Understanding Prayer for the Dead

Its Foundation in History and Logic

James B. Gould

• Publisher: Cascade Books
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN:
  9781620329887
  9781498286107
• eBook ISBN:
  9781532606014
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Theology

Throughout history Christians have prayed for the dead--both for continual growth of the faithful and for their advancement from purgatory, though not for the deliverance of the unsaved from hell. This book defends all three kinds of prayer. It challenges Protestants, who seldom pray for the dead, to begin doing so--and Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox, who pray only for the Christian dead, to include the unsaved as well. James Gould addresses the biblical credentials of prayer for the dead and provides a historical overview of such prayers from ancient Christianity to the current practice of the three main branches of the church. He also discusses the logical assumptions prayer for the dead requires--that prayer is effective, that the dead are conscious, and that the afterlife involves change--and lays out a theological framework for such prayers. Prayer for the departed raises the most basic of theological questions, matters that go to the center of God's purpose in creating spiritual beings and redeeming sinful humankind. The argument, while revisionary in some respects, is orthodox, ecumenical, and integrative, engaging a range of academic disciplines so as to be biblically accurate, historically informed, and philosophically reasoned.

chapter 1

Setting a Context

The Bible and Prayer for the Dead

Sitting on the deck on a warm summer day, swatting mosquitoes as we drink iced tea, the conversation drifts to my research and writing. My conservative Protestant friends quiz me on the biblical justification of praying for the dead—let alone all the dead. “Where do you get that from the Bible?” one asks. “Doesn’t Scripture contradict the idea that people who reject God in this life get a second chance after death?” inquires another. In some respects the discussion is friendly and open, but in other ways their questions are skeptical, almost dismissive. Their concern is a legitimate one. The Bible, David Crump says, must take priority “in establishing the proper parameters of Christian theology.”27 As Christians we live under God’s Word—and we become anxious and defensive when Scripture is interpreted in ways that are new to us. So how does praying for the dead fit with the Bible?

Scripture and Prayer for the Departed

There is no example, command, or prohibition of prayer for the dead in Scripture. The Bible does forbid attempts to communicate with the dead (Lev 19:31; 20:6)—but this is irrelevant to prayer for them. The few texts appealed to in support of the practice are difficult to interpret and cannot serve as simple proof texts.

2 Maccabees 12:39–45. During the second-century-BCE war for Jewish independence from the imposition of Greek culture on Israel, Judas Maccabeus, while collecting the bodies of fallen comrades, found pagan emblems—forbidden by Jewish law—under their tunics. He immediately “turned to supplication, praying that the sin that had been committed might be wholly blotted out.” The writer endorses Judas’ behavior: “in doing this he acted very well and honorably, taking account of the resurrection. . . . . He made atonement for the dead, so that they might be delivered from their sin.” This text clearly describes prayer for the departed, but there are two problems with it. First, while Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox accept this deuterocannonical book as revealed Scripture, Protestants do not. Second, interpretations of the story differ. Some scholars see it as evidence that prayer for the dead was a common practice in Palestinian Judaism (and thus part of Jesus’ synagogue worship experience), while others see it as a single episode not repeated elsewhere. Given the difficulties with this text, we should be hesitant in using it to support prayer for the dead.

2 Timothy 1:16–18. In the opening greetings of the second letter to Timothy, St. Paul prays for God to bless an old friend: “may the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, . . . may the Lord grant that he will find mercy . . . on that day.” Scholarly opinion is divided on whether Onesiphorus was dead or alive. The fact that other people—Prisca and Aquila—are greeted personally while only the “household” of Onesiphorus is mentioned suggests that he was dead.28 Some, however, point out that since it is not directly stated, we cannot be certain that Onesiphorus was dead. Perhaps he had deserted the faith, which is why he is not addressed personally and why God is asked to show him mercy at judgment. This text most likely indicates prayer for a dead person, but may not.

1 Corinthians 15:29. In defending resurrection, St. Paul makes this enigmatic remark: if there is no resurrection “what will those people do who receive baptism on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf?” Baptism for the dead is illogical if there is no resurrection.29 Most modern scholars see here a reference to substitutionary baptism of living people for the sake of someone dead—an unbaptized catechumen or non-believer, for example. The natural reading of the text is that actions of the living can help the dead. There are, however, difficulties with this view. First, there is no historical parallel before or during St. Paul’s time of baptism for the dead; this single reference might be due to the religious environment at Corinth, which had a unique preoccupation with the dead and the underworld.30 Second, this practice contradicts St. Paul’s teaching on the participatory nature of baptism; one person’s baptism cannot substitute for someone else, and baptism alone without personal faith cannot save. Some scholars see the text as referring to unbelievers who decided to become believers and be baptized due to the influence of deceased Christians—in which case it does not concern the dead at all.31 Because of the uncertain meaning of this text, it cannot bear much weight as biblical evidence for the idea that the actions of living people—including prayer—can affect the fate of the dead.

The Irrelevance of the Silence of Scripture

These few texts give no clear guidance for or against praying for the dead. Determining what the silence of Scripture means depends on a person’s theological method. Some take this silence as definitive: since the Bible encourages prayer for the living but does not mention prayer for the dead—especially when it would be natural to expect it—it is not appropriate. The Thessalonian believers, for example, worried about the fate of those who had died before the second coming of Christ—but St. Paul does not comfort them by encouraging prayer for their dead (1 Thess 4:13–18).32 The Reformation principle sola Scriptura declares that the Bible is the only true source of knowledge, the final authority which safeguards the church from false teaching. Thomas Boultbee claims that “the silence of Scripture is conclusive. It would be simply impossible for the writers of the Epistles to have omitted directions about prayers for the dead . . . if these had been any part of their system.”33 The Bible’s lack of attention to prayer for the dead constitutes, some believe, a prohibition.

Other scholars see this silence as due to the early Christian setting. The ancient church expected Christ’s imminent return and therefore did not develop its theology of the afterlife. St. Paul, for example, does not tell the Thessalonians to pray for their departed because there was simply no need for them to do so. What they needed was reassurance—which he gives—that the dead are not in danger of missing Christ’s return but will be resurrected and share in his victory. Furthermore, Scripture is not an exclusive norm for faith and practice—reason and tradition also play a role. As Jerry Walls says, the fact that something is not mentioned in the Bible “hardly means that there is no way to argue the matter theologically or to arrive at a biblically-grounded view on the issue. For the question remains whether the doctrine coheres with things that are clearly taught in Scripture, or can even be inferred from them as a reasonable theological conclusion.”34 Certain beliefs, Crump suggests, are biblically necessary—basic truths directly taught in Scripture and drawn from exegesis. But since the Bible does not provide complete answers to many questions, we must go beyond what it says and develop positions that are philosophically possible—derived truths inferred from biblical teaching and systematized by rational reflection.35 Many doctrines (such as the Trinity) and practices (like infant baptism) are not mentioned in Scripture, but are later theological developments. In praying for the dead, William Forbes says, the ancient church, far from ignoring the Bible, was “led . . . by the testimonies and examples of Scripture, from which it is evident that the prayers which just men offer for others are of great avail with God, and . . . that the righteous at their death do not cease to be.”36 Doctrines and practices that go beyond what the Bible says are legitimate, David Chapman concludes, “provided always that such development in no way contradicts Scripture and remains congruent with other doctrines.”37 For these reasons I believe that the silence of Scripture is irrelevant to the legitimacy of prayer for the dead.

Biblical Interpretation, Church Tradition, and Theological Method

I should say a bit more concerning the relationships between Scripture, tradi...

Table of contents

• Foreword
• INTRODUCTION
• Chapter 1: Setting a Context
• Chapter 2: RECOUNTING THE PAST
• Chapter 3: SURVEYING THE PRESENT
• Chapter 4: ENVISIONING THE FUTURE
• A Pause
• Chapter 5: GOD, CAUSALITY, AND THE EFFECTIVENESS OF Praying for the Dead
• Chapter 6: HUMAN NATURE, PERSONAL IDENTITY, AND PRAYER FOR THE DEAD
• Chapter 7: TIME, ETERNITY, AND PRAYER FOR THE DEAD
• Chapter 8: CREATIVE LOVE CHRISTIANITY
• Chapter 9: HOPE, EXPECTATION, AND PRAYER FOR THE DEAD
• Afterword: LOOKING AHEAD: A PREVIEW OF VOLUME TWO—
• APPENDIX
• ABBREVIATIONS
• BIBLIOGRAPHY