The idea of purgatory has roots that date back, before Jesus, to the worldwide practice of praying for and caring for the dead, and the practice of prayer for the dead with a view to their afterlife purification found in Judaism, from which Christianity grew.
The idea of purgatory has roots that date back, before Jesus, to the worldwide practice of praying for and caring for the dead, and the practice of prayer for the dead with a view to their afterlife purification found in Judaism, from which Christianity grew. All Soul's Day, established in the 10th century, turned popular attention to the condition of departed souls. The idea of Purgatory as (like heaven and hell) a physical place was born in the late 11th century. First Corinthians 3:13-14 and the Idea of Purgation. The apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 3:13-14, makes this statement: “Each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. This passage from the Apocrypha says nothing about purgatory. It is merely the interpretation of the writer concerning a bizarre incident. A closer reading of this text indicates four things. First, Second Maccabees makes no direct reference to The Catholic tradition of purgatory teaches that, upon death, many souls enter a spiritual realm between heaven and hell during which their sins are dealt with until they are prepared to enter heaven. It is a place where sin is purged before a person can enter heaven.  Purgatory, according to Catholic Church doctrine, is an intermediate state after physical death in which those destined for heaven undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. Purgatory is the state of those who die in God’s friendship, assured of their eternal salvation, but who still have need of purification to enter into the happiness of heaven. 211 The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines purgatory as a purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven, which is experienced by those who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified (CCC 1030). When a Catholic requests a memorial Mass for the dead—that is, a Mass said for the benefit of someone in purgatory—it is customary to give the parish priest a stipend, on the principles that the laborer is worth his hire (Luke 10:7) and that those who preside at the altar share the altar’s offerings (1 Cor. Money, Money, Money. One argument anti-Catholics often use to attack purgatory is the idea that the Catholic Church makes money from promulgating the doctrine. Without purgatory, the claim asserts, the Church would go broke. Any number of anti-Catholic books claim the Church owes the majority of its wealth to this doctrine. When a Catholic requests a memorial Mass for the dead—that is, a Mass said for the benefit of someone in purgatory—it is customary to give the parish priest a stipend, on the principles that the laborer is worth his hire (Luke 10:7) and that those who preside at the altar share the altar’s offerings (1 Cor. The word Purgatory isn't in the Bible. If the doctrine of Purgatory is rejected solely because the word Purgatory isn't in the Bible than we must also reject the Trinity. This may surprise some of you but the word Trinity isn't in the Bible. Gregory the Great established a connection between earthly penance and purification after death. All Soul's Day, established in the 10th century, turned popular attention to the condition of departed souls. The idea of Purgatory as (like heaven and hell) a physical place was born in the late 11th century. Medieval theologians concluded that the purgatorial punishments consisted of material fire. The Western formulation of purgatory proved to be a sticking point in the Great Schism between East and West The Catechism speaks of purgatory as a process, not a place. One can see why it was often considered a place given that heaven and hell are considered places, but whether it is a place or not, or whether it involves time or not, is completely irrelevant to the concept. As you can see, the idea of purgatory is found in Catholicism's Jewish roots. It really seems to make sense when you think about it. Nothing sinful or unclean can stand to be in the presence of God. (Rev 21:27) But most of us when we die are not wholly purified.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Purgatory http://www.equip.org/article/is-purgatory-a-biblical-concept/ http://www.compellingtruth.org/purgatory.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purgatory http://www.catholic.com/tracts/purgatory http://www.catholic.com/tracts/purgatory http://www.answers.com/Q/Where_do_Catholics_get_the_idea_of_purgatory_from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Purgatory http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=796464
where does the idea of purgatory come from