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Dunn, Marilyn, “Gregory the Great, the Vision of Fursey, and the origins of purgatory”, Peritia 14 (2000): 238–254.

  • journal article
Citation details
Contributors
Article
“Gregory the Great, the Vision of Fursey, and the origins of purgatory”
Periodical
Peritia: Journal of the Medieval Academy of Ireland 14 (2000)
Peritia 14 (2000), Brepols.
Volume
14
Pages
238–254
Description
Abstract (cited)
The most significant contribution of pope Gregory the Great (†604) to the doctrine of purgatory occurs in the Dialogues, a work of contested authenticity. The doubts raised in the 1980s over its genuineness have still not been dispelled and the thesis that it is a hybrid and inauthentic work is confirmed by a study of its teaching on post-mortem purgation. This appears to have to have been influenced by the extension of the system of tarriffed penance into the afterlife, a development first shown in the narrative of the vision of the Irish monk, Fursey, composed on the Continent in the 650s. The Dialogues as they have come down to us may be a work composed in England in the 670s, while its sections on purgatory form part of an ongoing debate about the nature of penance, intercession, and the afterlife.
Subjects and topics
Sources
Texts
History, society and culture
Agents
FursaFursa
(fl. 7th century)
Irish monk and missionary
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Gregory the GreatGregory the Great
(d. 604)
Pope Gregory I, Saint Gregory the Great
prefect and later, bishop of Rome known for instigating the mission to convert the Anglo-Saxons in Britain to the Christian faith. He is the author of a number of theological works, including the Dialogues, the Pastoral Rule, a commentary on the Book of Job, and many sermons and letters.
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Contributors
Dennis Groenewegen
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April 2013, last updated: April 2020