diff --git a/gcc/cp/ChangeLog b/gcc/cp/ChangeLog
index bdbdd36389b2..3dc569c0596b 100644
--- a/gcc/cp/ChangeLog
+++ b/gcc/cp/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,12 @@
+2004-01-10  Giovanni Bajo  <giovannibajo@gcc.gnu.org>
+
+	DR 337
+	PR c++/9256
+	* pt.c (tsubst): Substitution must fail if we are attempting to 
+	create an array with element type that is an abstract class type.
+	* decl.c (cp_finish_decl): Strip pointers and array types recursively
+	before calling abstract_virtuals_error.
+
 2004-01-09  Alexandre Oliva  <aoliva@redhat.com>
 
 	* name-lookup.c (qualified_lookup_using_namespace): Consider
diff --git a/gcc/cp/decl.c b/gcc/cp/decl.c
index c7a294d9b2f7..3ce6d0a4b6c0 100644
--- a/gcc/cp/decl.c
+++ b/gcc/cp/decl.c
@@ -4879,8 +4879,19 @@ cp_finish_decl (tree decl, tree init, tree asmspec_tree, int flags)
 	  || TREE_CODE (type) == METHOD_TYPE)
 	abstract_virtuals_error (decl,
 				 strip_array_types (TREE_TYPE (type)));
+      else if (POINTER_TYPE_P (type) || TREE_CODE (type) == ARRAY_TYPE)
+      {
+	/* If it's either a pointer or an array type, strip through all
+	   of them but the last one. If the last is an array type, issue 
+	   an error if the element type is abstract.  */
+	while (POINTER_TYPE_P (TREE_TYPE (type)) 
+	       || TREE_CODE (TREE_TYPE (type)) == ARRAY_TYPE)
+	  type = TREE_TYPE (type);
+	if (TREE_CODE (type) == ARRAY_TYPE)
+	  abstract_virtuals_error (decl, TREE_TYPE (type));
+      }
       else
-	abstract_virtuals_error (decl, strip_array_types (type));
+	abstract_virtuals_error (decl, type);
 
       if (TREE_CODE (decl) == FUNCTION_DECL 
 	  || TREE_TYPE (decl) == error_mark_node)
diff --git a/gcc/cp/pt.c b/gcc/cp/pt.c
index 6b099a1d3ab2..040476c2181d 100644
--- a/gcc/cp/pt.c
+++ b/gcc/cp/pt.c
@@ -6975,7 +6975,8 @@ tsubst (tree t, tree args, tsubst_flags_t complain, tree in_decl)
 	   The deduction may fail for any of the following reasons: 
 
 	   -- Attempting to create an array with an element type that
-	      is void, a function type, or a reference type.  */
+	      is void, a function type, or a reference type, or [DR337] 
+	      an abstract class type.  */
 	if (TREE_CODE (type) == VOID_TYPE 
 	    || TREE_CODE (type) == FUNCTION_TYPE
 	    || TREE_CODE (type) == REFERENCE_TYPE)
@@ -6984,6 +6985,13 @@ tsubst (tree t, tree args, tsubst_flags_t complain, tree in_decl)
 	      error ("creating array of `%T'", type);
 	    return error_mark_node;
 	  }
+	if (CLASS_TYPE_P (type) && CLASSTYPE_PURE_VIRTUALS (type))
+	  {
+	    if (complain & tf_error)
+	      error ("creating array of `%T', which is an abstract class type", 
+		     type);
+	    return error_mark_node;	    
+	  }
 
 	r = build_cplus_array_type (type, domain);
 	return r;