¹ The admirable page of your letter has always shone brightly before me, but now it gleams even more abundantly with the twin light of eloquence and faith, as it inquires about the state of the soul and, with anxious fear, sighs over the coming judgment. For divine Scripture says in one place: “Wisdom will be reckoned to the one who asks rightly”. Indeed, a certain part of knowledge is knowing what you do not know and wisely seeking out those things that, in ignorance, you fail to understand.

² First, you thought it necessary to inquire whether, in moments of extreme necessity, a fleeting repentance can erase grave offenses. A person deceives himself with a harmful persuasion if he believes that the stains accumulated over a long life can be erased by sudden and now useless lamentations. At the moment when confession is possible, true satisfaction is not. For since God is not mocked, one deceives himself who has lived in sin for many years and, when already half-dead, rises to seek life—so that he may appear devout precisely when all the faculties of body and soul have been taken from him in service to the Lord.

³ In pursuing the healing of the inner man, it is not enough merely to desire to receive grace; rather, the benefit must be realized through action. For we read: “If the sinner does penance for his sins” (note that it says does penance, not merely accepts it), “he shall live in the righteousness that he has worked”. You see, then, that this kind of healing must not only be sought with words but fulfilled through deeds. It seems like an insult to God for a man to refuse to come to the Physician when he could, and then to begin wanting it only when he can no longer do so. Therefore, the same fervent and reckless passion that once drove the mind into sin must now be matched by equal devotion in healing its wounds.

⁴ Secondly, you asked whether faith alone, along with knowledge of the Trinity, is sufficient for salvation. In divine matters, not only is belief required, but also the act of pleasing God. Faith, therefore, if it is without merits, is empty and useless, just as the Apostle says: “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?”. He then continues: “Faith, if it does not have works, is dead in itself”. And again: “Someone may say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’ Show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith by my works”.

⁵ From this, it is clear that mere belief alone is not sufficient. For even the devil is found to know and believe in God, as the same Apostle says: “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble”. And further: “Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith without works is dead?”. “Was not our father Abraham justified by works?”. And so that we may not place our hope in faith alone, he concludes: “Just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead”. Without works, a person is empty.

⁶ For the sake of brevity, we omit many similar testimonies. But consider the Apostle Paul, through whom the Lord spoke as if from His own temple—did he judge that faith alone was enough to overcome the evils of the world? He says: “I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest after preaching to others, I myself should be disqualified”. See how he fears being disqualified through the vices of the body, how he dreads becoming a vessel of dishonour through the deadly stains of fleshly passions—he who had already been made a chosen vessel.

⁷ Let us see whether faith alone can defend the one who recklessly squanders his life, and whether those who have been baptized, as you say, can no longer perish. Recognize how carnal evils make a person alien to God, enslaved to shameful pleasures. The Apostle says to the Galatians: “The works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, debauchery, murder, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. Those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God”. And to the Ephesians: “No fornicator, or impure person, or greedy one—who is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God”. He says serving idols happens whenever something is loved with the desire that should be reserved for God. Such a person is rightly compared to idolaters. Without a doubt, he is excluded from the kingdom, enslaved to hell and death. And it is clear that many baptized people, despite their faith, perish eternally in various ways.

⁸ Divine Scripture rebukes not only those who violate faith or despise baptism but also those who neglect to show mercy, saying: “Judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful”, and again: “I was hungry, and you did not give me food; I was thirsty, and you did not give me drink; I was a stranger, and you did not welcome me; naked, and you did not clothe me”. If those in this condemned group had been unbaptized, their unbelief and impiety would have been the first charges against them. But they are baptized—yet, because they are empty of good works, they are consigned to death and abandoned to everlasting flames. The severity of this judgment is stated plainly: “Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels”, and again: “He will gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire”, and likewise: “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life”

⁹ From these passages, let everyone see to it that they do not accuse God of falsehood regarding His promise of reward, for whoever doubts the eternity of punishment must also doubt the eternity of glory. But this is not so, for the One who knows how to reward merit also knows how to punish sin. Thus, these three grave sins—sacrilege, adultery, and murder—if not expiated here through the remedies of true and complete repentance, will be consumed in eternal flames. We do not read that these merciless ones abandoned faith and baptism, but by divine authority, we know they have deserved everlasting death.

¹⁰ And let this also prompt your careful reflection for the future: do souls, once freed from the body, lose their capacity for perception, understanding, and affection? Let us question that rich man in the Gospel—not wandering through the breezes, as the fictions of poets claim, but confined in the prison of hell, among those who await their punishment. There, before the appointed day of judgment, he was tormented by the flames of his own conscience. Moved by concern for his brothers, who were still living in this world, he persistently pleaded across the vast and impassable chasm in earnest conversation with Abraham, stirred by a vivid memory of his kin. Thus, he begged on behalf of the living: “I beg you, Father Abraham, send Lazarus to my father’s house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they too may not come to this place of torment. If someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent”.

¹¹ Behold—though imprisoned in the dungeon of hell and beyond any remedy for himself, he still retains his natural affection for his own. And while a condemned soul pleads for sinners, this demonstrates that even among the righteous, who breathe freely within the paradise of God, there remains great concern for the well-being of their loved ones.

¹² As for what you ask—what is either given or taken away from the wicked after death—concerning whom it is written: “The desire of the wicked will perish”—once their earthly cravings and ambition for honours are removed, only the burden of giving an account and the dread of an unbearable judgment will remain. Their senses will not be taken away, but rather, they will be made more keen and alert for the contemplation of the world to come.

¹³ As for your question about whether the soul is corporeal or incorporeal, recognize this: only that which is not bound by time or confined by spatial limits—qualities that belong to God alone—can truly be called incorporeal. One of the most distinguished teachers, when asked where God is, answered in this way: “God is not in any place; for whatever is in a place is contained within it, and whatever is contained within a place is a body.” Since this is the case, all flesh is a body, though not every body is flesh.

¹⁴ Not only the soul but also the invisible and celestial substance of the angels is contained within spatial limits. For this reason, it is proven that they are corporeal and comprehensible to their Creator. After all, what is corporeal if not something that, when cast down from the heights of heaven, yields to a change in location? What is it that experiences a fall? What is it that is destined for the punishment of eternal fire?

¹⁵ Furthermore, The blessed Lazarus, after receiving the service of the dogs that licked his wounds, was carried by the hands of angels. As we read: “The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom”. In this, he demonstrated that his soul was corporeal, since it was transported by angelic ministry to Abraham’s bosom—that is, to a remote and blessed refuge.

¹⁶ Likewise, the holy prophet declares concerning his soul: “Bring my soul out of prison”, meaning, out of the narrow constraints of its bodily dwelling. Thus, given that the soul is wounded by the arrows of sin or is raised up through transformations until it attains the glory of God’s image, it is beyond doubt that the soul is corporeal, since it can be grasped and transported by both God and the angels.

¹⁷ It is necessary to inquire why, when both man—that is, both soul and body—sinned in the region of paradise at the devil’s persuasion, only the flesh suffered the penalty of death as the consequence of transgression, while the common guilt remained, yet the punishment affected only one part.

¹⁸ We must understand, then, that death did not reach the soul because the Lord placed His image and likeness within it. For just as God is immortal, merciful, just, and patient, so too He has infused these gifts of virtue into the very essence of our inner being. The more a person becomes patient, just, and merciful, the more they appear to possess the gift of divine participation. As the Apostle says: “That Christ may dwell in your inner being through faith”.

¹⁹ You also ask why the soul shares in some way with the body the consequences of bodily error. Just as original sin encompasses both because of their shared bodily dwelling—binding both equally in the fellowship of sin—so too they share a common cause in the commission of offenses, just as they will receive equal glory in the reward for virtue.

²⁰ For the external self would never fall into the depths of indulgence unless the inner self first gave its consent. Let us examine ourselves, and we will recognize within us that the mind exercises authority while the body serves in submission—the body provides its service, while the mind gives counsel. Obedience from the servant would cease if the will of the master did not precede it. Thus, it is necessary that they experience the same condition in condemnation, just as they will rejoice together in their reward.

²¹ The soul, though immortal, is still tormented by mortal vices. Mortal evils exist for a time, but the torment of the wicked will be eternal, and the crosses of sins will remain even after vices have perished. The inferior substance will be handed over to judgment in such a way that it refines the better material, just as the mixture of lead forces gold to be purified by melting.

²² Thus, man, because of his mortal sins, will die to God and live for hell. There, death will be such that one is not permitted to die in suffering.

²³ You also extend your concern to this question: whether the soul and the spirit are the same or how they are distinguished. We recognize that there are only two substances in man—soul and body. However, spirit is sometimes understood as something natural, and at other times as an accident. For at times, “spirit” is used to mean the soul, while at other times it signifies the inclination of virtue or a spiritual disposition. In this sense, the same person can be, at different times, carnal, natural (soulish), or spiritual.

²⁴ The carnal are those of whom the Lord says: “My Spirit shall not remain in these men forever, because they are flesh”, and of whom the Apostle says: “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God”. A person is carnal when he surrenders himself to his belly and throat, indulging in excessive eating and drinking, and when he regards the good of life as nothing more than gluttony and voraciousness.

²⁵ However, a person is called “natural” (soulish) when, though thinking little of God, he is moved by worldly prudence to concern himself with certain matters of foresight—whether in investigating the hidden causes of things out of a restless curiosity or in pursuing philosophical studies. Concerning this, the Apostle says: “The natural man does not perceive the things of the Spirit of God”.

²⁶ A person begins to be spiritual when he desires what is honourable, holy, and spiritual; when he rises with vigour of heart to the worship of divine fear; when he invites the Holy Spirit into himself through bodily purity and the preservation of chastity. Of such a person, the Apostle’s words may be applied: “You are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwells in you”. These things are not innate to man by nature but are granted through grace, so that they may be lost through neglect and sin. Thus, the same Apostle warns: “If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him”.

²⁷ Behold, through faith, one is not only baptized but also appears to be a temple of God, and yet, through various sins, he will be destroyed by God’s severity. In this passage, we should understand the term “destruction” as referring to the eternal ruin of the lost soul. Without a doubt, those who are counted among the baptized are considered members of Christ. But see how they are compared to the lost, how they degenerate from the dignity of being children [of God] through their sinful actions, as the Apostle says: “Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute?”.

²⁸ Those, too, had most clearly received the gifts of the second birth, even excelling in the diversity of spiritual gifts, about whom the Lord says in the Gospel:

²⁹ “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons, and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness!’”.

³⁰ Who could fail to understand that those who are commanded to depart from the Father’s presence are rejected from salvation? Without doubt, death will claim as its own those whom life—which is Christ—has disowned. Do you doubt that the baptized can be handed over to destruction for their sins, when you know that baptism itself can be rendered void through manifold crimes?

³¹ Now, as your discourse has drawn from the poet—according to what the text contains—and has reckoned fire to be the essence of a simple soul, this can only properly be said of the divine substance alone, to which nothing is added, nothing is conferred from a higher source, and nothing consists of any external composition. He is at once just and justice itself, living and life itself, wise and wisdom itself, virtue and the very source of virtues. For in His supreme goodness, He is that which He possesses.

³² However, man can be understood as having a dual nature: he can be called living, just, and wise, but he cannot be called life, justice, or wisdom itself. This is because he is clothed in these qualities in such a way that he can sometimes be stripped of them. What is given to man is intrinsic to God. To use an analogy: man is gilded, but God is gold itself—in Him, power and grace are identical with His very nature.

³³ As for what you have insightfully pointed out: If sinners are to suffer all the punishments that Domnus Marinus has described, I do not know what greater torment the impious could deserve. Yet even among eternal torments, there are degrees of punishment: the sinner, guilty of grave offenses, may endure countless, albeit somewhat bearable, sufferings, while the impious will be tortured with unheard-of agonies.

³⁴ Baptismal grace could indeed shield a man from eternal death—if its integrity and dignity were never lost in anyone. It is a grave offense when a heretic refuses to receive it, but no less serious is the offense of a Christian who has received it and then lost it. For even the man who, relying on his baptism, presumptuously forced his way into the wedding feast of the sacred assembly, having lost the radiance of purity, was cast out from the glorious gathering of the righteous and thrust into the outer darkness.

³⁵ How can one believe that a man still possesses the pure whiteness of holy regeneration if he is incestuous, a sorcerer, a murderer—or if, by suicide, whether by throwing himself down or by hanging, he cuts off his life and passes into the lot of the impious?

³⁶ We read that unquenchable flames have been prepared for grave sins, but we do not read that a person living in sin is saved by baptism alone. A dangerous and false security promises itself what heavenly Scripture does not declare, and it is far more perilous not to believe what the truth warns against. The blessed man Marinus, as you say, spoke with warnings on certain matters, but just as what the Lord has promised to those who love Him—something so great that, as the Apostle testifies, it has not entered into the heart of man—so too the boundlessness of future torments surpasses the limits of human understanding. The shadow of a fleeting repentance does not remove such evils, nor does faith without works avert them. The course of this passing world will not be able to halt them, nor will it prevent them from being cast into unquenchable flames. Among those consuming vapors, the soul will slowly recognize and see itself as corporeal.

³⁷ Therefore, let us anticipate the final day with righteous, devout, and pure works, and let us avoid here what it will be useless to fear there. Let us put an end to endless sorrows in this life and, by reflecting wisely on the unbearable fires, secure for ourselves eternal refreshment even from those very flames.

³⁸ However, I am certain of your faith, that the saving testimonies of sincere truth will be more acceptable to you than words adorned with an artificial brilliance. My son Eminentius, our sweet honour, we cherish with fatherly affection. May our Lord fill your admirable greatness with present blessings and make you worthy of eternal ones.