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A Protestant purgatory? Visions of an intermediate state in eighteenth-century Scotland
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McGill, Martha (2018) A Protestant purgatory? Visions of an intermediate state in eighteenth-century Scotland. Scottish Historical Review, 97 (2). pp. 153-186. doi:10.3366/shr.2018.0363
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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3366/shr.2018.0363
Abstract
The protestant afterlife is generally presented in binary terms, with departed souls going directly to either heaven or hell. However, the possible existence of an intermediate state for the dead was discussed by protestant theologians from the reformation onwards. This article traces the evolution of these debates in Scotland, with particular focus on the eighteenth century. The bishops Archibald Campbell, Thomas Rattray and George Innes produced tracts in support of the intermediate state. By the end of the century it had become a standard element of doctrine among the episcopalians, reflecting the formation of a more distinctive theological and liturgical identity, based on the teachings of the early church fathers. Presbyterians generally dismissed the idea as a papish conceit, but there were exceptions. Most notably, in the 1720s the minister William Ogilvie described a series of meetings with the ghost of Thomas Maxwell, Laird of Cool. His account framed the intermediate state as a sympathetic alternative to calvinist predestination, and spread to a wide audience when it was printed as a chapbook. As the episcopalian church declined and the Church of Scotland fragmented, there was greater scope for individuals to formulate their own theologies, potentially challenging traditional notions of what it meant to be a protestant.
| Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subjects: | B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BX Christian Denominations D History General and Old World > DA Great Britain |
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| Divisions: | Faculty of Arts > History | ||||||
| Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Episcopalians -- Scotland -- 18th century, Scotland -- Church history -- 18th century, Protestantism -- History -- Scotland -- 18th century, Protestants, Future life | ||||||
| Journal or Publication Title: | Scottish Historical Review | ||||||
| Publisher: | Edinburgh University Press | ||||||
| ISSN: | 0036-9241 | ||||||
| Official Date: | September 2018 | ||||||
| Dates: |
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| Date of first compliant deposit: | 2 October 2018 | ||||||
| Volume: | 97 | ||||||
| Number: | 2 | ||||||
| Page Range: | pp. 153-186 | ||||||
| DOI: | 10.3366/shr.2018.0363 | ||||||
| Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||||
| Publication Status: | Published | ||||||
| Publisher Statement: | This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Edinburgh University Press in Scottish Historical Review. The Version of Record is available online at: http://www.euppublishing.com/doi/abs/10.3366/shr.2018.0363 | ||||||
| Access rights to Published version: | Restricted or Subscription Access |
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