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| '''Emeth''' is the name of a Calormene character from ]'s book '']'' (from the ] series). Being Calormene, Emeth was raised to follow Tash, the antithesis of ], and did so whole-heartedly. In spite of this, Emeth manages to travel to "Aslan's country" during the final destruction of Narnia, and is welcomed by Aslan. This has caused some controversy with readers who count him a devil-worshiper. Others have used it to illuminate Lewis' views on ], or theology of salvation. | '''Emeth''' is the name of a Calormene character from ]'s book '']'' (from the ] series). Being Calormene, Emeth was raised to follow Tash, the antithesis of ], and did so whole-heartedly. In spite of this, Emeth manages to travel to "Aslan's country" during the final destruction of Narnia, and is welcomed by Aslan. This has caused some controversy with readers who count him a devil-worshiper. Others have used it to illuminate Lewis' views on ], or theology of salvation. | ||
| Aslan's words to ] the Calormene in ''The Last Battle'': | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| {{quote|'''I take to me the services which thou hast done to '''... if any man swear by and keep his oath for the oath's sake, it is by that he has truly sworn, though he know it not, and it is I who reward him.}} | |||
| in which he ratifies the good deeds the latter did even under the name of Tash, are the subject of this controversy. The implication is that people who reflect a righteous heart are to some degree justified, regardless of their belief. This issue is a cornerstone of Christian theology: one party cites the Christian paradigm that faith alone saves, and the other questions the fate of those born and raised into another faith. At any rate, the passage is derived from Paul's speech to the Athenians in Acts 17:23: "I even found an altar with this inscription: ''to an Unknown God''. 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" (NIV). <ref>The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, vol iii, p 163: Lewis mentions the relevant passages in reply to a letter asking about the question.</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | In regards the latter, Emeth is an emphatically good Calormene, whose name derives from Emet (אמת), a ] word that has been variously translated as "truth," "firmness," "veracity," (and similar) when used in the Christian Bible. Thus Lewis denotes Emeth as one who prizes objective truth above all, and Jesus revealed: "I am the Truth" (John 14:6). Therefore Emeth (lover of Truth) ignorantly served the demon Tash but did so as a Narnian might well serve the True God Aslan — dutifully and with love and devotion, to the best of his knowledge interacting receptively with any truly divine light given him — and was thereby allowed to ascend to Aslan's perfect Narnia. | ||
| {{Narnia}} | |||
| == References == | |||
| {{Reflist}} | |||
| ] | ] | ||
Revision as of 01:50, 23 June 2010
- As the word which supposedly activates a golem, see Golem.
 | It has been suggested that this article be merged with List of characters in The Chronicles of Narnia. (Discuss) Proposed since December 2007. |
Template:Infobox Narnia character
Emeth is the name of a Calormene character from C. S. Lewis's book The Last Battle (from the Chronicles of Narnia series). Being Calormene, Emeth was raised to follow Tash, the antithesis of Aslan, and did so whole-heartedly. In spite of this, Emeth manages to travel to "Aslan's country" during the final destruction of Narnia, and is welcomed by Aslan. This has caused some controversy with readers who count him a devil-worshiper. Others have used it to illuminate Lewis' views on soteriology, or theology of salvation.
Aslan's words to Emeth the Calormene in The Last Battle:
I take to me the services which thou hast done to ... if any man swear by and keep his oath for the oath's sake, it is by that he has truly sworn, though he know it not, and it is I who reward him.
in which he ratifies the good deeds the latter did even under the name of Tash, are the subject of this controversy. The implication is that people who reflect a righteous heart are to some degree justified, regardless of their belief. This issue is a cornerstone of Christian theology: one party cites the Christian paradigm that faith alone saves, and the other questions the fate of those born and raised into another faith. At any rate, the passage is derived from Paul's speech to the Athenians in Acts 17:23: "I even found an altar with this inscription: to an Unknown God. What you now worship as something unknown, I am going to proclaim to you" (NIV), and from 1 Timothy 4:10: "God, the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe" (NIV).
In regards the latter, Emeth is an emphatically good Calormene, whose name derives from Emet (אמת), a Hebrew word that has been variously translated as "truth," "firmness," "veracity," (and similar) when used in the Christian Bible. Thus Lewis denotes Emeth as one who prizes objective truth above all, and Jesus revealed: "I am the Truth" (John 14:6). Therefore Emeth (lover of Truth) ignorantly served the demon Tash but did so as a Narnian might well serve the True God Aslan — dutifully and with love and devotion, to the best of his knowledge interacting receptively with any truly divine light given him — and was thereby allowed to ascend to Aslan's perfect Narnia.
References
- The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, vol iii, p 163: Lewis mentions the relevant passages in reply to a letter asking about the question.