Eternity

Last updated

Eternity, [a] also referred to as sempiternity [b] [7] or forever, [c] is time with no end [10] i.e. infinite. [11]

Contents

In the context of human life, eternity and death are co-existing realities. [12] [13] [14]

Philosophy

Classical period (8th-7th century BC [d] - 5th-9th century AD) [e] Plato (c. 428–423 BC - 348/347 BC) described time as the moving image of eternity in Timaeus (37 [21] D [22] ) using the word: αἰών. [23] Aristotle (384–322 BC) stated οὐρανοῦ was eternal (in Book I of Περὶ οὐρανοῦ) [24] [25] and an eternal world (in Physics ). [26]

The ancient Greek word for everlastingness was ἀίδιος (aidios) [27] as exists via Plotinus, who also used the word aoin [28] (eternity), in Ennead III.7. [29] The thought of Classical period Augustine, as exists in Book XI of the Confessions, and Boethius (c. 480–524 AD), in Book V of the Consolation of Philosophy were adopted as the reality of the subject for later thinkers in the western tradition of philosophy. [30]

Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679) and many others in the Age of Enlightenment drew on the classical distinction to put forward metaphysical hypotheses such as "eternity is a permanent now". [31]

Religion

Ancient Egyptian eternity terms were neheh, for cyclical time, and djet, for linear. [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] Rameses III [38] (c.1187-1156 B.C.E.) [39] funerary temple [38] was: 'United-with -Eternity' [40]

In Genesis 21:33 of the Old Testament [41] El-Olam [42] is God-Eternal. [41] [42] [43]

Mythic [44] Iliadical [45] [46] ἀθάνατος (athanatos) is the immortal. [44]

Eternity as infinite duration is an important concept in many lives and religions. God or gods are often said to endure eternally, or exist for all time, forever, without beginning or end. Religious views of an afterlife may speak of it in terms of eternity or eternal life. [f] Christian theologians may regard immutability, like the eternal Platonic forms, as essential to eternity. [47] [g]

The ancient greek word for everlasting and, or, eternal exists in the Orphica Hymni . [48]

Boethius stated eternity was: interminabilis vitae tota simul et perfecta possessio, [49] which is translated as "simultaneously full and perfect possession of interminable life". [50] [h] and nunc permanens, which in English is a: permanent now. [49] Thomas Aquinas (c. 1225 – 1274) believed in an eternal God, without either a beginning or end; the concept of eternity is of divine simplicity, thus incapable of being defined or fully understood by humankind. [51]

Physics

The possibility of eternal universes with reference to General Relativity was a subject of physics since the 21st century. [52]

Symbolism

Eternity is often symbolized by the endless snake, swallowing its own tail, the ouroboros. The circle, band, or ring is also commonly used as a symbol for eternity, as is the mathematical symbol of infinity, . Symbolically these are reminders that eternity has no beginning or end.

See also

Notes

    1. ↑ Cicero used the word aeternitatis, written at some uncertain time between the years 88 - 81 BC [1] (work: De Inventione 1, 27, 39. [2] : tempus autem est—id quo nunc utimur, nam ipsum quidem generaliter definire difficile est—pars quaedam aeternitatis cum alicuius annui, menstrui, diurni nocturnive spatii certa significatione. [3] ) which is an early or the earliest extant written form from which the English word is derived; [4] first shown in history in an approx. 1374 translation by Chaucer. [5] The first usage in French is 1175: eternitez: B. de Ste-Maure, 'Ducs Normandie. [6]
    2. ↑ Earliest / oldest extant source: 1599 [7] [8] : "thy muse to sempiternity" [9]
    3. ↑ in the context of future only - also everlasting
    4. ↑ In the Iliad attributed to Homer (c. 8th century BC) the gods are ἀθάνατος [15] (ἀθανασία [16] ) καὶ ἀγήρως [15] (appearance physically never any older through time)
    5. ↑ Termination of the classical era considered: the last Western Roman Emperor (476), [17] [18] the last Platonic Academy in Athens ends (529) [19] the Muslim conquest of the Maghreb, Near East and Europe; 637 - 870 [20]
    6. ↑ For examples: Bassali (2008), p. 138, quote: "In the next life, there will be two places only - heaven and hell. ... In heaven, you will spend an eternity of bliss, light, and glory with God. In hell, you will spend an eternity of woe, darkness and torment apart from God. Which of these two places would you prefer to spend your eternity?"
    7. ↑ Deng (2018), quote: "Augustine connects God's timeless eternity to God's being the cause of all times and God's immutability."
    8. ↑ Boethius (523), book 5, prose §. 6, quote: "Aeternitas igitur est interminabilis uitae tota simul et perfecta possessio"
    9. ↑ She holds up an hourglass, her elbow above a human skull and in her lower hand two flowers in maturity, one of which is a dandelion blowball or clock (seed head), reminders of transience. An Ouroboros, snake swallowing its own tail, floats above her head as a halo - symbols of eternity.

    References

    1. ↑ James D. Williams (May 4, 2009). "Part II: Classical Roman Rhetoric 7 Cicero and the Latinization of Greek Rhetoric". In James D. Williams (ed.). An Introduction to Classical Rhetoric Essential Readings. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 319. ISBN   9781405158602.
    2. ↑ Liddell, Henry; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry (1940). Spiros Doikas (ed.). "aeternus". Liddell, Scott, Jones Ancient Greek Lexicon . Retrieved February 10, 2023– via merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eternity. Tempus est pars quaedam aeternitatis, Cic. Inv. 1, 27, 39
    3. ↑ M. Tullius Cicero. "Cic. Inv. 1.39". In Eduard Stroebel (ed.). Rhetorici libri duo qui vocantur de inventione. Lipsiae 1915: republished by the Department of Classical Studies, Tufts University: Aedibus B.G. Teubneri: perseus.tufts.edu republication.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
    4. ↑ "eternity noun Word History Etymology". Merriam-Webster (an Encyclopaedia Britannica company). Middle English eternite, from Middle French eternité, from Latin aeternitat-, aeternitas, from aeternus
    5. ↑ Oxford English Dictionary. "eternity noun Factsheet". Oxford University Press.
    6. ↑ CNRTL (2012). "Éternité, subst. fem". www.cnrtl.fr.
    7. 1 2 "sempiternity noun". Merriam-Webster.
    8. ↑ "sempiternity noun Factsheet". Oxford University Press.
    9. ↑ Thomas Nashe (1599). Nashe’s Lenten Stuff (PDF). oxford-shakespeare.com. p. 16.
    10. ↑ Cambridge Dictionary. "Meaning of eternity in English". Cambridge University Press.
    11. ↑ dictionary.com. "American eternity". IXL Learning.
    12. ↑ Noah Webster (1856). "ETH EUD". A Dictionary of the English Language Exhibiting the Origin, Orthography, Pronunciation and Definitions of Words. George Routledge & Company. p. 369. Eternity the state or time after death: as, at death we enter on eternity
    13. ↑ Irene Sibbing-Plantholt (October 6, 2021). Anne Blankenship (ed.). "Coping with time and death in the Ancient Near East". Religious Compass . 15 (11). Freie Universität Berlin/Einstein Center Chronoi: John Wiley & Sons Ltd. doi:10.1111/rec3.12420. ISSN   1749-8171. All humans, past and future, are forced to grapple with the abstract phenomenon of passing and ending time, as well as ideas about time, such as eternity and finality. Death especially is a confrontation with the passing, ending, irreversibility, and unpredictability of time,
    14. ↑ Lowell Gustfson (July 5, 2022). "Chapter 9 THE TIES THAT BIND: Death and Eternity". In Lowell Gustafson; Barry Rodrigue; David Blanks (eds.). Science, Religion and Deep Time (1 ed.). Villanova University: Taylor & Francis. doi:10.4324/9781003256656-10. ISBN   9781000522945.
    15. 1 2 Garcia Jr, Lorenzo. "1. Immortal and ageless forever? The spatial and temporal dimensions of immortality". Homeric Durability: Telling Time in the Iliad. Hellenic Studies Series 58. Harvard University Washington, DC: Center for Hellenic Studies. [ed. ageless is an error in-as-much-as their current static physically appearing age could be estimated by similarity to known ages of individuals in the mortal realm]
    16. ↑ "ἀθανασία". LSJ .
    17. ↑ Clare, I. S. (1906). Library of universal history: containing a record of the human race from the earliest historical period to the present time; embracing a general survey of the progress of mankind in national and social life, civil government, religion, literature, science and art. New York: Union Book. p. 1519 (cf., Ancient history, as we have already seen, ended with the fall of the Western Roman Empire; [...])
    18. ↑ United Center for Research and Training in History. (1973). Bulgarian historical review. Sofia: Pub. House of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences]. p. 43. (cf. ... in the history of Europe, which marks both the end of ancient history and the beginning of the Middle Ages, is the fall of the Western Roman Empire.)
    19. ↑ Hadas, Moses (1950). A History of Greek Literature. Columbia University Press. p. 273 of 331. ISBN   0-231-01767-7.{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
    20. ↑ Henri Pirenne (1937). Mohammed and Charlemagne Archived 8 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine English translation by Bernard Miall, 1939. From Internet Archive. The thesis was originally discussed in an article published in Revue Belge de Philologie et d'Histoire 1 (1922), pp. 77–86.
    21. ↑ Smith, Andrew (August 13, 1996). "8 Eternity and Time". In Gerson, Lloyd (ed.). The Cambridge Companion to Plotinus. Cambridge University. p. 197. ISBN   0521476763.
    22. ↑ Noburu NOTOMI (August 12, 2018). "Plato on Time and Eternity: Timaeus 37C-38C" (PDF). jsns.jp. 新プラトン主義協会 (Japanese Society for Neoplatonic Studies).
    23. ↑ Robert Parker (March 7, 2016). "Aion: Extract". Oxford Classical Dictionary. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.013.227. In early Greek αἰών means...'whole lifetime'...perhaps through application to the kosmos, the lifetime of which is never-ending, that the word acquired the sense of eternity (cf. Pl. Ti. 37d; Arist. Cael. 279a23–8)
    24. ↑ Maria Varlamova (2018). "Philoponus on the Nature of the Heavens and the Movement of Elements in Against Aristotle on the Eternity of the World". Scrinium: Revue de patrologie, d’hagiographie critique et d’histoire ecclésiastique. 14 (1). Saint Petersburg State University of Aerospace Instrumentation: BRILL.
    25. ↑ Aristotle. "BOOK I. 9". DE CAELO (PDF). Translated by J. L. Stocks; H. B. Wallis. St John's College, Oxford University: Humphrey Milford 1922. p. 279, lines 25-28, footnote – via Robert Parker (2016) Oxford Classical Dictionary doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.013.227. On the same principle the fulfilment of the whole heaven, the fulfilment which includes all time and infinity, is 'duration' a name based upon the fact that it is always1 duration immortal and divine. 1 αἰών is derived from άεἰ ὢν. (Preface textual notes - Prantl taken as basis.)
    26. ↑ "Eternity of the World". Faculty of Theology and Religion. University of Oxford. Archived (Timestamp date invalid) at the Wayback Machine
    27. ↑ Giannis Stamatellos (May 2020). "Aion (αἰών)". In Thorsten Botz-Bornstein (ed.). ODIP Online Dictionary of Intercultural Philosophy. Institute of Philosophy & Technology.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
    28. ↑ J.R.G.; J.C.B. (1880). "LETTER VIII". A Discussion on the Doctrine of Endless Punishment BETWEEN Rev. J.R.Graves, D. D., L. L. D., Editor of "the BAPTIST," Memphis Tenn. AND Rev. John C. BURRUSS, Editor of the "UNIVERSALIST HERALD" Notasulga Ala. ATLANTA, GA.: J.O. Perkins & Co. p. 136.
    29. ↑ Giannis Stamatellos (December 2013). Eternity in Plotinus: Abstract. DEREE-Αμερικανικό Κολλέγιο Ελλάδος, Athens – via Giannis Stamatellos (2007) Plotinus and the Presocratics: A Philosophical Study of Presocratic Influences in Plotinus' Enneads: "Plotinus’ central discussion on eternity (αἰών) and time (χρóνος) appears in Ennead III.7, On Eternity and Time." SUNY Press.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
    30. ↑ Deng, Natalja. Edward N. Zalta; Uri Nodelman (eds.). "Eternity The loci classici". The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2025 Edition). (Following the work of Boethius and Augustine) [ed.:of Thagaste] (divine timelessness became the dominant view.)...what came to be the dominant account of eternity in western philosophy and theology, are to be found in
    31. ↑ Hobbes (1662), p. 50.
    32. ↑ Michael Stausberg (2004). "Approaches to the Study of 'Time' in the History of Religions" (PDF). Temenos - Nordic Journal for the Study of Religion. 40. University of Bergen. doi:10.33356/temenos.4829. ISSN   2342-7256 – via iask.ai/q/ancient-egyptian-hieroglyphs-eternity-jta7me0.
    33. ↑ Steven R. W. Gregory (February 2022). Tutankhamun Knew the Names of the Two Great Gods: Dt and nHH as Fundamental Concepts of Pharaonic Ideology. Archaeopress. p. 1, 5. doi:10.2307/j.ctv2b07tzx. ISBN   9781789699852. the ancient Egyptian terms dt and nhh, each of which, from the manner in which they have usually been interpreted in Egyptological scholarship, has been thought to denote infinite time
    34. ↑ D. A. Ziborova. "TIME-ETERNITY: ANCIENT EGYPTIAN TEMPORAL CONCEPTIN THE CONTEXT OF ANCIENT GREEK PHILOSOPHY". UDC. 94 (32). V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University: 79. ancient Egyptians temporal categories: nHH (neheh) and Dt (djet) and their comparison with the tradition of ancient Greek philosophy. It is shown that these terms can be defined as time-eternity. Attention is focused on the definition of the term nHH as associated with the solar god and the cyclic movement, innite duration of recovery and cyclic length, and term Dt as the eternity associated with Osiris, the other world of the dead, imperishableness, constancy and "eternal sameness".
    35. ↑ Janice Kamrin (February 1, 2017). "Timeline of Art History Telling Time in Ancient Egypt". 1000 Fifth Avenue New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. two kinds of eternity. Linear time, or djet, associated with the funerary god Osiris, had a beginning and would have an end, albeit in the infinitely far future. Neheh, cyclical time, was tied to the passage of the sun through the sky during the day and the Netherworld during the night. Ideally, an Egyptian who had lived according to the precepts of maat by supporting and maintaining the proper order of a just cosmos, and who had been accorded a proper burial, would live forever (djet) and ever (neheh).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
    36. ↑ Willeke Wendrich (2013). "ANTIQUARIANISM IN EGYPT THE IMPORTANCE OF RE". In Alain Schnapp; with: Lothar von Falkenhausen; Peter N. Miller; Tim Murray (eds.). World Antiquarianism Comparative Perspectives. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles. p. 142. ISBN   978-1-60606-148-0.
    37. ↑ Claude Traunecker (2001). "Chapter 3 The Gods and their Universe DIVINE SPACE AND TIME". Les Dieux de L'Egypte. Translated by David Lorton (1 ed.). Cornell University Press. p. 37, Divine Time. ISBN   9780801438349.
    38. 1 2 Farid Atiya (2007). "Medinet Habu". The Pocket Book of Ancient Egypt. American University in Cairo Press. p. 332. ISBN   9789771744399.
    39. ↑ "Thebes - Temple of Ramesses III". TN: The University of Memphis.
    40. ↑ Harold H. Nelson (April 1942). "The Identity of Amon-Re of United-with-Eternity". Journal of Near Eastern Studies . 1 (2). The University of Chicago Press: ITHAKA – via William J. Murnane (1980) isac.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/shared/docs/united.pdf OI & AUCP.
    41. 1 2 John C. Jeske. "Exegetical Brief: םלוֹע־דע"Forever"" (PDF). Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. in the Old Testament. םלוֹע־ is used to describe God's person. Genesis 21:33 calls him םלוֹע־לא, "the eternal God."
    42. 1 2 Oleh Uwe Hummel (June 2016). "NAMA ALLAH: DIMULIAKAN ATAU DIPERALAT?" (PDF). PAMBELUM: Jurnal Teologi Kontekstual (in Indonesian). 6 (1). Sekolah Tinggi Teologi Gereja Kalimantan Evangelis: stt-gke.ac.id: 9. El –Olam: Nama םל וֹע לאberarti "Allah yang Kekal". Olam sebenarnya berarti jagad raya (universe) atau kekekalan (eternity). El Olam identik dengan "TUHAN" (הוהי), yaitu Allah yang disembah oleh para leluhur Israel di Bersyeba (lihat Kej. 21:33; Maz. 90:1-3; Yes.26:4).
    43. ↑ Brian Ogren (January 27, 2015). "Introduction: That Which is Before [And That Which is After]". In Brian Ogren (ed.). Time and Eternity in Jewish Mysticism: That Which is Before and That Which is After. Vol. 48 of Studies in Jewish History and Culture. BRILL. p. 4. ISBN   9004290311.
    44. 1 2 Dante L. Germino (1982). "Chapter III The Open Society and the Birth of Philosophy". Political Philosophy and the Open Society. University of Virginia: Louisiana State University Press - Baton Rouge & London. p. 74, The Pre-Socratic Philosophers and the Break with Myth. ISBN   9780807109748.
    45. ↑ Homer. "IΛIΑΔΟΣ Ξ (xiv.)". In Walter Leaf (ed.). The Iliad. Trinity College, Cambridge: Macmillan, 1888. p. 80. Ξάνθου δινἡεντος, ôν ἀθάνατος τέκετο Ζεύς
    46. ↑ Liddell, Henry; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry (1940). Spiros Doikas (ed.). "ἀθάνατος". Liddell, Scott, Jones Ancient Greek Lexicon . Retrieved December 31, 2025.
    47. ↑ Deng (2018), §. 3.1, "The Loci Classici".
    48. ↑ Liddell, Henry; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry (1940). Spiros Doikas (ed.). "ἀΐδιος". Liddell, Scott, Jones Ancient Greek Lexicon . English (LSJ) [ᾱῐδ], ον, also η, ον, Orph.H.10.21 - Carola Schenkl; Eugenius Abel, eds. (1885). Orphica. Lipsiae: G. Freytag Pragae: F. Tempsky.
    49. 1 2 MARGHERITA BELLI (2014). "The Fortune of Boethius's Concept of Eternity in the Scholastic Debate". Carmina Philosophiae. 23 (Special Issue: The Medieval Legacy of Boethius on the Continent). International Boethius Society: ITHAKA.
    50. ↑ Boedder (1902), book 2, ch. 2, "The Eternity of God".
    51. ↑ Helm (2010), §. 6, "Medieval thinkers".
    52. ↑ Damien A. Easson; Joseph E. Lesnefsky (May 2, 2024). Eternal Universes. arXiv: 2404.03016v1 .

    Works cited

    Further reading

    This page is based on this Wikipedia article
    Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
    Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.