No abstract

В статье анализируется интерпретация католического догмата о чистилище английским реформатором Дж. Фритом, представленная им в одноименном трактате «Спор о чистилище». Молодой теолог бросил вызов ведущим ученым того времени — своим соотечественникам Дж. Растеллу, Т. Мору, Дж. Фишеру, защищавшим доктрину о чистилище. Основываясь на Священном Писании, английский реформатор отрицал материальное существование чистилища и трактовал «очистительный огонь» символически как скорбь, раскаяние, муки совести. Опираясь на метод герменевтического анализа текста, автор делает вывод, что Джон Фрит предложил иной взгляд на эту проблему. Чистилище, по его мнению, находится в земной жизни человека, где он борется со своими грехами, очищаясь Словом Божиим. The article analyzes the interpretation of the catholic doctrine of purgatory presented by an English reformer J. Frith in his publication A Disputation of Purgatory. The young scholar defies the ideas expressed by his compatriots J. Rastell, Th. More, and J. Fisher (leading theology specialists of the time adhering to the doctrine of purgatory). The analysis of the Holly Scripture enabled the English reformer to reject the material existence of purgatory and to argue that the cleansing fire should be interpreted as a symbol of anguish, remorse, pangs of conscience. The author of the article employs the hermeneutic content analysis to prove that John Frith proposed a novel interpretation of the concept of purgatory. Frith believes that purgatory is our life where people fight their sins and are cleansed through God’s Word.

The Catholic theology of purgatory and its refutation in the works of the ideologists of Protestantism in the first third of the XVI century is analyzed in the article. The works of the little-known in the domestic historiography of the English reformer John Frith (1503-1533) are investigated. Frith’s commitment to Protestant dogmas on justification by faith and the exceptional authority of Holy Scripture is shown. It is noted that Frith, following them, denied the existence of purgatory, since it cannot be confirmed by the Holy Scriptures, and he interpreted the “cleansing fire” mentioned in the New Testament texts symbolically as torment of conscience and repentance. It is claimed that the theologian considered faith to be the atoning sacrifice of Christ the only means of salvation. It is concluded that the denial of purgatory naturally led Frith to a refutation of the Catholic practice of papal acts of grace and their theological justification, for which he was arrested and sentenced to be burned. It is emphasized that J. Frith called purgatory "creation" of the Roman pontiff and saw purely material reasons for the emergence and existence of faith in purgatory. It is noted that criticism by the English reformer of the Catholic faith in purgatory was subsequently reflected in the Anglican creed.