A short question on aionios (or aionion?)
I have understood the word to mean 'pertaining to the ages', yet lately heard it explained as meaning 'pertaining to the Age to come'. This sounds like a difference between 'now' and 'future' and can make a lot of difference in the meaning of several scriptures.
Any thoughts?
Quote from: Abigail on June 12, 2017, 10:48:10 PM
A short question on aionios (or aionion?)
I have understood the word to mean 'pertaining to the ages', yet lately heard it explained as meaning 'pertaining to the Age to come'. This sounds like a difference between 'now' and 'future' and can make a lot of difference in the meaning of several scriptures.
Any thoughts?
The etymology of the word aion-ios translates to "pertaining to aion (age)." The Jews have a term "tikkun olam" which translates to a coming age in which there would be worldwide healing.
https://www.learningtogive.org/resources/tikkun-olam
Yep many thoughts.
The word aion- a very long time,
Aionios - indeterminate as to duration.
I have made the statement to someone I haven't seen for a while;
" Haven't seen you for ages!"
The meeting was not arranged, the time was not planned, yet the time between meetings was a specific quantity.
Will not see them again for another age.
The people who were bringing the translation of the bible to supposedly help others learn, were trying to put the living Hebrew, Greek, words into other languages which were just not the same. This meant that some words were literally lost in the translation.
This then festered to distract from the significance of coming ages which are all part of the plan of the glorious future.
In the ages to come, plural, there will be more correction and training than in the current. This age being used, I.M.O to train the first fruit. Then there will be the ages of the millenium to train others. Then the indeterminate age of the Great White Throne. All this before the new heavens and earth. All this seems to be forever, but are actual ages to come.
Paul makes the observation about thinking about the things above, not being conformed to this age, the things that are seen are temporary, the things not seen are for an indeterminate age.
Since we will be raised to a new body, this all becomes exciting for me. Also makes sense of the bigger picture surpassing the current little glimpse.
Hopefully this will stimulate your questions and indeed make a "lot" of difference to the scriptures for you.
Quote from: Seth on June 13, 2017, 03:31:20 AM
Quote from: Abigail on June 12, 2017, 10:48:10 PM
A short question on aionios (or aionion?)
I have understood the word to mean 'pertaining to the ages', yet lately heard it explained as meaning 'pertaining to the Age to come'. This sounds like a difference between 'now' and 'future' and can make a lot of difference in the meaning of several scriptures.
Any thoughts?
The etymology of the word aion-ios translates to "pertaining to aion (age)." The Jews have a term "tikkun olam" which translates to a coming age in which there would be worldwide healing.
https://www.learningtogive.org/resources/tikkun-olam
olam ha-ba, ( Hebrew: "the world to come") in Jewish theology, either "the world after death" or the new creation or restoration of the world that is to follow the messianic millennium. Because this latter interpretation stemmed from the teachings and exhortations of the prophets, it was especially prevalent during the period of the Second Temple of Jerusalem (516 bc–ad 70). Whatever the interpretation of ʿolam ha-ba, it meant for Jews the end of uncertainty, miseries, and strife.
Jewish literature contrasts ʿolam ha-ba with ʿolam ha-ze ("this world"). The latter is a time to prove oneself worthy of participating in "the world to come." https://www.britannica.com/topic/olam-ha-ba (https://www.britannica.com/topic/olam-ha-ba)
OLAM HA-BA (Heb. עוֹלָם הַבָּא). The term olam ha-ba (literally, "the coming world") in contrast to olam ha-zeh (liter-ally "this world") refers to the hereafter, which begins with the termination of man's earthly life..........
......Strictly speaking the period referred to by the phrase olam ha-ba or its equivalent atid lavo, between which and the present order of things comes the age of the Messiah (cf. Zev. 118b; Tosef. Ar. 2:7; also Ar. 13b), is the final order of things beginning with the general resurrection and the last judgment. According to the Palestinian amora R. Johanan, the golden age of the future pictured by the prophets concerned only the days of the Messiah. As for the world to come, it is said of it, "Eye hath not seen" (Isa. 64:3)
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/olam-ha-ba (http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/olam-ha-ba)
tikkin olam means "repairing the world" which all good Jews aspire to in this age, and is seen by some as the prerequisite for participating in olam ha-ba
Tikkun olam (Hebrew: תיקון עולם or תקון עולם') (literally, "repair of the world", alternatively, "construction for eternity") is a concept in Judaism interpreted in Orthodox Judaism as the prospect of overcoming all forms of idolatry, and by other Jewish denominations as an aspiration to behave and act constructively and beneficially. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tikkun_olam (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tikkun_olam)
Depending on who one reads from what version/sect of Judaism it can mean anything from not generating perverse affects in the application of the Law, to social justice for the disadvantaged in this present age, to individual acts of kindness, to as Seth already posted, the Messianic millenium when the world will be repaired/restored until "olam ha-ba", which "Eye hath not seen".
IMO aion is the same as olam, because it is the Greek derivative of the Hebrew concept(olam) in which periods of time are also known as the "worlds" that exist in those periods.
Quote from: Abigail on June 12, 2017, 10:48:10 PM
A short question on aionios (or aionion?)
I have understood the word to mean 'pertaining to the ages', yet lately heard it explained as meaning 'pertaining to the Age to come'. This sounds like a difference between 'now' and 'future' and can make a lot of difference in the meaning of several scriptures.
Any thoughts?
It's without any doubt it can mean something of a (very) limited duration.
The main debate is "Are there exceptions?" My answer is always was no.
It still is but I think the Greek isn't were we should look...
http://radical-reaction.com/MyChristianSites/BitsAndPieces/hebraic_meaning.html
Scroll down about 2/3 of the page to Olam.
That's the Hebrew version of Aion. But it has a very interesting meaning.
Ive seen a very similar interpretation of Aion, but I can't remember in which book that was....
I'm sorry I forgot to respond (I did that in my head, but not at the computer). Your responds were very helpful for me.
I'm reading the links Whitewings posted.. so far very interesting about the remnant of leaven set apart to leaven the next batch..
Reminds me of the parable of how "the kingdom is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened."
Which in turn reminds me of the verses in 1 Corinthians 15 -
23 "But each in order: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father.." ("so God will be all, in all" verse 29) - three batches leavened with God's leaven.. (imo) those who heard and then followed Jesus..2- all believers at His return, and then, 3, the rest of mankind when God makes ALL things new and will be all in all and God will Tabernacle with mankind upon earth made new..
I didn't know that about the remnant (of leaven used to leaven the rest out of each leavened dough, a remnant set apart to leaven the next batch..
Not as ET or EA perceives it as a remnant is saved and the rest tossed / perish / lost..
Back to reading..
Since olam means unknown duration and includes the aspects of both age and world, as if it includes the time period and all the elements/facets of that time period, and since it applies to futurity or past, depending on context, I believe it can(and often does) refer to the final endless age after God becomes all in all.
A lot of these things are open to interpretation, and dependent on context, but in my view there is no doubt that aion should be understood through olam, not the other way around. Olam is used some 450+ times in the OT.
The English world "eternal" is(to me) similar to olam/aion and did not originally mean strictly "forever" or "everlasting", but originally meant "age".
Eternal comes from the Latin word "aevum" which means....drum roll....."age". IMO the greeks translated "olam" into "aion"- the Latins translated olam into "aevum". (early Latin "aevum" middle Latin "aeternus", late Latin "aeternalis"). Aeternalis entered the language of Britain(Middle English) through Old French where it became "eternal" as the following dictionary of etymology states.....
"eternity - late Middle English: via Old French from late Latin aeternalis, from Latin aeternus, from aevum 'age.'"
There is a lot of disagreement among sources, but several I have read indicate "eternal" did not come into a primary usage meaning "everlasting/forever" until after 1580, and of course words morph over many years so that is not a specific date- but interestingly is after the period of the the translations of the Tyndale Bible(1530s-first English translation) and before the KJV by 30 years.
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: .... :thumbsup:
Quote from: Abigail on June 12, 2017, 10:48:10 PM
A short question on aionios (or aionion?)
I have understood the word to mean 'pertaining to the ages', yet lately heard it explained as meaning 'pertaining to the Age to come'. This sounds like a difference between 'now' and 'future' and can make a lot of difference in the meaning of several scriptures.
Any thoughts?
'aionios' is a transliteration of 'olam' in the mind of the NT writers....a good place to start is to see how 'olam' is used in the OT and also in the Septuagint in Greek where 'aionios' is the word used for 'olam'
aionios is mistranslated as eternal in many translations pushing eternal torment in hell but in the Greek it does not in itself mean 'eternal' or never ending ...'aionios' is a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew word 'olam' and this is proved by the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew OT where 'olam' is always translated as 'aionios' or one of its forms...the Greek Septuagint is quoted way more in the New Testament than the Masoretic text....'olam' does not mean 'eternal' it means something over the horizon or something concealed..its hard for us to understand with our Western mindset and linear concepts ...we really need to know this stuff to gain an understanding of what God is saying to us about the after life, seriously...it does require study but its well worth it...the internet is a marvelous resource to research these matters...we must understand the Jewish mindset of the actual writers of the Bible
"I willmake you jealous by a people that has no understanding" as Paul said 'Christ crucified"..as God said...'My grace is sufficient"
the jewish 'mindset" didn't help alot of people back in Jesus day.Even if we lived a 1000 years twice over..studying in the scriptures..
we would notknow what He meant..unless He told us.
That's why we have the Holy Spirit, to help us understand the Scriptures. I also believe we must try and understand the Hebrew/ Jewish 'mindset' in order to help us understand what they meant by 'olam/ aionion'...we Westerners have a different concept entirely.Also, after all, Jews were God's instrument in writing the Holy Scriptures.If we read it in an English mistranslation with a Western 'mindset' we wont be able to understand it.