prayers for the dead as part of their liturgy, whether these prayers are salutational, to welcome the spirits of the deceased, or to remember their names.[citation needed]
African Traditional and Diasporic traditions often have incorporated ancestral veneration practices. In orisha based traditions, the mojuba is the praise chant which praises Olodumare, the orishas, the religious lineage, the blood lineage of ancestors, and the various other beings of the universe.[citation needed]
See also
- All Souls' Day
- Baptism for the dead
- Book of the Dead
- Intercession of saints
- Requiem
- Saturday of Souls
- Veneration of the dead
- Veneration of the saints
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m public domain: Burrows, Winfrid Oldfield (1911). "Prayers for the Dead". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 22 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 262–263. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the
- OCLC 1047728511.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - ISBN 978-1-925798-33-3.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - ^ 與生死有關--超度佛事的功德(下) Archived 2012-04-26 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "佛教喪葬禮儀內容及程序". Archived from the original on 2010-09-04. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
- ^ "符咒详解". Archived from the original on 2011-03-23. Retrieved 2010-12-05.
- ^ "生命的終極關懷(第二章~後事處理)". Archived from the original on 2011-04-18. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
- ^ 慈濟大學-實驗動物中心-第三章第四節動物之安樂死與屍體之處置 Archived 2013-11-01 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "寵物死了怎麼辦? @ 小行者的部落格:: 痞客邦PIXNET ::". 31 December 2008. Archived from the original on 2013-11-01. Retrieved 2013-10-30.
- ^ 金丹大法 Archived 2012-09-10 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ 多尊佛名號功德/ 海濤法師開示節錄 Archived 2013-11-01 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "護生手冊". Archived from the original on 2013-05-15. Retrieved 2013-10-30.
- ^ Le Goff, Jacques. The birth of purgatory. University of Chicago Press. 1984.
- ^ Catechism of the Catholic Church Archived 2007-11-02 at the Wayback Machine, 1032
- ^ The Longer Catechism of the Orthodox, Catholic, Eastern Church Archived 2007-07-03 at the Wayback Machine, 376
- ^ ISBN 978-0-19-280290-3), article "dead, prayer for the"
- ^ "canons 1184-1185". Archived from the original on 2008-05-12. Retrieved 2008-04-27.
- ^ "canon 1183 §3". Archived from the original on 2008-05-12. Retrieved 2008-04-27.
- ^ ISBN 9781620329887.
- ISBN 978-0-88141-209-3.
- ISBN 0-14-020592-6), p. 259
- ^ Isabel F. Hapgood, Service Book of the Holy Orthodox-Catholic Apostolic Church (Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese, Englewood, New Jersey, 1975, 5th edition), p. 255.
- ^ Dialogues IV, 57.
- ^ Id. IV, 60.
- ISBN 0-938635-14-X), p. 191.
- Molebendoes; but instead, the "Alleluia" is chanted, reminiscent of the "Alleluia" that is chanted at Lenten services.
- Particular Judgement and is assigned the place where it will await the Second Coming. For this reason, the fortieth day is considered to be the most important. In some traditions, there is also a commemoration at six months.
- ^ Quoted in Seraphim Rose, The Soul After Death, p. 192, op. cit.
- ^ "Defense of the Augsburg Confession - Book of Concord". bookofconcord.org. Archived from the original on 2015-10-26. Retrieved 2015-09-22.
- ^ a b Futrell, Richard (6 September 2014). "Prayers for the Dead: A Scriptural and Lutheran Worldview". Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod). Retrieved 3 November 2023.
- ISBN 978-1-61164074-8
- ^ Luther's Works 53:325
- ^ Garces-Foley, Kathleen, Death and Religion in a Changing World Archived 2015-02-03 at the Wayback Machine, p129
- ^ ISBN 9781532606014.
- ^ Question 201 of Luther's Small Catechism with Explanation (Concordia Publishing House, 1991 edition) The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod
- ^ "Prayer for the Dead". WELS Topical Q&A. Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. Archived from the original on 2 January 2008. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
- ^ "Neither let us dreame any more, that the soules of the dead are any thing at all holpen by our prayers: But as the Scripture teacheth us, let us thinke that the soule of man passing out of the body, goeth straight wayes either to heaven, or else to hell, whereof the one needeth no prayer, and the other is without redemption." (An Homilie or Sermon concerning Prayer Archived 2008-05-14 at the Wayback Machine, part 3)
- ^ The Book of Common Prayer. 1979. p. 470.
- ^ The Book of Common Prayer. 1979. p. 862.
- ^ The Book of Common Prayer. 1979. p. 498.
- ISBN 9780665169434.
The opinion of the Rev. John Wesley may be worth citing. "I believe it to be a duty to observe, to pray for the Faithful Departed."
- ^ a b Holden, Harrington William (1872). John Wesley in Company with High Churchmen. London: J. Hodges. p. 84.
Wesley taught the propriety of Praying for the Dead, practised it himself, provided Forms that others might. These forms, for daily use, he put fort, not tentatively or apologetically, but as considering such prayer a settled matter of Christian practice, with all who believe that the Faithful, living and dead, are one Body in Christ in equal need and like expectation of those blessings which they will together enjoy, when both see Him in His Kingdom. Two or three examples, out of many, may be given: 'O grant that we, with those who are already dead in Thy faith and fear, may together partake of a joyful resurrection.'
- ^ Holden, Harrington William (1872). John Wesley in Company with High Churchmen. London: J. Hodges. p. 84.
The Prayers passed through many editions, and were in common use among thousands of Methodists of every degree, who, without scruple or doubtfulness prayed for those who sleep in Jesus every day that they prayed to the common Father of all.
- ^ Raynor, Shane (14 October 2015). "Should Christians pray for the dead?". Ministry Matters. The United Methodist Publishing House.
{{cite web}}
: Missing or empty|url=
(help) - ISBN 9781620329887.
The Roman Catholic and English Methodist churches both pray for the dead. Their consensus statement confirms that "over the centuries in the Catholic tradition praying for the dead has developed into a variety of practices, especially through the Mass. ...The Methodist church ... has prayers for the dead. ...Methodists who pray for the dead thereby commend them to the continuing mercy of God.
- ^ Garbett, John (1827). The Nullity of the Roman Faith. John Murray. p. 299.
- ISBN 978-0-7188-4599-5.
- ^ "12.1.13 Divine services for the departed". The Catechism of the New Apostolic Church. New Apostolic Church. 18 December 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
- ^ Crosby, Thomas (1738). The History of the English Baptists. Church History Research & Archives. p. 38.
That dead men receive no benefit from the prayers, ſacrifices, &c. of the living.
- ^ "Funerals". Archived from the original on 2011-06-13. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
- ^ "RITUALS". Archived from the original on 2011-05-22. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
- ^ "Kamat's Potpourri: FAQ on Hindu Funerals". Archived from the original on 2010-12-25. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
- ^ "2 Maccabees 12:40-46". Archived from the original on 2010-09-30. Retrieved 2010-10-01.
- ISBN 9780226470832. Archivedfrom the original on 2014-07-04. Retrieved 2016-03-19.
- Harris, Stephen L., Understanding the Bible. Palo Alto: Mayfield. 1985.
- ^ "Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Volume II: Ante-Nicene Christianity. A.D. 100-325, "§156. Between Death and Resurrection."". Archived from the original on 2013-12-05. Retrieved 2014-04-10.
- ^ Aldihisi, Sabah (2008). The story of creation in the Mandaean holy book in the Ginza Rba (PhD). University College London.
- ^ "Prayer for the Dead". Archived from the original on 2011-05-06. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
- ^ "Compilation: Baháʼí Burial". Archived from the original on 2009-11-24. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
- Bahá'u'lláh (189x). The Kitáb-i-Íqán (1989 pocket-size ed.). US Baháʼí Publishing Trust. pp. 101–102. Archivedfrom the original on 2015-01-08. Retrieved 2011-04-10 – via Bahá’í Reference Library.
- ^ "救苦朝科". Archived from the original on 2014-12-20. Retrieved 2014-12-20.
- ^ 論道教太乙救苦天尊的信仰 Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "救苦往生神咒". Archived from the original on 2013-10-14. Retrieved 2013-10-30.
- ^ "The Funeral Ceremonies of the Parsees". Archived from the original on 2005-02-07. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
External links
- Prayers for the Dead article in Catholic Encyclopedia
- Papal Document Promulgating the Simplification of Indulgences from the Vatican website, with resulting Manual of Indulgence
- Prayers for the Dead: A Scriptural and Lutheran Worldview by Fr. Rich Futrell (Shepherd of the Hills, LCMS)
- El Malei Rachamim (Judaism)