The Persistence of Purgatory the Persistence of Purgatory

Why does Western civilization take time so seriously? While various scholars have traced the intensification of time in the West either to the Enlightenment or to the Protestant Ethic the author traces Western attitudes toward time back to the doctrine and myth of Purgatory. As popular and theological understandings of Purgatory became increasingly secularized the lifespan of the individual became correspondingly purgatorial. No time could be wasted. The author demonstrates the impact of Purgato...See More