The Probert Encyclopaedia of General Information

INDULGENCE

In the Roman Catholic system, indulgence is the remission granted by the church to a repentant sinner of the temporal punishment due to his sin, whether this punishment be the pains of purgatory, or penance which the church has the right to impose according to the gravity of the sin. It must be understood that the indulgence is never to be considered as constituting a remission of the sin itself. The principle of indulgences rests on that of good works. Many saints and pious men have done more good works and suffered more than was required for the remission of their sins; these are known as works of supererogation, and the sum of this surplus constitutes a treasure for the church, of which the pope has the keys, and is authorized to distribute as much or little as he pleases in exchange for pious works or gifts.

Indulgences are of two kinds: plenary, when considered an equivalent substitute for all penance; and partial, when only a. portion of penitential works is relaxed. Local indulgences are attached to particular places, real indulgences to crucifixes, medals, etc.

The historical origin of indulgences is traced to the public penances and the canonical punishments which the early Christian church imposed on offenders, especially on those who were guilty of any grievous crime, such as apostasy, murder, and adultery. When ecclesiastical discipline became milder it was allowed to commute these punishments into fines for the benefit of the church. The first recorded instance of the use of the name indulgence was by Alexander II in the llth century, and the institution itself was in full development during the Crusades. At first the only source of indulgences was in Rome, and they could be obtained only by going there. The abuse of the system of granting indulgences inflamed the zeal of Luther, and the Protestant theologians have always found indulgences one of the most vulnerable points of the Roman Catholic system.
Research Indulgence