Mark of Ephesus
Metropolitan of Ephesus remembered for refusing to sign the union decree at Florence and for arguing against Latin positions on the Filioque and purgatory.
Historical context
Florence was a complex attempt at reunion under acute political pressure. Mark's refusal became a focal point of subsequent Orthodox rejection of the union.
Key points
- Read his arguments in the context of the Florentine debates, not as a substitute for those debates.
- Distinguish his personal refusal in 1439 from the longer reception of the union among Orthodox churches.
Scripture
- 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 — Paul's image of work tested by fire is one of the passages Mark interprets in his response concerning purgatorial fire.
Primary sources
Mark argues in his first homily on purgatory:
Mark rejects the claim that postmortem cleansing must occur by a located purgatorial fire.
such souls, we believe, must be cleansed from this kind of sins, but not by means of some purgatorial fire or a definite punishment in some place
Passage context and translation
Mark grants purification and the efficacy of prayer for some departed faithful while rejecting a definite purgatorial fire. The excerpt should not be shortened into a denial of every post-mortem purification.
Before the excerpt
if souls have departed this life in faith and love, while nevertheless carrying away with themselves certain faults
After the excerpt
But some must be cleansed in the very departure from the body, thanks only to fear