Encyclopedic Dictionary of Bible and Theology

Purgatorial Society An organization whose object is to assist the souls in Purgatory by prayers, Masses, and good works. Belief in the existence of Purgatory, and in the possibility of the living assisting the suffering souls has inspired the faithful to pray for the dead from the very beginning of Christianity. During the middle ages, … Continue reading “Purgatorial Society”

Purgatorial Societies Pious associations or confraternities in the Catholic Church, which have as their purpose to assist in every possible way the poor souls in purgatory. The Catholic doctrine concerning purgatory, the condition of the poor souls after death, the communion of saints, and the satisfactory value of our good works form the basis of … Continue reading “Purgatorial Societies”

Purgative Way The word state is used in various senses by theologians and spiritual writers. It may be taken to signify a profession or calling in life, as where St. Paul says, in I Corinthians 7:20: “Let every man abide in the same calling in which he was called”. We have, in this sense, states … Continue reading “Purgative Way”

Purgation a clearing of an accused person from impeachment by oath of himself and others: this, in 696, was done at the altar. The number of witnesses, or consacramentals, varied; the common man had four. In Wales three hundred were required; and in 1194 the bishop of Ely purged himself with one hundred priests’ hands. … Continue reading “Purgation”

Purefoy, George W., D.D a Baptist minister, was born in 1809. He was baptized in 1830, began to preach at once, labored in North Carolina, and died in 1880. He wrote some controversial tracts. See Cathcart, Baptist Encyclop. s.v. Fuente: Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

Pure Theory of Law An attempt to introduce the “critical” method of Kant to the understanding of positive law. Kelsen, who coined the expression, intended to create “a geometry of the totality of legal phenomena.” All legal phenomena are to be reduced to norms which have the form”If A is, then B ought to be”, … Continue reading “Pure Theory of Law”

Pure, Pureness, Purity “pure from defilement, not contaminated” (from the same root as hagios, “holy”), is rendered “pure” in Phi 4:8; 1Ti 5:22; Jam 3:17; 1Jo 3:3; see CHASTE. “pure,” as being cleansed, e.g., Mat 5:8; 1Ti 1:5; 1Ti 3:9; 2Ti 1:3; 2Ti 2:22; Tit 1:15; Heb 10:22; Jam 1:27; 1Pe 1:22; Rev 15:6; Rev … Continue reading “Pure, Pureness, Purity”

Pure, Purely, Purity pur, purli, puri-ti: This group of words has in the Old Testament and the New Testament an almost exclusively ethical significance, though the word pure is of course used also in its literal sense of freedom from alloy or other alien matter (Exo 25:11, etc.). Pure in the Old Testament represents many … Continue reading “Pure, Purely, Purity”

Pure Heart of Mary, devotion to the A special phase of Christian devotion to the Mother of God. Devotion to the pure Heart of Mary was inspired by the love of that Heart for God and man, and also, from the desire to honor the Immaculate Heart which was a symbol of all that was … Continue reading “Pure Heart of Mary, devotion to the”

Pure Experience (Lat. purus, clean) (a) The qualitative ingredients of experience, e.g. sense data, feelings, images, etc., which remain after the ideal elimination of conceptual, interpretational and constructional factors. (b) The world of ordinary immediate experience which constitutes the point of departure for science and philosophy. See Avenarius, Kritik der reinen Erfahrumg. — L.W. Fuente: … Continue reading “Pure Experience”