Abbot Pirminius: a Witness Against Purgatory

Abbot Pirminius, also known as Saint Pirmin, (c. 670 to 753)  is attributed with a fascinating treatise that has attached to it the title, "Scarapsus de singulis libris canonicis."  The title of the book itself is what initially caught my eye, since to first glance it would seem to imply something like "Extracts from each of the canonical books."  Naturally, therefore, I was rather disappointed to discover that the contents were not some kind of canonically ordered set of quotations from Scripture. As noted in my initial sentence, the authorship of the work is not something that is well-established. 

Indeed, I'm not sure that the title fits the book.  The book is more of a set of canons for behavior derived from the Bible (some more explicitly than others: many are direct quotations with citation). Now, certainly there are errors in Abbot Pirminius' hamartiology: he is not representative of later Protestant orthodoxy.  In particular, Pirminius has adopted the idea (drawn presumably from Tobit) that doing alms can purge one's personal sins. Nevertheless, it is fascinating to note the absence of Purgatory in his discussion of sin.  

The final substantive paragraph of the work is this exhortation to right living:

Let no one deceive himself, brothers, because every man who, after baptism, commits mortal crimes— such as murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false testimony, perjury, drunkenness, or any similar mortal crimes—if he has not done penance, has not given just alms, and has not persevered in good works, he will never enter the kingdom of God nor possess eternal glory; rather, he will descend with the devil into hell, because the Apostle says: “Those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” 

Therefore, it is written: “By no means does God spare the sinner,” for He either strikes the sinner with temporal scourging to purify him, or leaves him to be punished by eternal judgment, or the man himself, by punishing himself, purges what he has done wrong. So then it is justly said that God does not spare the one who sins. 

And elsewhere it is written: “God leaves no sin unpunished”—that is, without vengeance— because surely either we ourselves punish our sins here by penance, or God punishes them with the severity of judgment.

And believe with certainty this: that every man, however much a sinner, however much a criminal he may have been, no matter how great the evils he has committed—if he has done true penance, has given just alms, and death finds him in good devotion with righteous deeds, he will never go to hell, but will be lifted up by the angels into heaven, and will possess eternal glory.

Wherefore the Lord said: “He will not be judged twice for the same thing.” And the Apostle says: “If we judged ourselves, we would not be judged by the Lord” — that is, he who in this present life judges himself by penance will not be judged again, if he finishes his life in this present world in such a state. Hence it is written: “If we do perfect penance, not only does God forgive our faults, but after our faults, He promises rewards.”

Nemo se circumveniat, fratres, quia omnis homo qui post baptismum mortalia crimina committit, homicidium et adulterium, fornicationem, furtum, falsum testimonium, perjurium, ebrietatem, vel his similia mortalia crimina perpetratus fuerit, si poenitentiam non egerit, et eleemosynas justas non fecerit, et in bonis operibus non perseveraverit, nunquam intrabit in regno Dei, nec possidebit gloriam aeternam; cum diabolo descendet in inferna, quia Apostolus dicit: Qui talia agunt, regnum Dei non possidebunt. Proinde scriptum est: Nequaquam Deus delinquentibus parcit, quoniam peccatorem aut flagello temporale ad purgationem ferit, aut aeterno judicio puniendum relinquit, aut ipse in se homo quod male commisit, puniendo purgat. Ita proinde est quod Deus delinquenti non parcit. Et alibi scriptum est: Nulla peccata inulta dimittit Deus, hoc est, sine vindicta, quia certe aut nos hic vindicabimus peccata nostra per poenitentiam, aut vindicat illa Deus per severitatem judicii. Et illud certissime credite, quod omnis homo, quamvis peccator, quamvis criminosus fuisset, quanta mala perpetrasset, si veram poenitentiam egerit, eleemosynas justas fecerit, et in bona devotione cum operibus justis mors illum invenerit, nunquam infernum, sed ab angelis elevatur in coelum, et gloriam possidebit aeternam. Unde Dominus dixit: Non judicabitur bis in idipsum. Et Apostolus dicit: Si nos judicaremus, utique a Domino non dijudicaremur, hoc est, ut ille qui hic in praesentem vitam seipsum per poenitentiam judicat ad judicium, iterum non dijudicabitur, qui hic in praesente vita terminabit. Unde scriptum est: Quod si nos perfecte poenitentiam agimus, non solum nostras culpas Deus dimittit; sed post culpas praemia promittit.

Notice that Pirminius offers only two options: (1) "he will descend with the devil into hell" (cum diabolo descendet in inferna) or (2) "he will never go to hell, but will be lifted up by the angels into heaven, and will possess eternal glory" (nunquam infernum, sed ab angelis elevatur in coelum, et gloriam possidebit aeternam).  There is no third way, where the person goes to hell for a bit to be purged, before going to heaven, nor any third place, such as Purgatory.

There is one place where Pirminius offers three options: "Therefore, it is written: “By no means does God spare the sinner,” for He either strikes the sinner with temporal scourging to purify him, or leaves him to be punished by eternal judgment, or the man himself, by punishing himself, purges what he has done wrong" (Nequaquam Deus delinquentibus parcit, quoniam peccatorem aut flagello temporale ad purgationem ferit, aut aeterno judicio puniendum relinquit, aut ipse in se homo quod male commisit, puniendo purgat).  In short the three options are (1) God punishes in this life, (2) God punishes us with eternal judgment, or (3) we punish ourselves.  There is no option "God punishes us in the afterlife with something less than eternal judgment."

While this is not Purgatory, it is still both hamartiologically and soteriologically flawed, and in a serious way.  God punished Christ for our sins. That is the way by which God leaves no sin unpunished. We may be chastised or disciplined in this life because of our sins, but the punishment of the sins is borne by our Savior.  Moreover, the guilt of sin is too great for us to somehow expiate it through self-inflicted punishments in this life.  So, Pirminius has simultaneously underestimated the severity of sin and the role of Christ in taking our sin debt on Himself.

So, I do not post this extract of the Extract by way of approval, except inasmuch as it avoids adopting the fiction of Purgatory.