"We can't know the message Lewis really intended to come across concerning Emeth, since he is no longer alive to clarify what he meant."

We know from other books he did consider salvation of pagans never reached by Gospel possible.

His take on sheep and goats parable involves jumping a bit on the word "gentes" - "the nations" as if it meant "goyim" in OT terms or "unbelievers" in NT terms.

And he's controversial on that account.

Is Jesus the only way, or is there another way to God besides Christ?

Jesus VERY certainly is the only way. Any Catholic who believes "in Emeth cases" would say such people were unconsciously adoring Christ and none other.

And that is also the solution outlined by Aslan's words to him. It was NOT belief in Tash that saved him as such.

Hans, my question was rhetorical. I certainly agree that Jesus is the only way, truth and life (John 14:6). What about those who have never heard of Jesus, however? Romans 1:18-20 explains that "...God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse." So I believe each man is accountable before God to respond to the Truth given him, even if he has never seen a Bible or heard of Christ.

I think I'd already put this out on the old forum, but here's my two cents. 😛

Emeth was never dead. He hadn't technically died yet.

So I believe each man is accountable before God to respond to the Truth given him, even if he has never seen a Bible or heard of Christ.

So much all sides agree on.

Only disagreements are about:

* will that after publication of Gospel (at least anywhere near one) always result in a Christian conversion before death for those saved, or are there even now cases where the conversion is only implicit in the desire?
* how much of the falsehoods in any false religion can a non-Christian accept and still be finally justified before God?

On the latter theme, CSL once wrote a Buddhist who concentrated on parts of Buddhism conform to Christianity and left other parts of Buddhism into the background might belong to Christ. I wonder if "leaving the other parts in the background" is enough or whether a rejection is required.

It is certain that some non-Christians have had visions and become Christians before arrival of missionaries - but a question on whether these cases are all that are saved or only those that God gave a greater light for the sake of the mission than they absolutely needed for their own salvation.

Emeth was never dead. He hadn't technically died yet.

Getting through the stable door was, with whatever technical difficulty that may involve, equivalent to dying. It ended the period of probation and started the final and eternal bliss or woe. With some delay (according to an idea by CSL) for getting to grips with fact one has died.

This same idea was also used by Peter Kreeft in a novel or short story, formed as a dialogue between three people who died the same day : CSL, John F Kennedy (one hour later if you translate the time over time zones), Aldous Huxley.

[Hans, thanks for the reference to Between Heaven and Hell by Peter Kreeft. I have never read it, but your mention reminded me that it is on my want-to-read list. I like Kreeft, and one of my favorite books, Prayer: the Great Conversation is by him. ]

That said, I agree with Lucy Took. Emeth was not dead. Nor did Ginger die when that vile conspirator went in, saw Tash and then tore out of the stable, reverting to an ordinary speechless cat. Nor were the dwarves dead.

Emeth entered the stable, fought the Calormene set to murder any intruders, and then he had an encounter with Aslan and chose to be His follower. There seems to have been a gap between the time the True Narnia fills the Stable and the end of Time during which individuals could still choose Aslan -- or choose to not choose him, as in the case of the dwarfs.

"which individuals could still choose Aslan -- or choose to not choose him, as in the case of the dwarfs."

Hmm ... I wonder if that is not CSL's own fancy. Confer The Great Divorce.

In that case it is about - after death.

However, we need not agree with CSL. We can agree with Benisse. And Lucy Took.

Beautifully said, Benisse. I could not have said better any other way.

The question of Emeth is a deep one. Is Jesus the only way, or is there another way to God besides Christ? And what about those people who have not had the privilege of hearing the good news of Jesus before they die because culturally they are far from a living vibrant witness?

Here are a couple of principles that I find helpful when thinking about those far from the sound of the gospel.
1. Each person is judged not by what she does Not know about Jesus, but by what she knows about God and how she responds to the light of truth that she has.
Romans 1:18-19
But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

Unfortunately this chapter goes on to explain how most people take the truth that they can learn about God in creation, and instead of worshiping Him they choose to worship creation instead. So their hearts become darkened rather than drawn closer to the light. But this is not to say that someone could never keep responding to God even though his information and understanding is quite limited. An example of this is Acts 8 with the Ethiopian leader who did not understand scripture, or in Acts 10 with the centurion who respected God but did not understand about Jesus until God told him to send for Peter.

2. Those that sincerely seek God will find Him. God promises to be found by those who earnestly search for Him.
Jeremiah 29: 12, 13
Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

Thus God sent supernaturally sent Philip to explain prophecy about Jesus's suffering and sacrifice to the Ethiopian in Acts 8; and through a dream God told Cornelius that his prayers and gifts to others had been received and that he should send for Peter in Joppa. Similarly in the Last Battle, Emeth entered the stable and encountered Aslan, and found it was the Lion whom he had been seeking and trying to serve all his life.

Matthew 25:34-40
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’
“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’

Just as Aslan revealed himself to Emeth and he responded in faith, in cultures in which minimal scriptural truth about Jesus is available God can extend grace and information through dreams or unexpected messengers to help true seekers come to him. I personally know a person who grew up in the countryside of an Islamic country, whose journey toward Jesus began with a longing and a heart seeking after God, and God used dreams in a miraculous way to help him connect with those to help him to the truth.

The way I see Emeth is not that he was admitted to Aslan's country because he was devoutly serving the Light although he called it "Tash." Rather, I see him in process journeying toward the light, responding as best he could to the light he had, longing for what Lewis might term "Joy" although Emeth did not know the true source or Being drawing him onward and upward all his life. Ultimately he entered the stable door seeking to find his god, but instead in there encountered the true light of Aslan and made the joyful discovery that it was Aslan he had been seeking all along. He continued to respond to Aslan after this encounter, and was seeking the Lion when our Narnian friends met up with him.

Psalm 36:9
For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.

"and God used dreams in a miraculous way to help him connect with those to help him to the truth."

Reminds me of my near fan fiction about Schliemann's dream - with a last minute revelation to King Priam and a timely warning, perhaps not heeded, to the Modernist Schliemann.

Should I post a copy in "original fiction"?

You can, if you'd like to, hansgeorg, so long as it's not rated T/PG-13.

"rated T/PG-13"?

If you mean "above thirteen only", I think not.

((ahem)) Getting back on topic ;): By the way, Emeth is Hebrew for "Truth."

Interesting!

Ooh, I like that! I see what you did there, Mr Lewis. 🙂

While Emeth is Hebrew for truth, we do not quite know Emeth cases remaining such until they die are true.

C. S. Lewis' point would be that if you don't know about Christ, but follow His commandments, you know Him as much as you need.

+ All people have access to natural law.

Does this automatically work out like CSL thought here? I can imagine how not.