HEAVEN, among Christian divines and philosophers,
is considered as a place in some remote part of infinite
space, in which the omnipresent Deity is said to af-
ford a nearer and more immediate view of himself,
and a more sensible manifestation of his glory, than
in the other parts of the universe. This is often called
the empyrean, from that splendour with which it
is supposed to be invested; and of this place the in-
spired writers give us the most noble and magnificent
descriptions.
The Pagans considered heaven as the residence only
of the celestial gods, into which no mortals were ad-
mitted after death, unless they were deified. As for
the souls of good men, they were consigned to the ely-
sian fields. See ELYSIAN Fields.