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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...