Jacques Le Goff: The Birth of Purgatory

*The Birth of Purgatory* is a study that examines the formation process of the new imaginary world of "Purgatory" over the centuries following its emergence, along with its religious and mythological background. The Christian imaginary world, in which a believer's life changes when they believe that everything does not end in death, signifies the emergence of the faith in Purgatory. It triggers a fundamental spiritual revolution by transforming the relationship between the time of the afterlife, the historical time of the present world, and eschatological time. The author traces how this faith in "Purgatory"—or the "third place"—was formed over centuries since ancient Judaism and Christianity, and demonstrates the process of its rapid development following its birth in the 12th century, the blossoming period of medieval European civilization. Furthermore, the author explores how Christian-centered Western history relates to this period. The exploration of "Purgatory," spanning from the imaginary world of antiquity to Dante's *Divine Comedy*, demonstrates just how closely the thought foundation of a society is intertwined with the structure of the human mind.

Korean title: 연옥의 탄생

Korean author: 자크 르 고프

Korean publisher: 문학과지성사

ISBN-13: 9788932011998