treasury of merits

American  

noun

Roman Catholic Church.

1. the superabundant store of merits and satisfactions, comprising those of Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the saints.

---

Etymology

Origin of treasury of merits

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

In exchange for a meritorious work�frequently, contributing to a worthy cause or making a pilgrimage to a shrine�the church would dispense a sinner from his temporal punishment through its "treasury of merits."

From Time Magazine Archive

The connexion of the mediaeval doctrine of the treasury of merits with the similar Jewish doctrine needs to be traced out.

From St. Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians A Practical Exposition by Gore, Charles

In the same way the conception of a treasury of merits, afterwards perverted in the system of indulgences, belongs to an organic theory and practice of society.

From The Unity of Civilization by Various