The concept eventually reached the highest levels of Church authority, though it remained a point of major conflict.
Are you interested in the between Catholics and Protestants? The Birth of Purgatory
The rise of the middle class and urban life influenced this. Just as there was a social middle between the rich and poor, theology created a middle between the saint and the damned. The concept eventually reached the highest levels of
Before it was a "place," purgation was often described as a state of existence or a series of "toll houses" (in Eastern traditions) where the soul was tested. 🌍 The "Birth" of a Third Place (1150–1200 AD) Just as there was a social middle between
Early thinkers like St. Augustine (5th century) distinguished between eternal fire and a "purifying fire" for those with minor sins. Pope Gregory the Great (6th century) further linked this fire to the forgiveness of "lesser faults" after death.
In the 16th century, Martin Luther and John Calvin rejected Purgatory as an "unbiblical invention" used to exploit the poor through the sale of indulgences.
By the 13th and 14th centuries, Purgatory became a physical reality for the public, fueled by literature and art.