literally signifies the expanse of the firmament, surrounding our earth, and extended every way to an immense distance.

The Hebrews acknowledged three heavens: the first, the aerial heaven, in which the birds fly, the winds blow, and the showers are formed; the second, the firmament in which the stars are placed; the third, the heaven of heavens, the residence of the Almighty, and the abode of saints and angels.

Heaven is considered by Christian divines and philosophers, as a place in some remote part of infinite space, in which the omnipresent Deity is said to afford 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 splendor with which it is supposed to be invested; and of this place the inspired 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 admitted after death, unless they were deified. As for the souls of good men, they were configned to the elysian fields. See Elysian Fields.