The ordeal of the soul after death - what is it?
For Orthodox Christians, the most important days after the death of a person are 3, 9 and 40. Where did these numerical values come from? They are closely connected with the ordeals of the soul in Christianity.
- It is believed that during the first 3 days from the moment of death, the spiritual substance is still on the earthly plane, so that the last moments can be close to its relatives and people dear to the heart.
- On the 3rd day, the funeral and funeral service traditionally take place. Now a guardian angel descends from Heaven for the soul, taking it with him.
- From days 3 to 9 - she is in Paradise, enjoying all the delights of heavenly life.
- After which the soul awaits a meeting with God. And then comes the most difficult part - in the period from 9 to 40 days she finds herself in hell, undergoing ordeals.
- On the 40th day, the Heavenly Judgment takes place, and at it the fate of the soul is finally determined.
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Ordeals imply “dates” with demons, whose will was carried out by the deceased during his lifetime. Ordeal in exact translation means “customs”. They can be roughly compared to passing through a customs checkpoint, where tax collectors in the guise of demons take payment for specific sins.
Christians believe that it is very important for the soul to pass this test with dignity, because it will influence the decision of the Heavenly Court.
The “Life” mentioned at the beginning of the article tells that the human soul is accompanied by two angelic beings in the process of experiencing ordeals. The total number of ordeals according to the same publication is twenty (although in other sources their number can increase to thirty or even more).
Each ordeal is under the control of specific demons (unclean spirits). Their task is to drag the soul they have into the Kingdom of Satan.
Demons compile and present a list of the deceased’s sins that fall under a specific ordeal (for example, at the ordeal of lies - a list of times when the deceased lied). And angelic beings make up the same list, but of good deeds that a person has done in his life.
With a predominance of good deeds over bad ones, the soul will be able to move on to the next ordeal. But in the case of unseemly actions outweighing, when the forces of Light cannot provide any arguments, demons joyfully drag the soul into the hellish world.
There are also intermediate options, when the amount of good and evil created by the deceased is the same. Then victory remains with God’s love for mankind. In some situations, the Lord's mercy is so limitless that it overcomes the lack of good deeds against the backdrop of numerous bad ones.
Who keeps track of the good things we do while living on Earth? This is the task of our personal guardian angel. According to the Christian concept, each person receives a personal heavenly protector upon performing the rite of baptism.
The bad, accordingly, is considered by the demon, who is called upon to push a person to commit various sins.
Ordeal of the soul after death in Orthodoxy
Today, the most popular narrative on the topic of the ordeal of the soul in the afterlife is the aforementioned “The Life of St. Basil the New.”
It contains the story of St. Gregory, who was a disciple of St. Basil the New, about the ordeal of Blessed Theodora (she was the nurse of the patrician Constantine, who served St. Basil the New).
This work gained fame in Russian lands in the period from the 11th to the 12th centuries. It seriously influenced the literature of the ancient Russians and contributed to the development of folklore and fine arts.
