Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae

Objection 1: It would seem that Christ by His descent into hell delivered souls from Purgatory---for Augustine says (Ep. ad Evod. clxiv): "Because evident testimonies speak of hell and its pains, there is no reason for believing that the Saviour came thither except to rescue men from those same pains: but I still wish to know whether it was all whom He found there, or some whom He deemed worthy of such a benefit. Yet I do not doubt that Christ went into hell, and granted this favor to them who were suffering from its pains." But, as stated above (Article 6), He did not confer the benefit of deliverance upon the lost: and there are no others in a state of penal suffering except those in Purgatory. Consequently Christ delivered souls from Purgatory.

Objection 2: Further, the very presence of Christ's soul had no less effect than His sacraments have. But souls are delivered from Purgatory by the sacraments, especially by the sacrament of the Eucharist, as shall be shown later (XP, Question 71, Article 9). Therefore much more were souls delivered from Purgatory by the presence of Christ descending into hell.

Objection 3: Further, as Augustine says (De Poenit. ix), those whom Christ healed in this life He healed completely. Also, our Lord says (Jn. 7:23): "I have healed the whole man on the sabbath-day." But Christ delivered them who were in Purgatory from the punishment of the pain of loss, whereby they were excluded from glory. Therefore, He also delivered them from the punishment of Purgatory.

On the contrary, Gregory says (Moral. xiii): "Since our Creator and Redeemer, penetrating the bars of hell, brought out from thence the souls of the elect, He does not permit us to go thither, from whence He has already by descending set others free." But He permits us to go to Purgatory. Therefore, by descending into hell, He did not deliver souls from Purgatory.

I answer that, As we have stated more than once (Article 4, ad 2, Articles 5,6,7), Christ's descent into hell was one of deliverance in virtue of His Passion. Now Christ's Passion had a virtue which was neither temporal nor transitory, but everlasting, according to Heb. 10:14: "For by one oblation He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." And so it is evident that Christ's Passion had no greater efficacy then than it has now. Consequently, they who were such as those who are now in Purgatory, were not set free from Purgatory by Christ's descent into hell. But if any were found such as are now set free from Purgatory by virtue of Christ's Passion, then there was nothing to hinder them from being delivered from Purgatory by Christ's descent into hell.

Reply to Objection 1: From this passage of Augustine it cannot be concluded that all who were in Purgatory were delivered from it, but that such a benefit was bestowed upon some persons, that is to say, upon such as were already cleansed sufficiently, or who in life, by their faith and devotion towards Christ's death, so merited, that when He descended, they were delivered from the temporal punishment of Purgatory.

Reply to Objection 2: Christ's power operates in the sacraments by way of healing and expiation. Consequently, the sacrament of the Eucharist delivers men from Purgatory inasmuch as it is a satisfactory sacrifice for sin. But Christ's descent into hell was not satisfactory; yet it operated in virtue of the Passion, which was satisfactory, as stated above (Question 48, Article 2), but satisfactory in general, since its virtue had to be applied to each individual by something specially personal (Question 49, Article 1, ad 4,5). Consequently, it does not follow of necessity that all were delivered from Purgatory by Christ's descent into hell.

Reply to Objection 3: Those defects from which Christ altogether delivered men in this world were purely personal, and concerned the individual; whereas exclusion from God's glory was a general defect and common to all human nature. Consequently, there was nothing to prevent those detained in Purgatory being delivered by Christ from their privation of glory, but not from the debt of punishment in Purgatory which pertains to personal defect. Just as on the other hand, the holy Fathers before Christ's coming were delivered from their personal defects, but not from the common defect, as was stated above (Article 7, ad 1; Question 49, Article 5, ad 1).

Articulus 8

Argumentum 1

Ad octavum sic proceditur. Videtur quod christus suo descensu ad inferos liberaverit animas a Purgatorio.

Dicit enim Augustinus, in epistola ad evodium, quia evidentia testimonia et infernum commemorant et dolores, nulla causa occurrit cur illo credatur venisse salvator, nisi ut ab eisdem doloribus salvos faceret. Sed utrum omnes quos in eis invenit, an quosdam, quos illo beneficio dignos iudicavit, adhuc requiro. Tamen venisse christum apud inferos, et in eorum doloribus constitutis hoc beneficium praestitisse, non dubito.

Non autem praestitit beneficium liberationis damnatis, sicut supra dictum est.

Praeter eos autem nulli sunt in doloribus poenalibus constituti nisi illi qui sunt in Purgatorio. Ergo christus animas de Purgatorio liberavit.

Argumentum 2

Praeterea, ipsa animae christi praesentia non minorem effectum habuit quam sacramenta ipsius. Sed per sacramenta christi liberantur animae a Purgatorio, et praecipue per eucharistiae sacramentum, ut infra dicetur.

Ergo multo magis per praesentiam christi ad inferos descendentis sunt animae a Purgatorio liberatae.

Argumentum 3

Praeterea, christus quoscumque curavit in hac vita, totaliter curavit, ut Augustinus dicit, in libro de poenitentia.

Et Ioan. VII dominus dicit, totum hominem salvum feci in sabbato.

Sed christus eos qui in Purgatorio erant, liberavit a reatu poenae damni, quo excludebantur a gloria.

Ergo etiam liberavit eos a reatu poenae Purgatorii.

Sed Contra

Sed contra est quod Gregorius dicit, XIII Moral., dum conditor ac redemptor noster, claustra inferni penetrans, electorum exinde animas eduxit, nos illo ire non patitur, unde iam alios descendendo liberavit.

Patitur autem nos ire ad Purgatorium. Ergo, descendens ad inferos, animas a Purgatorio non liberavit.

Corpus

Respondeo dicendum quod, sicut saepe dictum est, descensus christi ad inferos liberatorius fuit in virtute passionis ipsius. Passio autem eius non habuit temporalem virtutem et transitoriam sed sempiternam, secundum illud Heb. X, una oblatione consummavit sanctificatos in sempiternum.

Et sic patet quod non habuit tunc maiorem efficaciam passio christi quam habeat nunc. Et ideo illi qui fuerunt tales quales nunc sunt qui in Purgatorio detinentur, non fuerunt a Purgatorio liberati per descensum christi ad inferos. Si qui autem inventi sunt ibi tales quales etiam nunc virtute passionis christi a Purgatorio liberantur, tales nihil prohibet per descensum christi ad inferos a Purgatorio esse liberatos.

Ad 1

Ad primum ergo dicendum quod ex illa auctoritate Augustini non potest concludi quod omnes illi qui in Purgatorio erant, fuerint a Purgatorio liberati, sed quod aliquibus eorum fuerit hoc beneficium collatum, illis scilicet qui iam sufficienter purgati erant; vel etiam qui, dum adhuc viverent, meruerunt per fidem et dilectionem, et devotionem ad mortem christi, ut, eo descendente, liberarentur a temporali Purgatorii poena.

Ad 2

Ad secundum dicendum quod virtus christi operatur in sacramentis per modum sanationis et expiationis cuiusdam. Unde sacramentum eucharistiae liberat homines a Purgatorio inquantum est quoddam sacrificium satisfactorium pro peccato.

Descensus autem christi ad inferos non fuit satisfactorius.

Operabatur tamen in virtute passionis, quae fuit satisfactoria, ut supra habitum est, sed erat satisfactoria in generali, cuius virtutem oportebat applicari ad unumquemque per aliquid specialiter ad ipsum pertinens. Et ideo non oportet quod per descensum christi ad inferos omnes fuerint a Purgatorio liberati.

Ad 3

Ad tertium dicendum quod illi defectus a quibus christus simul in hoc mundo homines liberabat, erant personales, proprie ad unumquemque pertinentes. Sed exclusio a gloria dei erat quidam defectus generalis pertinens ad totam humanam naturam. Et ideo nihil prohibet eos qui erant in Purgatorio, per christum esse liberatos ab exclusione a gloria, non autem a reatu poenae Purgatorii, qui pertinet ad proprium defectum. Sicut e converso sancti patres, ante christi adventum, liberati sunt a propriis defectibus, non autem a defectu communi, sicut supra dictum est.