Bede's Ecclesiastical History of EnglandBede, the Venerable, Saint
History
Bede's Ecclesiastical History of England
Bede, the Venerable, Saint
England -- Church history -- 449-1066
“In our return, when we came to those joyous mansions of the white-robed
spirits, he said to me, ‘Do you know what all these things are which you
have seen?’ I answered, ‘No,’ and then he said, ‘That valley which you
beheld terrible with flaming fire and freezing cold, is the place in which
the souls of those are tried and punished, who, delaying to confess and
amend their crimes, at length have recourse to repentance at the point of
death, and so go forth from the body; but nevertheless because they, even
at their death, confessed and repented, they shall all be received into
the kingdom of Heaven at the day of judgement; but many are succoured
before the day of judgement, by the prayers of the living and their alms
and fasting, and more especially by the celebration of Masses. Moreover
that foul flaming pit which you saw, is the mouth of Hell, into which
whosoever falls shall never be delivered to all eternity. This flowery
place, in which you see this fair and youthful company, all bright and
joyous, is that into which the souls of those are received who, indeed,
when they leave the body have done good works, but who are not so perfect
as to deserve to be immediately admitted into the kingdom of Heaven; yet
they shall all, at the day of judgement, behold Christ, and enter into the
joys of His kingdom; for such as are perfect in every word and deed and
thought, as soon as they quit the body, forthwith enter into the kingdom
of Heaven; in the neighbourhood whereof that place is, where you heard the
sound of sweet singing amidst the savour of a sweet fragrance and
brightness of light. As for you, who must now return to the body, and
again live among men, if you will seek diligently to examine your actions,
and preserve your manner of living and your words in righteousness and
simplicity, you shall, after death, have a place of abode among these
joyful troops of blessed souls which you behold. For when I left you for
awhile, it was for this purpose, that I might learn what should become of
you.’ When he had said this to me, I much abhorred returning to the body,
being delighted with the sweetness and beauty of the place which I beheld,
and with the company of those I saw in it. Nevertheless, I durst not ask
my guide anything; but thereupon, on a sudden, I found myself, I know not
how, alive among men.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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