Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Purgatory
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Purgatory
Is Purgatory a religious place or a psychological concept?
Even in this so-called secular age, people with little or no religious belief often revert to religious terminology to describe their experience. After a difficult time, someone will say, "I've been to Hell and back." And after a time of testing or of waiting, they might say they've been through Purgatory.
The word Purgatory comes from the Latin word meaning to "Purge," and refers in Catholic teaching to a place or state between heaven and hell. It has no place in Protestant or Orthodox teaching. How did the idea develop? What was its purpose? Does it have any contemporary meaning?
Joining Ernie Rea to discuss the concept of Purgatory are Miri Rubin, Professor of Medieval and Early Modern History at Queen Mary University, London: Father Paul Keane, Vice Rector of Oscott Catholic Seminary in Birmingham: and the historian of religions, Martin Palmer.
Producer: Rosie Dawson.
View all episodes
By BBC Radio 4
4.4
9797 ratings
Is Purgatory a religious place or a psychological concept?
Even in this so-called secular age, people with little or no religious belief often revert to religious terminology to describe their experience. After a difficult time, someone will say, "I've been to Hell and back." And after a time of testing or of waiting, they might say they've been through Purgatory.
The word Purgatory comes from the Latin word meaning to "Purge," and refers in Catholic teaching to a place or state between heaven and hell. It has no place in Protestant or Orthodox teaching. How did the idea develop? What was its purpose? Does it have any contemporary meaning?
Joining Ernie Rea to discuss the concept of Purgatory are Miri Rubin, Professor of Medieval and Early Modern History at Queen Mary University, London: Father Paul Keane, Vice Rector of Oscott Catholic Seminary in Birmingham: and the historian of religions, Martin Palmer.
Producer: Rosie Dawson.
More shows like Beyond Belief
View all
Global News Podcast
7,913 Listeners
More or Less
863 Listeners
Newshour
1,067 Listeners
In Our Time
5,576 Listeners
The Documentary Podcast
1,808 Listeners
Witness History
977 Listeners
In Our Time: History
1,910 Listeners
In Our Time: Culture
618 Listeners
In Our Time: Religion
280 Listeners
Arts & Ideas
303 Listeners
6 Minute English
1,729 Listeners
Learning English Conversations
1,018 Listeners
Desert Island Discs
1,996 Listeners
Inside Health
102 Listeners
Moral Maze
73 Listeners
The Life Scientific
227 Listeners
All in the Mind
62 Listeners
Word of Mouth
55 Listeners
The Briefing Room
75 Listeners
You're Dead to Me
3,245 Listeners
The Missing Cryptoqueen
1,024 Listeners
Americast
779 Listeners
The Bomb
1,010 Listeners
Radical with Amol Rajan
48 Listeners