St. Augustine's Four States of Afterlife

[joeflow]

Just read this from a newspaper article:

In 410 A.D., St. Augustine defined four states of afterlife: those so good they go to heaven; those so bad they go to hell; those who deserve some relief in their eternal torment; and those who deserve to be lifted out of torment after repenting for their sins. That set the stage for the doctrine of purgatory in 1237 A.D.

I don’t really expect accurate theology from a newspaper article, but this intrigues me. Is this from “Of the City of God”? If so, what book is it covered in?

The part about those who deserve some relief from eternal torment is the part that interests me; I have never heard of this. Is this like the 1st Ring of Hell, which is almost Purgatory, but not quite?

 

[nkbeth]

I found this in an article by Father Paul A. Duffner, O.P. (I know nothing about him):

Is the punishment of hell the same for all? Just as there are “different mansions” in heaven, so there are different degrees of suffering in hell. A more intense hatred of God in this life, will merit a more intense pain of loss in the next. A more intense seeking of forbidden pleasures as one’s ultimate good in this life, will merit a more intense pain of sense in the next.

Taken from: rosary-center.org/ll44n6.htm

This has been my understanding all along. I know Dante’s works had 7 circles of hells, but that is fiction.

The mansions in heaven have been explained the same way (in another article)

**St. Augustine and other Church Fathers said that the many mansions refer to different levels of reward in heaven for different levels of merit acquired by believers on Earth.

St. Thomas Aquinas agreed, writing: “The more one will be united to God the happier will one be.”

The Catechism of Trent puts it this way: [For in my Father’s house, says our Lord, there are many mansions," in which shall be distributed rewards of greater and of less value according to each one’s deserts. He who soweth sparingly, shall also reap sparingly: and he who soweth in blessings, shall also reap blessings]**

From: stillcatholic.com/CATHHeaven.htm