Kaddish Prayer (c. Second Temple Period, before 70 CE):
The earliest form, known as the “Half Kaddish”, dates back to the Second Temple period. The Mourner’s Kaddish is a Jewish prayer traditionally recited for eleven months after a loved one’s death and on the death anniversary (yahrzeit). It can be said for parents, children, siblings, and even in-laws. This prayer underscores the belief in aiding the souls of the deceased through sacred recitation. Here’s the text of the Mourner’s Kaddish in English:
Exalted and hallowed be God’s great name
in the world which God created, according to plan.
May God’s majesty be revealed in the days of our lifetime
and the life of all Israel — speedily, imminently,
To which we say: Amen.
Blessed be God’s great name to all eternity.
Blessed, praised, honored, exalted,
extolled, glorified, adored, and lauded
be the name of the Holy Blessed One,
beyond all earthly words and songs of blessing, praise, and comfort.
To which we say: Amen.
May there be abundant peace from heaven, and life, for us and all Israel.
To which we say: Amen.
May the One who creates harmony on high, bring peace to us and to all Israel.
To which we say: Amen.
Tanna Devei Eliyahu (c. 2nd–3rd century CE):
Often called the “Teachings of the School of Elijah,” this Midrashic text includes ethical teachings and narrative elements that emphasize intercessory power. One story tells of Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, who encountered a man suffering posthumously for his sins. The man explained that he would be freed from his punishment in Gehinnom (hell) if his son would learn to say, “Blessed is the Lord.” This highlights an early belief that the actions of the living, particularly blessings and prayers, could affect the state of the deceased:
“Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai once encountered a man gathering wood. He tried to speak to him, but the man didn’t respond. Later, the man explained that he was not among the living; rather, he was dead and enduring punishment for his sins. When Rabbi Yochanan inquired further, the man revealed that he was being punished by fire in Gehinnom (hell) alongside a companion who also sinned with him.
The man pleaded with Rabbi Yochanan, saying, ‘I left behind a pregnant wife. When my son is born and reaches the age to say, “Blessed is the Lord,” I will be released from judgment in Gehinnom.’ He requested that Rabbi Yochanan help ensure his son would be taught the blessings, so he could eventually secure release from punishment.”
2. Talmudic Perspectives on Purgatory and Intercession
Pesachim 118a (c. 3rd–5th century CE):
This Talmudic text offers insight into how the recitation of Psalms, particularly Psalm 116, was seen as powerful for the deliverance of souls. It cites Psalm 116:4, “I beseech You, Lord, deliver my soul,” as a plea with the capacity to aid those in Gehinnom. Rav Nahman bar Yitzhak and Hizkya discuss the spiritual impact of these verses:
“Rav Nahman bar Yitzhak said: Another reason why one recites Hallel (Psalms 113–118) is because it contains a reference to the deliverance of the souls of the righteous from Gehenna, as it is stated: ‘I beseech you, Lord, deliver my soul.’ Hizkya said: Another reason is because it contains the story of the descent of the righteous Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah into the fiery furnace and their miraculous ascent from it.”
Rosh Hashanah 16b (c. 3rd–5th century CE):
This passage elaborates on the judgment of souls. The Shammaite tradition divides them into three groups on the Day of Judgment: the wholly righteous, destined for eternal life; the wholly wicked, assigned to Gehenna; and intermediates, who descend to Gehenna temporarily to be cleansed:
“It is taught in a baraita: Beit Shammai say: There will be three groups of people on the great Day of Judgment at the end of days: one of wholly righteous people, one of wholly wicked people, and one of middling people. Wholly righteous people will immediately be written and sealed for eternal life. Wholly wicked people will immediately be written and sealed for Gehenna, as it is stated: ‘And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall wake, some to eternal life and some to shame and everlasting contempt’ (Dan 12:2). Middling people will descend to Gehenna to be cleansed and to achieve atonement for their sins.”
Chagigah 15b (c. 3rd–5th century CE):
The case of Aḥer (Elisha ben Abuyah), a sage who strayed from righteousness, is examined. His student Rabbi Meir interceded on his behalf posthumously, asking Heaven to allow Aḥer’s soul to be judged and purified. Smoke rising from Aḥer’s grave after Rabbi Meir’s death signifies that the intercession was granted, a parallel to purgatorial cleansing:
“The Gemara relates: When Aher passed away, the Heavenly Court declared that he should not be judged, nor brought into the World-to-Come. He should not be judged in a manner befitting his deeds, because he occupied himself with Torah, whose merit protects him. And he should not be brought into the World-to-Come because he sinned. Rabbi Meir said: It is better that he be judged properly and be brought into the World-to-Come. When I die I will request this of Heaven, and I will cause smoke to rise up from his grave, as a sign that he is being sentenced in Gehenna. The Gemara relates: When Rabbi Meir passed away, smoke rose up from the grave of Aher, implying that Rabbi Meir’s wish was granted.”
3. Evidence of Purgatory and Prayers for the Dead in Early Christianity
St. Epiphanius of Salamis Against Aerius (Panarion, c. 374–377 CE):
St. Epiphanius addresses Aerius, an Arian who rejected prayers for the dead. Epiphanius defends the practice as a longstanding tradition from the Fathers, aligning the Church’s customs with Scriptural authority. He asserts the permanence of this tradition within the Church as Aerius argues that this has its origins in “Jewish Customs,”
“Why do you mention the names of the dead [in prayer] after their deaths? If the living prays or has given alms, how will this benefit the dead? If the prayer of the people here has benefited the people there, no one should practice piety or perform good works! He should get some friends any way he wants, either by bribery or by asking friends on his deathbed, and they should pray that he may not suffer in the next life, or be held to account for his heinous sins.”
“And there can be no set time for fasting,” he says. ‘These are Jewish customs..” (Panarion 75.3.5)
“But I shall take up the thread of this topic [i.e., praying for the dead] once more. The Church is bound to keep this custom because she has received a tradition from the Fathers. And who can violate a mother’s precept or a father’s law? As the words of Solomon tell us, ‘Hear, my son, the words of thy father, and reject not the precepts of thy mother,’ showing that the Father – God, that is – and the Only-begotten and the Holy Spirit taught both in writing and in unwritten form. But our mother the Church had precepts which she kept inviolate, and which cannot be broken.” (Panarion 75.8.1-3)
“But who has better knowledge of these things? The deluded man who has just arrived and is still alive today [i.e. Aërius], or those who were witnesses before us, who have had the tradition in the Church before us and received it in this form from their fathers – and their fathers in turn, who learned it from those before them, just as the Church possesses the true faith and the traditions to this day because she has received them from her fathers?” (Panarion Bk II 75.6.3)
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