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
7,707 Listeners
More or Less
885 Listeners
Newshour
1,067 Listeners
In Our Time
5,546 Listeners
The Documentary Podcast
1,794 Listeners
Witness History
963 Listeners
In Our Time: History
1,880 Listeners
In Our Time: Culture
610 Listeners
In Our Time: Religion
286 Listeners
Arts & Ideas
305 Listeners
6 Minute English
1,758 Listeners
Learning English Conversations
1,041 Listeners
Desert Island Discs
2,026 Listeners
Inside Health
83 Listeners
Moral Maze
64 Listeners
The Life Scientific
233 Listeners
All in the Mind
81 Listeners
Word of Mouth
63 Listeners
The Briefing Room
68 Listeners
You're Dead to Me
3,167 Listeners
The Missing Cryptoqueen
1,005 Listeners
Americast
737 Listeners
The Bomb
1,003 Listeners
Radical with Amol Rajan
40 Listeners