Intermediate State in Early Christian Teaching

Arnobius, Against the Heathen Direct teaching

For theirs is an intermediate state, as has been learned from Christ's teaching;

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book II Direct teaching

3. These men are entirely inconsistent when they claim that not all souls enter the intermediate place, but only those of the righteous do. They argue that the Mother produced three types of beings according to nature and substance: the first, emerging from confusion, fatigue, and fear, is material substance; the second, from impulsiveness, is animal substance; and the third, after seeing the angels who serve Christ, is spiritual substance. If the spiritual substance will inevitably enter the Pleroma due to its nature, while the material will stay below and be consumed by the fire within it, why shouldn't all animal substance go to the intermediate place, where they also send the Demiurge? What, then, will enter their Pleroma? They say souls remain in the intermediate place, while bodies, being material, will be consumed by the fire when reduced to matter. With the body destroyed and the soul in the intermediate place, no part of a person will be left to enter the Pleroma. The intellect of a person—mind, thought, and intention—is all part of the soul, and the emotions and actions of the soul have no existence apart from it. What part, then, will still be left to enter the Pleroma?

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book I Direct teaching

that is, the intermediate habitation. In this intermediate place, also, shall the souls of the righteous repose;

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book II Direct teaching

that the souls of the righteous shall psychically repose in the intermediate place;—when they declare that like will be gathered to like, spiritual things to spiritual, while material things continue among those that are material, they do in fact contradict themselves, inasmuch as they no longer maintain that souls pass, on account of their nature, into the intermediate place to those substances which are similar to themselves, but [that they do so] on account of the deeds done [in the body], since they affirm that those of the righteous do pass [into that abode], but those of the impious continue in the fire.

Hippolytus, Refutation of All Heresies Supporting witness

How then, he says, and in what way, does God form man? In Paradise, for so it seems to him. He says we should take Paradise to be the womb, and Scripture will teach that this is true when it says, "I am He who forms you in your mother's womb," Jeremiah 1:5. He wants this to have been written for that reason also. He says that Moses, using allegory, declared Paradise to be the womb, if we ought to rely on his statement. But if God forms man in his mother's womb, that is, in Paradise, as I have said, then let Paradise be the womb, and Eden the afterbirth, with a river flowing out from Eden to water Paradise, Genesis 2:10, meaning by this the navel. This navel, he says, is divided into four principles. For on each side of the navel there are two arteries, channels of spirit, and two veins, channels of blood. But when, he says, the umbilical vessels come out from Eden, that is, when the caul in which the fetus is wrapped grows into the fetus that is being formed near the upper stomach region, now everyone commonly calls this the navel, there are two veins through which blood flows and is carried from Eden, the afterbirth, to what are called the gates of the liver. These veins, I say, f

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book II Supporting witness

...al, will take the place of the Mother; that the souls of the righteous will psychically rest in the intermediate place—when they claim that like will be gathered with like, spiritual things with spiritual, while material things remain with material, they actually contradict themselves. They no longer maintain that souls enter the intermediate place because of their nature and similarity to these substances, but [that they do so] because of their actions [in the body], since they say that the righteous do indeed enter [that place], but the impious remain in the fire. For if it is because of their nature that all souls reach the place of enjoyment and all belong to the intermediate place simply because they are souls, as being of the same nature with it, then it follows that faith is entirely unnecessary, as would also be the descent of the Savior [to this world]. If, on the other hand, it is because of their righteousness [that they attain such a place of rest], then it is no longer because they are souls but because they are righteous. But if souls would have perished unless they were righteous, then righteousness must have the power to save the bodies also [that these souls inh

Tertullian, Against Marcion Supporting witness

It must therefore be evident to every man of intelligence who has ever heard of the Elysian fields, that there is some determinate place called Abraham's bosom, and that it is designed for the reception of the souls of Abraham's children, even from among the Gentiles (since he is the father of many nations, which must be classed among his family), and of the same faith as that wherewithal he himself believed God, without the yoke of the law and the sign of circumcision.

Methodius, From the Discourse on the Resurrection Supporting witness

And, therefore, if we ask respecting the tongue, and the finger, and Abraham's bosom, and the reclining there, it may perhaps be that the soul receives in the change a form similar in appearance to its gross and earthly body.

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book IV Supporting witness

there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” If, then, those who do believe in Him through the preaching of His apostles throughout the east and west shall recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven, partaking with them of the [heavenly] banquet, one and the same God is set forth as He who did indeed choose the patriarchs, visited also the people, and called the Gentiles.

Cyprian, Treatises Supporting witness

even as the Lord sets forth and proves: Many, says He, shall come from the east and from the west, and shall recline with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.

Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho Supporting witness

What then? The souls of the pious remain in a better place, while those of the unjust and wicked are in a worse, waiting for the time of judgment.

Luke 16:25 Direct teaching

But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.

Luke 16:24 Direct teaching

And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

Luke 16:23 Supporting witness

And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

Luke 16:22 Supporting witness

So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book II Direct teaching

In this account He states that Dives knew Lazarus after death, and Abraham in like manner, and that each one of these persons continued in his own proper position, and that [Dives] requested Lazarus to be sent to relieve him—[Lazarus], on whom he did not [formerly] bestow even the crumbs [which fell] from his table.

Tertullian, Against Marcion Supporting witness

... help me explain the next parable, about the rich man tormented in hell and the poor man resting in Abraham's bosom. Luke 16:19-31 For this passage, so far as its wording goes, comes before us suddenly. But if we consider its sense and purpose, it naturally fits with the mention of John wickedly slain, and of Herod, who had been condemned by him for his ungodly marriage. It sets out in bold outline the end of both of them, the torments of Herod and the comfort of John, so that even now Herod might hear that warning: "They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them." Luke 16:29 Marcion, however, violently twists the passage to another end. He decides that both the torment and the comfort are retributions of the Creator, reserved in the next life for those who obeyed the law and the prophets. But he says that the heavenly bosom and harbor belong to Christ and to his own god. Our answer is that the Scripture itself, which dazzles his sight, plainly distinguishes between Abraham's bosom, where the poor man dwells, and the infernal place of torment. Hell, I take it, means one thing, and Abraham's bosom another. A great gulf is said to separate those regions and to hinder passage

Tatian, The Diatessaron Supporting witness

... lick his sores. Luke 16:22 And it happened that the poor man died, and the angels carried him into Abraham's bosom. And the rich man also died and was buried. Luke 16:23 And while he was being tormented in Hades, he lifted up his eyes from afar and saw Abraham, with Lazarus in his bosom. Luke 16:24 And he cried out with a loud voice and said, ‘My father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to wet the tip of his finger with water and moisten my tongue for me, for behold, I am burning in this flame.’ Luke 16:25 Abraham said to him, ‘My son, remember that you received your good things in your life, and Lazarus his afflictions. But now, behold, he is at rest here, and you are tormented. Luke 16:26 And besides all this, there is a great abyss set between us and you, so that those who would cross to you from here cannot, nor can they cross from there to us.’ Luke 16:27 He said to him, ‘Then I beg you, my father, to send him to my father's house, Luke 16:28 for I have five brothers. Let him go, so that they also may not sin and come to this place of torment.’ Luke 16:29 Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ Luke 16:30 He said to him, ‘No,

Tatian, The Diatessaron Supporting witness

Luke 16:25 Abraham said to him, My son, remember that you received your good things in your life, and Lazarus his afflictions: 21 but now, behold, he is at rest here, and you are tormented.

Cyprian, Epistles Supporting witness

Matthew 12:34-35 Whence also that rich sinner who implores help from Lazarus, then laid in Abraham's bosom, and established in a place of comfort, while he, writhing in torments, is consumed by the heats of burning flame, suffers most punishment of all parts of his body in his mouth and his tongue, because doubtless in his mouth and his tongue he had most sinned.

Hippolytus, Refutation of All Heresies Direct teaching

(For example, that) waking and sleep, and such like, are conditions without an intermediate state;

Hippolytus, Against Plato Direct teaching

And this is the passage about demons. But now we must speak about Hades, where the souls of both the righteous and the unrighteous are kept. Hades is a place in the created order, rough and under the earth, where the light of the world does not shine. And since the sun does not shine in that place, there must be continual darkness there. This place has been appointed, as it were, to be a guardhouse for souls. Angels stand there as guards, giving temporary punishments, according to each person's deeds, for different kinds of character. And in this place there is a certain area set apart by itself, a lake of unquenchable fire, into which we suppose no one has yet been thrown. For it has been prepared for the day appointed by God, when one sentence of righteous judgment will justly be applied to all. And the unrighteous, and those who did not believe God, who have honored as God the useless works of human hands, idols made by themselves, will be sentenced to this endless punishment. But the righteous will receive the incorruptible and unfading kingdom. Indeed, at present they are kept in Hades, but not in the same place as the unrighteous. For there is one descent to this place, at th

Tertullian, Against Marcion Supporting witness

Our answer to this is, that the Scripture itself which dazzles his sight expressly distinguishes between Abraham's bosom, where the poor man dwells, and the infernal place of torment.

Peter of Alexandria, The Genuine Acts of Peter Supporting witness

But the rich man in torment, and the poor man who was comforted in the bosom of Abraham, are said, the one to be punished in Hades, and the other to be comforted in Abraham's bosom, before the appearing of the Saviour, and before the end of the world, and therefore before the resurrection;

Hippolytus, Against Plato Supporting witness

1. And this is the passage regarding demons. But now we must speak of Hades, in which the souls both of the righteous and the unrighteous are detained.

Lactantius, The Divine Institutes Supporting witness

Nor, however, let any one imagine that souls are immediately judged after death.

Alexander of Alexandria, Epistles on the Arian Heresy Supporting witness

but that inspiration which had been as the breath of life, was detained separate from the body in a dark place, which is called Hades.

Alexander of Alexandria, Epistles on the Arian Heresy Supporting witness

therefore was it that the souls came forth from Hades, and the dead appeared upon the earth.

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Direct teaching

...e merciful and gracious to him, and give him his lot in the land of the pious who are sent into the bosom of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, with all those who have pleased Him and done His will from the beginning of the world, from where all sorrow, grief, and lamentation are banished. Let us arise. Let us dedicate ourselves and one another to the eternal God, through that Word which was in the beginning. And let the bishop say: O You who are by nature immortal and have no end to Your being, from whom every creature, whether immortal or mortal, is derived; who made man a rational creature, a citizen of this world, in his constitution mortal, and added the promise of a resurrection; who did not allow Enoch and Elijah to taste death: the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, who are the God of them, not of the dead, but of living persons. For the souls of all men live with You, and the spirits of the righteous are in Your hand, which no torment can touch; Matthew 22:32; Wisdom 3:1. For they are all sanctified under Your hand. Do You now also look upon this Your servant, whom You have selected and received into another state, and forgive him if he has sinned voluntari

Athenagoras, The Resurrection of the Dead Supporting witness

But if it is the end of both parts together, and this can be discovered neither while they are still living in the present state of existence through the numerous causes already mentioned, nor yet when the soul is in a state of separation, because the man cannot be said to exist when the body is dissolved, and indeed entirely scattered abroad, even though the soul continue by itself — it is absolutely necessary that the end of a man's being should appear in some reconstitution of the two together, and of the same living being.

Tertullian, Against Marcion Supporting witness

This region, therefore, I call Abraham's bosom. Although it is not in heaven, it is yet higher than hell, and is appointed to afford an interval of rest to the souls of the righteous, until the consummation of all things shall complete the resurrection of all men with the full recompense of their reward.

Tertullian, Against Marcion Supporting witness

Now, although this everlasting abode is promised, and the ascending stories (or steps) to heaven are built by the Creator, who further promises that the seed of Abraham shall be even as the stars of heaven, by virtue certainly of the heavenly promise, why may it not be possible, without any injury to that promise, that by Abraham's bosom is meant some temporary receptacle of faithful souls, wherein is even now delineated an image of the future, and where is given some foresight of the glory of both judgments?

Methodius, From the Discourse on the Resurrection Supporting witness

But the rich man in torment, and the poor man who was comforted in the bosom of Abraham, are said, the one to be punished in Hades, and the other to be comforted in Abraham's bosom, before the appearing of the Saviour, and before the end of the world, and therefore before the resurrection;

Origen, De Principiis (On First Principles) Supporting witness

23. And perhaps as those here, dying according to the death common to all, are, in consequence of the deeds done here, so arranged as to obtain different places according to the proportion of their sins, if they should be deemed worthy of the place called Hades;

Methodius, Connection to Revelation 20:13 Supporting witness

Consider, he says, whether too the blessed John, when he says, "And the sea gave up the dead which were in it: and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them,"

Athenagoras, Connection to 1 Corinthians 15:53 Supporting witness

It was not for the sake of the soul alone that the resurrection has been promised... the resurrection involves the whole man — soul and body.

Athenagoras, Connection to 1 Corinthians 15:42 Supporting witness

the resurrection of the flesh must be believed, since the same body which is dissolved will be raised... not another body, but the same one.

Tatian, Connection to Hebrews 9:27 Supporting witness

death is not to be feared by those who rightly philosophize — for what is fearful is not death, but a future punishment.

Novatian, Treatise Concerning the Trinity Supporting witness

For there is a place whither the souls of the just and the unjust are taken, conscious of the anticipated dooms of fixture judgment;