It seems one has to become a Protestant to forget much of the ancient wisdom. All of these theological concepts are predicated upon a comprehension of the Latin and the Mediterranean cultures they were constructed upon.
"Purgatory" quite simple means a place where "purgation" or purification takes place. Both have their roots in the simple language of common people.
Theological purging is a common theme in both the Old and New Testaments. In the Roman and Mediterranean culture purgation, or a purification, was a very common practice in food preparation (snails, titmice, etc.) in which the contents of the digestive tract was cleansed prior to cooking and eating for obvious reasons. Similarly, purgation was a common treatment for many illnesses. Anyone who has had a child with their stomach pumped knows it is still a valid medical practice. Purgation was a long held practice for funerary purgation throughout the ancient world and even today modern embalming uses similar practices. The purgation of criminals was even commonly attempted with sulfur and onions. So, to a Catholic, like first or second century Christian, the concept of purgatory is not alien or foreign and is actually well grounded and understood.
These people as you stated were purging the flesh...They purged to get the rot of disease off their bodies...And you equate their plight to the plight of modern day Catholics...
There is no way to purge our bodies of sin until Jesus does it in the resurrection...
We Christians are separated from our bodies...There is absolutely no reason to purge our fleshy bodies after we die...
Rom 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
Our soul does not need purging...We are separated (from our flesh) onto Jesus Christ...
This seems to sum up your entire understanding of the issue...Mediterranean purging practices...God doesn't care about your purging practices...No matter how much you purge in Italy, Turkey or your supposed purgatory, your corrupted body is still going into the ground...
Your intellectual knowledge of historical hygiene in the Middle east has nothing to do with God, Salvation or eternity...
You would do well to dwell on Romans 8:9 and figure out what to do with it...
1 Corinthians 1:18-31
18For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written,
"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart."
20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31so that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."
The *ancient wisdom* will take you right to hell as will all the wisdom of man.
The only *ancient wisdom* one should count on is the wisdom of the Ancient of Days. The wisdom of God trumps all and He told us all about it in His Scripture.