Just like hell and other places where a soul can go after death, the limbo is also described
in the Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri.
Being this a place of transition between life and death, it is always described and fictitiously
understood as a misty place, where life standards and happiness aren’t possible, for the soul
is in an indefinite state.
This place is particularly important in Jewish-Christian tradition, in which it is most well-known,
since for this worldview, life beyond death depends precisely on the final judgment that
is heavenly done on the soul of a person, their actions in life and their consequences
in eternity.
Although it is often talked about the limbo in this religious inclination, it is important
to point out that it is not mentioned in biblical texts.
Perhaps its absence in them is the reason why theologists have not agreed on the characteristics
of the place.
You could say the belief of this place comes from oral tradition, other texts and artistic
sources.
Despite the main notion of the limbo coming from Judaism and Christianity, many beliefs
around the world have developed their own concept of it, and it is present in almost
every religion, referencing a place where the dead are gathered before being judged
and sent to either heaven or hell.
However, something that remains the same in any of them is the idea of the limbo being
a liberating gate for those who, in life, were good and pleased the different religious
conceptions; or a place where the souls of those who weren’t good enough to deserve
heaven, nor bad enough to deserve eternal punishment end up.
For instance, in Greek mythology we have the Asphodel Meadows, a place where mediocre souls
end up to wander the grim, foggy scenery for a dull eternity.
The term “limbo” comes from the Latin “limbus”, which means “edge”, referencing
the edge or border between the real world and the world of heavens or hells.
Here’s where the expressions “being in limbo” or “stuck in limbo” come from,
which deal with a situation that has an uncertain outcome.
There are different kinds of limbos, according to Christian tradition, destined to different
types of individuals.
The Bosom of Abraham is what awaits to those who were baptized and must be judged by God
after dying, in order to know whether they are able to enter the kingdom of heaven.
This Bosom of Abraham is also the place where the souls of those who died, before the redemption
through crucifixion, were saved by Jesus Christ after his sacrifice.
There is also an infant’s limbo, to which only children that have died before committing
any sins but have not been baptized by the church go, a stain that must be removed, according
to Christian tradition, with this first sacrament.
Those kids who die without being baptized wander, dragging the so-called original sin,
despite not having committed a sin, cannot be judged.
The Councils of Carthage, celebrated in 418 A.D, denied non-baptized children to reach
eternal happiness.
St. Augustine, who lived in the 4th Century A.D, said that the limbo for these kids had
to be eternal, because the original sin is eternal if it isn’t taken away by baptism.
Conversely, the Italian poet describes it on the 13th century as a place filled with
the souls of those who did not know God in life.
In the “noble castle” he located Virgil’s home, a place without penance nor suffering
and unaccomplished desire, where unbaptized babes, distinguished warriors and reputable
personalities who were prevented from seeing God forever.
This grim place has been object of dispute within the church since ancient times.
So much so that Pope Benedict XVI published a decree abolishing the existence of the limbo
on November 29th, 2005.
In short, the limbo only existed in the minds of Roman-Catholic theologians from its creation
until November 29th, 2005, when it was abolished.
The big problem these Roman-Catholic theologians have now is to decide where to put all the
souls that were dwelling in the limbo until November 29th, 2005.
Will they go to heaven or hell?
Perhaps to the purgatory?
Because they believe in it.
This is a dilemma that must be taking up the time of these theologians.
On the other hand, the bible is very clear when it states that there are only two destinations
for the souls that depart from this world, regardless of the period of human history.
Heaven for those who, through faith, have grasped God’s grace to forgive sins, or
eternal punishment for those who have rejected the absolution of their sins through the act
of crucifixion from the Lord Jesus Christ.
There is no middle ground, so the destination of a person who leaves this world depends
only on the decision they took regarding Christ.
If they accept Him as their savior, they will go to heaven.
Otherwise, they will go to hell.
There is no in-between.
Even so, despite the relatively recent abolishment by the church regarding that place, you cannot
erase centuries of a collective worldview that has represented the limbo as an enigmatic
and lonely place from another plane of literature and art; an ontological sump for unbaptized
people or those who, while being just, didn’t acknowledge God’s grace and to His eyes,
are residues worthy of the absolute nothing for eternity.