coelum empireum

English

Geocentric celestial spheres; Peter Apian's Cosmographia (Antwerp, 1539)

Alternative forms

• coelum empyreum, caelum empireum, caelum empyreum

Etymology

From Latin coelum empireum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsiːləm ɛmˌpaɪɹiəm/, /ˈsiːləm ɛmˌpɪɹiəm/, /ˈsiːləm ɪmˌ-/

Noun

coelum empireum (uncountable)

1. (historical) The outermost part of the cosmos in the Ptolemaic system; Heaven.
   • 1978, G. R. Potter, Zwingli, published 1984, page 17:

     Around [the earth] circled the stars in primum mobile and above this the heaven, coelum empireum, where Christ sat at the right hand of God

   • 2002, Eric L. Saak, High Way to Heaven: The Augustinian Platform Between Reform and Reformation, 1292–1524, page 426:

     After the death of the individual, the individual’s soul, if it is blessed, is taken to the celum empyreum to await the resurrection of the body.

   • 2010, Paul Richard Blum, Philosophy of Religion in the Renaissance, page 133:

     The Ptolemaic cosmos that depicted a Primum Mobile as the first sphere below the coelum empireum (also defined as habitaculum Dei) was well consistent with this thought.

Latin

Alternative forms

• coelum empyreum, caelum empireum, caelum empyreum

Etymology

From coelum (alternative form of caelum) + empireus (from πῦρ (pûr)).

Noun

coelum empireum n (genitive coelī empireī); second declension

1. (post-classical) coelum empireum (outermost part of the cosmos in the Ptolemaic system)
   • c. 1190, Alexander Neckam, De Naturis Rerum, 1863 edition, Longman, Green, Longman, Roberts, and Green, page 21:

     Quis enim locus cœlo empireo sanctior?

     For which place is more holy than the coelum empireum?

   • 1585, Hieronymus Theutonicus, Summa Theologiæ D. Th. Aquinatis, Doct. Angelici. iuxta præcipuas illius concluſiones in compendium redactæ, Tomus Primus, Damiano Zenario, page 471:

     Ergo & corpora ſanctorum, mouebuntur, ſcilicet aſcendendo de terra in cœlum empireum.

     Therefore also the bodies of the saints will be moved, to wit by ascending from the Earth to the coelum empireum.

   • 1607, Ioannes Maior, editor, Magnum Speculum Exemplorum, Johannes van Keerbergen, page 338:

     Percontatus de hoc peregrinus reſpondit: in cœlo empireo vbi reſidet corpus Chriſti.

     Questioned about this, the traveler answered: in the coelum empireum, where the body of Christ resides.