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| {{Short description|Fictional character, a good man who worships Tash in The Last Battle (Narnia, book 7)}} | |||
| {{for|the word which purportedly activates a golem|Golem}} | |||
| ⚫ | {{Infobox character | ||
| | name = Emeth | |||
| | series = ] | |||
| | race = ] | |||
| | nationality = ] | |||
| ⚫ | }} | ||
| '''Emeth''' (] אמת : "truth," "firmness," or "veracity") is a ] character from ]'s book '']'' from ] series. He is a controversial character among some Christians who take the ''Chronicles'' to be ] (as opposed to what Lewis intended),<ref name="letters3">{{cite book| last = Lewis| first = C. S.| author-link = C._S._Lewis| title = The Collected Letters of C. S. Lewis, Volume III: Narnia, Cambridge and Joy 1950–1963| publisher = HarperCollins| location = San Francisco| date = 2007| isbn = 9780060819224}}</ref>{{rp|1004–5}} and thus have expressed disagreement with Lewis' apparent ]. Specifically, the ] of Emeth is understood to be an implicit endorsement of the ] idea of ].<ref name=McCormack>{{cite journal|last=McCormack|first=Elissa|title=Inclusivism in the Fiction of C.S. Lewis: The Case of Emeth|journal=Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture|date=2008|volume=11|issue=4|pages=57–73|doi=10.1353/log.0.0017 |s2cid=170304073 }}</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | {{Infobox |
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| |name=Emeth | |||
| |race=] | |||
| |nation=] | |||
| |gender=] | |||
| |major1=The Last Battle | |||
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| ==Story== | |||
| '''Emeth''' (] אמת : "truth," "firmness," or "veracity") is a ] character from ]'s book '']'' (from the ] series). As a Calormene, Emeth was raised to follow Tash, the antithesis of ], and did so with an emphatic devotion and loyalty. Nevertheless, Emeth manages to travel to Aslan's paradisaical country after the destruction of Narnia, and is welcomed by Aslan.<ref name="lastbattle">Lewis, C.S. ''The Last Battle''. London: Harper Collins, 1956. Chp. 15, in which Emeth recounts his history.</ref> Because he worshipped a devil and not God, his acceptance has been controversial with some Christians who disagree with Lewis' ]. | |||
| Emeth is a young Calormene officer, second in command of a detachment of the ]'s soldiers under ] ], who enter Narnia in the guise of merchants. This is part of a conspiracy to seize the north of the country by using the Narnians' faith in a false ] controlled by the ape Shift. While welcoming the chance to distinguish himself in battle, Emeth is troubled by the "lies and trickery" used to portray Aslan as the Narnian version of the Calormene deity ]. When Shift and Rishda set up the notion that "Tashlan" is in a stable, Emeth insists on seeing Tash with his own eyes. Once inside, Emeth kills a Calormene soldier waiting to dispatch anyone sent into the stable and throws his body outside the door. | |||
| The salvation of Emeth then follows. When Emeth finds himself in Aslan's Country, he encounters Aslan himself and realizes that his life spent in service to Tash will result in his condemnation. Aslan, however, explains that Aslan and Tash are opposites: any virtuous act done in Tash's name is actually accepted by Aslan, since Tash can only accept acts of evil. Thus Emeth's devotion to Tash, founded on noble motives, was actually received by Aslan.<ref name="last battle">{{cite book| last = Lewis| first = C. S.| author-link = C.S. Lewis| title = The Last Battle| publisher = Harper Collins| location = London| date = 1956 |isbn = 978-0060234935}}</ref>{{rp|Ch. 15}} | |||
| ⚫ | == |
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| ⚫ | Aslan's words to Emeth, in which he ratifies the good deeds the latter did even under the name of Tash, are the subject of |
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| ⚫ | ==Implications in Christian theology== | ||
| ⚫ | {{ |
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| ⚫ | {{further|Religion in The Chronicles of Narnia}} | ||
| ⚫ | Aslan's words to Emeth, in which he ratifies the good deeds the latter did even under the name of Tash, are the subject of some controversy. | ||
| ⚫ | {{blockquote|I take to me the services which thou hast done to Tash ... if any man swear by him and keep his oath for the oath's sake, it is by me that he has truly sworn, though he know it not, and it is I who reward him."<ref name="last battle" />{{rp|Ch. 15}}}} | ||
| The implication is that people who reflect a righteous heart are to some degree justified, regardless of misbelief. This is a cornerstone of Christian theology: one party cites the Christian paradigm that faith in Christ alone saves, and the other wants to account for the fate of those born and raised into another faith. There has been extensive commentary on the question. In a letter from 1952, Lewis summarized and explained his position: | |||
| Aslan's comment can be understood as a development of Paul's thought in : "No one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, 'Jesus be cursed,' and no one can say, 'Jesus is Lord,' except by the Holy Spirit."{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}} | |||
| ⚫ | {{ |
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| The implication for Christian belief is that people who reflect a righteous heart are justified, regardless of unbelief or misbelief. This relates to a longstanding question in Christian ]: if only explicit faith in Christ saves a person, then the large numbers of people born and raised in other faiths, perhaps even without knowledge of Christianity, seem to have no hope of salvation. The reverse position, that they are saved regardless, represents a type of ].{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}} | |||
| ⚫ | Lewis |
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| Lewis himself contributed to the commentary on this question, for example in a letter from 1952: | |||
| ⚫ | Lewis encountered<ref name=" |
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| ⚫ | {{blockquote|I think that every prayer which is sincerely made even to a false god, or to a very imperfectly conceived true God, is accepted by the true God and that Christ saves many who do not think they know him. For He is (dimly) present in the ''good'' side of the inferior teachers they follow. In the parable of the Sheep and Goats those who are saved do not seem to know that they have served Christ.<ref name="letters3" />{{rp|244–245}}}} | ||
| Perhaps the strongest support for Lewis' case is found in Romans 2:13-15 (TNIV): | |||
| ⚫ | Lewis argues that this view can be derived<ref name="letters3" />{{rp|163}} from the parable of the sheep and goats in , from ]'s speech to the Athenians in ] 17:23: "What you now worship as something unknown, I am going to proclaim to you", and from 1 Timothy 4:10: "God, the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe" (all references ]). | ||
| {{quote|For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.)}} | |||
| ⚫ | Lewis encountered<ref name="letters3" />{{rp|506}} at least one contradiction to this idea in ] 10:14: "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?" (TNIV). This is consistent with Paul's doctrine that though God is already with the pagans, they still need to see him revealed. Lewis, however, replied with ] 1:12-13: "One of you says, 'I follow Paul'; another, 'I follow Apollos'; another, 'I follow ]'; still another, 'I follow ].' -- Is Christ divided?" (TNIV), which he interpreted as indicating the sameness of God regardless of his context. | ||
| A final reply is found in Jesus' words in John 14:6: "No one comes to the Father except through me" (NIV). However, its interpretation is ambiguous: if Jesus meant that he was an object by whose name a person is saved, this verse would discount Lewis' argument. However, Jesus could have meant that he alone made salvation possible (i.e., activated it by his death). | |||
| In Psalm 145:18 (JPS 1999), The LORD is promised to be "near to all who call Him, to all who call Him with sincerity". The word translated as "sincerity" is in fact Emeth (אמת) in the original. | |||
| This last point, however, is the extent of Lewis' discussion of the matter during his life, and therefore of the relevance of Emeth. | |||
| == |
==The Golem== | ||
| The Hebrew word אמת 'Emeth' also figures in Jewish mythology. In one version of the ] legend, the Kabbalist ] crafts in clay a man's form, which he brings to life by writing word אמת on its forehead. When he sees that the golem grows and grows, he realizes that he has a potentially troublesome situation. He knows that if he can erase from the golem's forehead the first letter of 'Emeth', the Hebrew letter א ']', the remaining letters would spell מת 'meth', meaning "death". The rabbi brings the golem's forehead within reach of his hand by commanding the golem to remove his boots. He wipes the letter off of the golem's forehead, but this causes the golem's clay to collapse upon the rabbi.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.threemonkeysonline.com/from-the-clay-of-the-kabala-to-the-steel-of-metropolis-the-golem-myth/|title=The Golem myth as a literary and artistic device|date=December 1, 2004|website=Three Monkeys Online Magazine}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://golem.plush.org/|title=Religious Studies: How to Create a Golem From the Comfort of Home|website=golem.plush.org}}</ref> | |||
| ==References== | |||
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| {{Narnia}} | |||
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Latest revision as of 12:40, 23 September 2024
Fictional character, a good man who worships Tash in The Last Battle (Narnia, book 7) For the word which purportedly activates a golem, see Golem. Fictional character| Emeth | |
|---|---|
| Narnia character | |
| In-universe information | |
| Race | Calormen |
| Nationality | Calormen |
Emeth (Hebrew אמת : "truth," "firmness," or "veracity") is a Calormene character from C. S. Lewis's book The Last Battle from The Chronicles of Narnia series. He is a controversial character among some Christians who take the Chronicles to be allegories (as opposed to what Lewis intended), and thus have expressed disagreement with Lewis' apparent soteriology. Specifically, the salvation of Emeth is understood to be an implicit endorsement of the doctrinal idea of inclusivism.
Story
Emeth is a young Calormene officer, second in command of a detachment of the Tisroc's soldiers under Rishda Tarkaan, who enter Narnia in the guise of merchants. This is part of a conspiracy to seize the north of the country by using the Narnians' faith in a false Aslan controlled by the ape Shift. While welcoming the chance to distinguish himself in battle, Emeth is troubled by the "lies and trickery" used to portray Aslan as the Narnian version of the Calormene deity Tash. When Shift and Rishda set up the notion that "Tashlan" is in a stable, Emeth insists on seeing Tash with his own eyes. Once inside, Emeth kills a Calormene soldier waiting to dispatch anyone sent into the stable and throws his body outside the door.
The salvation of Emeth then follows. When Emeth finds himself in Aslan's Country, he encounters Aslan himself and realizes that his life spent in service to Tash will result in his condemnation. Aslan, however, explains that Aslan and Tash are opposites: any virtuous act done in Tash's name is actually accepted by Aslan, since Tash can only accept acts of evil. Thus Emeth's devotion to Tash, founded on noble motives, was actually received by Aslan.
Implications in Christian theology
Further information: Religion in The Chronicles of NarniaAslan's words to Emeth, in which he ratifies the good deeds the latter did even under the name of Tash, are the subject of some controversy.
I take to me the services which thou hast done to Tash ... if any man swear by him and keep his oath for the oath's sake, it is by me that he has truly sworn, though he know it not, and it is I who reward him."
Aslan's comment can be understood as a development of Paul's thought in 1 Corinthians 12:3: "No one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, 'Jesus be cursed,' and no one can say, 'Jesus is Lord,' except by the Holy Spirit."
The implication for Christian belief is that people who reflect a righteous heart are justified, regardless of unbelief or misbelief. This relates to a longstanding question in Christian soteriology: if only explicit faith in Christ saves a person, then the large numbers of people born and raised in other faiths, perhaps even without knowledge of Christianity, seem to have no hope of salvation. The reverse position, that they are saved regardless, represents a type of inclusivism.
Lewis himself contributed to the commentary on this question, for example in a letter from 1952:
I think that every prayer which is sincerely made even to a false god, or to a very imperfectly conceived true God, is accepted by the true God and that Christ saves many who do not think they know him. For He is (dimly) present in the good side of the inferior teachers they follow. In the parable of the Sheep and Goats those who are saved do not seem to know that they have served Christ.
Lewis argues that this view can be derived from the parable of the sheep and goats in Matthew 25:34-40, from Paul's speech to the Athenians in Acts 17:23: "What you now worship as something unknown, I am going to proclaim to you", and from 1 Timothy 4:10: "God, the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe" (all references NIV).
Lewis encountered at least one contradiction to this idea in Romans 10:14: "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?" (TNIV). This is consistent with Paul's doctrine that though God is already with the pagans, they still need to see him revealed. Lewis, however, replied with 1 Corinthians 1:12-13: "One of you says, 'I follow Paul'; another, 'I follow Apollos'; another, 'I follow Cephas'; still another, 'I follow Christ.' -- Is Christ divided?" (TNIV), which he interpreted as indicating the sameness of God regardless of his context.
In Psalm 145:18 (JPS 1999), The LORD is promised to be "near to all who call Him, to all who call Him with sincerity". The word translated as "sincerity" is in fact Emeth (אמת) in the original.
The Golem
The Hebrew word אמת 'Emeth' also figures in Jewish mythology. In one version of the golem legend, the Kabbalist Elijah Ba'al Shem of Chelm crafts in clay a man's form, which he brings to life by writing word אמת on its forehead. When he sees that the golem grows and grows, he realizes that he has a potentially troublesome situation. He knows that if he can erase from the golem's forehead the first letter of 'Emeth', the Hebrew letter א 'aleph', the remaining letters would spell מת 'meth', meaning "death". The rabbi brings the golem's forehead within reach of his hand by commanding the golem to remove his boots. He wipes the letter off of the golem's forehead, but this causes the golem's clay to collapse upon the rabbi.
References
- ^ Lewis, C. S. (2007). The Collected Letters of C. S. Lewis, Volume III: Narnia, Cambridge and Joy 1950–1963. San Francisco: HarperCollins. ISBN 9780060819224.
- McCormack, Elissa (2008). "Inclusivism in the Fiction of C.S. Lewis: The Case of Emeth". Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture. 11 (4): 57–73. doi:10.1353/log.0.0017. S2CID 170304073.
- ^ Lewis, C. S. (1956). The Last Battle. London: Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0060234935.
- "The Golem myth as a literary and artistic device". Three Monkeys Online Magazine. December 1, 2004.
- "Religious Studies: How to Create a Golem From the Comfort of Home". golem.plush.org.
