ABSTRACT

The concept of purgatory, an intermediate place between heaven and hell and the death of a person and the final judgment, does not become firmly established in Christianity until sometime between 1150-1200 CE. Purgatory is a place for those Christians tainted by sin at the end of their lives who are not yet worthy of heaven, and is thus related to ideas of individual free will and responsibility along with a final judgment of the dead. In Christianity, purgatory is related to notions of fire and purification.