Where does the New Testament Teach Praying for the Dead? Oh Wait... St. Paul Did It!

An often overlooked gem in regards to the biblical foundation for the doctrine of Purgatory is found right in 2 Timothy 1:16-18, where St. Paul actually prays for mercy for someone who has passed away. Here is the passage:

“May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains, vut when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me— may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day!—and you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus.”

Wait, back up! Did St. Paul really just say... no, it couldn't be... it can't be... is he really praying for a deceased person?? But that sounds too....... Catholic?!

Yes, that is correct. Protestant historian Philip Schaff, compiler of the 24 volume work on the Early Church Fathers, admits this: "On the assumption already mentioned as probable, this would, of course, be a prayer for the dead... From the controversial point of view, this may appear to favour the doctrine and practice of the Church of Rome."

Let's look specifically at verse 18 from different translations to fully appreciate the depth of this passage.

DRV: The Lord grant unto him to find mercy of the Lord in that day.

KJV: The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day.

Berean Study Bible: May the Lord grant Onesiphorus His mercy on that day.

Aramaic English Bible: May our Lord grant that he find mercy with our Lord in that day.

Smith's Literal: May the Lord give to him to find mercy of the Lord in that day.

Here is the Greek of this crucial passage:

Dōē autō ho Kyrios heurein eleos para Kyriou en ekeinē tē hēmera.

The consensus of both Catholic and Protestant scholarship is that Onesiphorus has passed away. This is seen in verse 16 where St. Paul prays for his household separately, whereas the normative blessing would be to Onesiphorus (as head of the household) and to all of his household, or even more so just to Onesiphorus directly, since the blessing would apply to his household by extension since he is the head. St. Paul separates the two, between verses 16 and 18, which tells us that Onesiphorus has passed away. This is also further demonstrated in verse 18 when St. Paul speaks of him in the past tense ("You all know the service he rendered to me at Ephesus").

You do not have to take my word for it. Here are Protestant scholars admitting this implication.

Alfred Plummer, Expositors Bible: "Certainly the balance of probability is decidedly in favour of the view that Onesiphorus was already dead when St. Paul wrote these words... he here speaks of “the house of Onesiphorus” in connection with the present, and of Onesiphorus himself only in connection with the past... it is not easy to explain this reference in two places to the household of Onesiphorus, if he himself was still alive. In all the other cases the individual and not the household is mentioned... There is also the character of the Apostle’s prayer. Why does he confine his desires respecting the requital of Onesiphorus’ kindness to the day of judgment?... This again is thoroughly intelligible, if Onesiphorus is already dead.”

Plummer continues, "Having thus concluded that, according to the more probable and reasonable view, the passage before us contains a prayer offered up by the Apostle on behalf of one who is dead, we seem to have obtained his sanction, and therefore the sanction of Scripture, for using similar prayers ourselves... This passage may be quoted as reasonable evidence that the death of a person does not extinguish our right or our duty to pray for him."

19th century Protestant James Maurice Wilson writes, "We have, therefore, the sanction of St. Paul for remembering inn our prayers, and interceding for those who have now passed into the other world."

Sydney Charles Gayford, 1905: "The most satisfactory explanation is that Onesiphorus was dead."

John Henry Bernard, 1899: "On the whole then it seems probable that Onesiphorus was dead when St. Paul prayed on his behalf."

Donald Guthrie, The Tyndale New Testament Commentaries: "Since it is assumed by many scholars that Onesiphorus was by now dead, the question has been raised whether this sanctions prayer for the dead... Some Protestants agree with this judgment and cite the Jewish precedent of 2 Macc 12:43-45."

William Barclay writes, "There are many who feel that the implication is that Onesiphorus is dead. It is for his family that Paul first prays. Now, if he was dead, this passage shows us Paul praying for the dead, for it shows him praying that Onesiphorus may find mercy on the last day."

Notable Protestant scholar JND Kelly notes, "On the assumption, which must be correct, that Onesiphorus was dead when the words were written, we have here an example, unique in the N.T., of Christian prayer for the departed... Intercession for the dead had been sanctioned in Pharisaic circles at any rate since the date of 2 Macc 12:43-45. Inscriptions in the Roman catacombs and elsewhere prove that the practice established itself among Christians from very early times."

Charles John Ellicott, in A New Testament Commentary for English Readers, 1884, writes, "There is but little doubt that when St. Paul wrote this Epistle Onesiphorus’ death must have recently taken place... We here in common with Roman Catholic interpreters and the majority of the later expositors of the Reformed Church, assume that Onesiphorus was dead when St. Paul wrote to Timothy, and that the words used had reference to St. Paul’s dead friend."

So here we have St. Paul giving us an example of praying for the dead, right in line with his theology of those who must pass through the purging fire and be disciplined for their venial sins as is taught in 1 Corinthians 3:15, and the Jewish practice of praying for the dead as shown in 2 Maccabees 12:40-46.

The practice of praying for the dead traces all the way back to the martyr Church of the patristic era, as noted in catacomb inscriptions asking for God's mercy on the departed, and in ancient liturgies where the Church included commemorations for the dead. For example, the early Liturgy of St. James contains this prayer: "Remember, O Lord, those whom we have remembered and those whom we have not remembered, men of the true faith… do thou thyself give them rest there in the land of the living, in thy kingdom."

Tertullian, in 198AD, writes: "...and if we interpret the last farthing to be the light offense which is to be expiated there before the resurrection, no one will doubt that he should undergo some punishments in Hades, without prejudice to the fullness of the resurrection, after which recompense will be made through the flesh also."

St. Cyril of Jerusalem, in his masterful Catechetical Lectures, 4th century, writes: “...we call upon God for those who have already fallen asleep... for we believe that it will be of very great benefit to the souls of those for whom the petition is carried up, while this holy and most solemn sacrifice is laid out."

St. Ephraim, 4th century: "Me, conceived in sorrows, bury with lamentations, and instead of perfumes assist me with your prayers; for the dead are benefited by the prayers of living Saints."

St. Ambrose: "Blessed shall both of you be [deceased Gratian and Valentinian], if my prayers can avail anything. No day shall pass you over in silence. No prayer of mine shall omit to honor you. No night shall hurry by without bestowing on you a mention in my prayers. In every one of the oblations will I remember you."

So we see that in 2 Timothy 1:18, St. Paul showed us an example of praying for the dead. And this is backed up by Protestant scholarship as well as the practice of the Early Church. This is further evidence for the dogma of Purgatory.