In the 2nd century AD work, Testament
of Isaac, we read the following in 5:10-20 wherein posthumous punishment is
afflicted upon souls who will eventually be saved (cf. 1 Cor 3:15; D&C
76:104-7):
10 Isaac said, “I looked
and, behold, they had agreed on a person and were hurrying him along. 11 And when they had made
a sign to the lions, those who were walking with him withdrew from him. 12 Then the lions turned
upon him, tore him apart in the middle, dismembered him, and chewed and
swallowed him. 13 After this they ejected him from their mouths
and he returned to his original state. 14 And after the lions the
others came forward and did the same thing to him. 15 One after the other
they would take him, and every one of them would chew him, swallow him, and
eject him, and he would return to his original state.” 16 Then I said to the
angel, “O my lord, what is the sin which this man has committed that he should
have to endure a burden like this?”
17 The angel said to me, “It
is because this man, whom you see, was in enmity with his neighbor for five
hours, and he died without having been reconciled with him. 18 So he was handed over
to five of the tormentors that they might torment him a whole year for each of
the five hours which he spent as the enemy of his friend.” 19 Then the angel said to
me, “O my beloved Isaac, see here the sixty myriads who inflict torture for
each hour that the man remains hostile to his neighbor. 20 He is brought here to
these creatures who torture him, each one of them for an hour until a full year
is completed if he had not been making peace and repenting of his sin before
his removal and his separation from his body.” (W.F. Stinespring,
"Testament of Isaac," in James H. Charlesworth, The Old Testament
Pseudepigrapha, Volume 1: Apocalyptic Literature and Testaments [London:
Yale University Press, 1983], 908-9)
I have added this passage to the discussion at:
