The Doctrine of Indulgences in the Early Church
John 20:21-23
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins YOU FORGIVE are forgiven them, and whose sins YOU RETAIN are retained.”
2 Cor. 2:5-10
“For such a one this punishment by the majority is enough…you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him…I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. … What I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence (person) of Christ.”
197 A.D. - Tertullian
“Some, not able to find this peace in the Church, have been used to seek it from the imprisoned martyrs. And so you [imprisoned Christians] ought to have it dwelling with you, and to cherish it, and to guard it, that you may be able perhaps to bestow it upon others.” (Ad Martyras Chapter 1)
222 A.D. - Tertullian
“Now you are ascribing this power [of granting indulgences] even to your dear martyrs. As soon as someone of his own accord has taken on the fetters…at once the adulterers are swarming about…[and] prayers are humming in the air… Men and women crowd [them]…beg for [their] blessing…and return from there as [restored to] the community.” (On Modesty Chapter 22)
250 A.D. - St. Cyprian of Carthage
“According to your diligence…designate those by name to whom you desire that peace should be granted. For I hear that certificates [of indulgence] are [too freely] given.” (Letter 10 or 15 Paragraph 4)
And (250 A.D.):
“When some of the lapsed…[demanded] the peace that had been promised to them by the martyrs and confessors…I wrote twice to the clergy…[that] if any who had received a certificate [of indulgence] from the martyrs were departing from this life, having made confession, and received the imposition of hands on them for repentance, they should be remitted to the Lord with the peace promised them by the martyrs.” (Letter 14 or 20 Paragraph 3)
314 A.D. - Council of Ancyra
“Concerning [various sinners]…a former decree excluded them [from the Church] until the hour of death, and to this some have assented. Nevertheless, being desirous to use somewhat greater lenity, we have ordained that they fulfil ten years [of penance], according to the prescribed degrees.” (Canon 21)
314 A.D. - Council of Arles
“Concerning those who carry letters from the confessors, be it resolved that, when they have handed over those letters, they receive other letters of reference.” (Canon 10 or 9)
379 A.D. - St. Basil
“We do not judge [a penance] altogether by the length of time, but by the circumstances of the penance.” (Canonical Epistle to Amphilochius Canon 84)
380 A.D. - St. Gregory of Nyssa
“Fornicators [should] be three years wholly ejected from prayer…and [after an additional six year period] admitted [back] to communion; but the [additional six years] may be lessened to them who of their own accord confess, and are earnest penitents.” (Canonical Epistle to Letojus Canon 4)
Surely you just???? Not one of those quotes has anything to do with a fictitious place called purgatory where dead people's souls are alive and awaiting their release through the prayers or money of the living.
John 20:21-23 says nothing about forgiving people that died and are in purgatory. You are reading that into the text.
2 Corinthians 2:5-10 refers to forgiving the man who was put out of the church in 1 Corinthians 5:1-5. Paul is telling them to forgive him and allow him to return.
You use the wrong definition of martyr when utilizing those quotes. This is from the New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia;
The Greek word
martus signifies a witness who testifies to a fact of which he has
knowledge from personal observation. It is in this sense that the term first appears in
Christian literature; the Apostles were "witnesses" of all that they had observed in the public life of
Christ, as well as of all they had learned from His teaching, "in
Jerusalem, and in all
Judea, and Samaria, and even to the uttermost part of the earth" (
Acts 1:8).
...
Thus, within the lifetime of the Apostles, the term
martus came to be used in the sense of a witness who at any time might be called upon to deny what he testified to, under penalty of death. From this stage the transition was easy to the ordinary meaning of the term, as used ever since in
Christian literature: a martyr, or witness of
Christ, is a
person who, though he has never seen nor heard the Divine Founder of the
Church, is yet so firmly convinced of the
truths of the
Christian religion, that he gladly suffers death rather than deny it. St. John, at the end of the first century, employs the word with this meaning; Antipas, a convert from
paganism, is spoken of as a "faithful witness (
martus) who was slain among you, where
Satan dwelleth" (
Revelation 2:13). Further on the same Apostle speaks of the "souls of them that were slain for the Word of
God and for the testimony (
martyrian) which they held" (
Revelation 6:9).
Your quote of Tertulian's Ad Martyras is taken out of context. The context makes it clear that he is addressing living martyrs who are in prison awaiting death. Chapter 1 begins with;
Blessed Martyrs Designate — Along with the provision which our lady mother the
Church from her bountiful breasts, and each brother out of his private means, makes for your
bodily wants in the
prison, accept also from me some contribution to your spiritual sustenance; for it is not good that
the flesh be feasted and the spirit starve: nay,
if that which is weak be carefully looked to (the flesh), it is but right that that which is still weaker should not be neglected. (Parenthesis mine)
Your Council of Ancyra is also out of context;
Concerning
women who commit fornication, and destroy that which they have conceived, or who are employed in making drugs for
abortion, a former decree excluded them until the hour of death, and to this some have assented. Nevertheless, being desirous to use somewhat greater lenity, we have ordained that they fulfil ten years [of penance], according to the prescribed degrees.
Those women were still alive and the Council wanted to be kinder and gentler to them (lenity), so instead of excluding them right up until the hour of their death, they decided to allow them to make penance (voluntary self-punishment inflicted as an outward expression of repentance for having done wrong) for ten years. This is done by living people, not dead people in purgatory.
I could go through the rest and discredit every one of your quotes, but what I have shared will suffice.
Exposing anti-Catholic lies online for 15 years . . .
All your posts end with that statement, but it should be changed to,
"Teaching Catholic lies online for 15 years . . ."
