In ancient European cosmologies inspired by Aristotle , the Empyrean Heaven , Empyreal or simply the Empyrean , was the place in the highest heaven , which was supposed to be occupied by the element of fire (or aether in Aristotle 's natural philosophy). The word derives from the Medieval Latin empyreus , an adaptation of the Ancient Greek empyros ( ἔμπυρος ), meaning "in or on the fire ( pyr )".
25-573: In Christian religious cosmologies, the Empyrean was "the source of light" and where God and saved souls resided, and in medieval Christianity, the Empyrean was the third heaven and beyond "the heaven of the air and the heaven of the stars." The Empyrean was thus used as a name for the incorporeal "heaven of the first day", and in Christian literature for the dwelling-place of God, the blessed, celestial beings so divine they are made of pure light, and
50-407: A crisis of his or her faith. Nor does the plot need to turn on whether any given character is a Christian or not - although many Christian novels do have plots that explicitly reference persecution (in the past, the present, or the future), Bible history , or unfulfilled prophecy (as in the immensely popular Left Behind series ). Popular authors of Christian novels include Francine Rivers in
75-1014: A happy ending (good prevails over evil in all books), adheres to a decency code (certain boundaries such as sexuality, strong language, and topics of such cannot be crossed), and that Christian fiction is created for defined boundaries within a particular community. She also notes that a Christian fiction writer must comply with certain restraints such as: Publishers of Christian novels include B&H Publishing Group, Baker Publishing Group (whose imprints include Baker Academic, Baker Books, Bethany House , Brazos Press, Chosen, and Revell), Bridge-Logos Foundation, David C. Cook , HarperCollins Christian ( Thomas Nelson ) and Zondervan , Harvest House , Howard Publishing (a division of Simon & Schuster ), Kregel Publications , Tyndale House , and Waterbrook Press (a division of Random House ). Such novels are today marketed world-wide through Christian bookstores and online distributors, such as ChristianBook .com and Amazon.com, respectively. Urban Christian fiction
100-491: A conservative Christian subculture, particularly in North America, has given rise to a specific genre of Christian novel. Books such as Love Comes Softly by Janette Oke (1979) and This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti (1985), combining a specific brand of conservative Christian theology with a popular romance or thriller form, have gained approval in the subculture, just as in earlier times Ben-Hur: A Tale of
125-439: A work of fiction focusing on religious events and worldviews. Christian novels are works of imaginative literature drawing on Christian themes, theology, and social norms. The European Christian literary tradition dates back centuries, and draws on past Christian allegorical literature, such as Dante Alighieri 's Divine Comedy and John Bunyan 's The Pilgrim's Progress and The Holy War . Twentieth century proponents of
150-588: Is an Imprint of the Kensington Publishing Corp . It is a genre in which conflicting stories of emotion and vividness mixes God, the urban church, and faith. The stories usually portray African-American or Latino characters who have God at the center of their lives. Violence and sex is not normally included, but may appear whenever necessary for the story line. The Urban Christian publishing company also publishes other subdivisions including urban renaissance and urban soul. Novels such as In
175-406: Is edited by Mark Eaton, Matthew Smith, and Caleb Spencer, faculty at Azusa Pacific University. Philosophy, plays, lyrical poetry, biography, narrative writings, novels included, most of the theological and hagiographical works are not included. Christian novel#Modern American Christian novels Christian novels are a genre of novels in the tradition of Christian literature , written as
200-409: Is sometimes harder to define than Christian non-fiction. Christian themes are not always explicit. Some Christian fiction, such as that of C. S. Lewis , draws on the allegorical writings of the past. There can also be argument as to whether the works of a Christian author are necessarily Christian fiction. For example, while there are undoubted Christian themes within J. R. R. Tolkien 's The Lord of
225-469: The romance subgenre, and Ted Dekker and Robert Liparulo in the thriller/suspense subgenre. Other authors of Christian novels include Karen Kingsbury , Judith McCoy Miller , Kristena Mears, Tracie Peterson , Bethany Kennedy Scanlon, Tosca Lee and Robert Whitlow . Some authors of Christian novels have received a mixed reception within the conservative Christian community. William P. Young 's best-selling theological novel The Shack , for example,
250-470: The 7th century onwards, the idea of the Empyrean gained traction in the faith because of writers like Isidore of Seville and Bede . Christian literature Christian literature is the literary aspect of Christian media , and it constitutes a huge body of extremely varied writing. While falling within the strict definition of literature, the Bible is not generally considered literature. However,
275-742: The Bible has been treated and appreciated as literature; the King James Version in particular has long been considered a masterpiece of English prose, whatever may be thought of its religious significance. Several retellings of the Bible, or parts of the Bible, have also been made with the aim of emphasising its literary qualities. Devotionals are often used by Christians in order to help themselves grow closer in their relationship with God and learn how to put their faith into practice. Letters, theological treatises and other instructive and devotional works have been produced by Christian authors since
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#1732771799961300-562: The Bible. These became widespread in Europe by the end of the fifteenth century. During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries these developed into the Morality play , an allegorical play intended to exhort the audience to the virtuous life. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries theatre was generally seen as wicked, and the church made attempts to suppress it. In the twentieth century churches, particularly evangelical churches, rediscovered
325-628: The Christ helped make the novel acceptable to conservative religious people of the day. Publication of such Christian novels has increased greatly from this beginning, and excellence in the genre is now recognised by the Christy Awards , although an article in Christianity Today recently argued that such use of popular forms risks "foisting on the world impoverished - even laughable - expressions of those genres." In North America,
350-460: The Christian novel has evolved into a specific genre of its own, written explicitly by and for Christians of a particular type. Such a Christian novel does not have to involve an actual event or character in Bible history. A novel can be Christian in this sense merely because one of its characters either comes to a Christian understanding of God and of man's need for salvation from sin, or faces
375-758: The Christian novel in English include J.R.R. Tolkien , G. K. Chesterton , Robert Hugh Benson , C.S. Lewis , and Madeleine L'Engle . Aslan in Lewis' The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe allegorically represents Christ , for example, while L'Engle's A Live Coal in the Sea explicitly references the medieval allegorical poem Piers Plowman . Many novels with Christian themes also fall into specific mainstream fiction genres. For example, J.R.R. Tolkien 's The Lord of
400-462: The Rings is viewed as mainstream fantasy , while Julian May 's Galactic Milieu Series is viewed as mainstream science fiction, in spite of the references to the work of Jesuit priest Pierre Teilhard de Chardin . Similarly, G. K. Chesterton 's Father Brown stories are mainstream detective fiction , even though the main character is a Catholic priest. In the last few centuries the existence of
425-467: The Rings , they are always kept below the surface. Other possible examples of Christian fiction include the works of G. K. Chesterton and George Macdonald . In the last few decades the existence of a Christian subculture, particularly in North America, has given rise to a specific genre of Christian novel , written by and for Christians of a particular type (i.e., conservative Evangelical Protestants), and generally with explicit Christian themes. Unlike
450-672: The Shadows of Myrmidons by B. Lloyd Reese and Nicholas J. Rzepczynsk fall into the Young Adult/ Superhero genre. Some best-selling authors in this genre for 2012 were Kimberla Lawson Roby, Victoria Christopher Murray, Tony Dungy, Lutishia Lovely, Neta Jackson, Keyon C. Polite, Serita Jakes (wife of Bishop T.D. Jakes ), and ReShonda Tate Billingsley. Some best-selling authors in this genre for 2015 were Jonathan Cahn, Karen Kingsbury , William Paul Young, Sarah Price (author) and Francine Rivers . Urban Christian fiction
475-401: The field of Christian fiction smaller niche markets have emerged aimed at specific denominations, notably Catholic fiction and Latter Day Saints Fiction . There are also Christian fiction that is aimed at wider mainstream audiences, such as the best selling Left Behind series. Throughout the medieval period churches in Europe frequently performed mystery plays , retelling the stories of
500-627: The reader) was in use at the time of the Reformation and continues to be used as a part of proselytization . Allegory is a style of literature having the form of a story, but using symbolic figures, actions, or representations to express truths—Christian truths, in the case of Christian allegory. Beginning with the parables of Jesus , there has been a long tradition of Christian allegory, including Dante Alighieri 's Divine Comedy , John Bunyan 's The Pilgrim's Progress , and Hannah Hurnard 's Hinds' Feet on High Places . Christian fiction
525-496: The source of light and creation. Notably, at the very end of Dante 's Paradiso , Dante visits God in the Empyrean. The word is used both as a noun and as an adjective, but empyreal is an alternate adjective form. The scientific words empyreuma and empyreumatic , applied to the characteristic smell of the burning or charring of vegetable or animal matter, have the same Greek origin. Early Christians took inspiration from Aristotle's cosmology in their reckoning of heaven. From
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#1732771799961550-529: The times of Jesus. For early Christian times almost all writing would be non-fiction, including letters, biblical commentaries, doctrinal works and hagiography . See Patristics . Since the invention of the printing press non-fictional literature has been used for the dissemination of the Christian message, and also for disseminating different viewpoints within Christianity. The tract (a small pamphlet containing an explanation of some point, or an appeal to
575-411: The use of theatre as a form of outreach and as a valid art form. Christianity & Literature is a peer-reviewed literary periodical, published quarterly, on literature's encounters with Christian thought and history. The journal presupposes no particular theological orientation but respects an orthodox understanding of Christianity as a historically defined faith. It is published by Sage and currently
600-627: The works of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien , such novels are often marketed exclusively to Christians and sold in Christian bookshops. The Christy Awards honour excellence in this genre. In the late 20th century, with the rise of the Christian Right in American society, Christian-themed fiction has thrived. Examples include the works of Tim LaHaye , Jerry B. Jenkins , Frank Peretti , Ted Dekker , Tosca Lee , Randy Alcorn, Francine Rivers , Wayne Thomas Batson, and Janette Oke . Within
625-539: Was strongly criticised by some reviewers. American writer Sue Monk Kidd interrogated Christian religion through the lens of feminist theology throughout her work, depicting a direct reinterpretation of the life of Jesus in The Book of Longings (2020). Deborah Bryan of the Kansas Library Association suggests that this genre of books typically promotes values, teaches a lesson, always has
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