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
7,740 Listeners
More or Less
884 Listeners
Newshour
1,048 Listeners
In Our Time
5,517 Listeners
The Documentary Podcast
1,788 Listeners
Witness History
971 Listeners
In Our Time: History
1,871 Listeners
In Our Time: Culture
609 Listeners
In Our Time: Religion
285 Listeners
Arts & Ideas
300 Listeners
6 Minute English
1,834 Listeners
Learning English Conversations
1,085 Listeners
Desert Island Discs
2,050 Listeners
Inside Health
97 Listeners
Moral Maze
55 Listeners
The Life Scientific
238 Listeners
All in the Mind
63 Listeners
Word of Mouth
59 Listeners
The Briefing Room
64 Listeners
You're Dead to Me
3,216 Listeners
The Missing Cryptoqueen
1,070 Listeners
Americast
765 Listeners
The Bomb
1,035 Listeners
Radical with Amol Rajan
48 Listeners