Aionion is not Eternal, Everlasting or Forever

[Prodigy]

Let us consider the true meaning of the Greek words Aion and Aionion.

The present Eon (Aion) – Galatians 1:4
This Eon (Aion) – Matthew 12:32
Past Eon (Aion) – Ephesians 3:9
The coming Eon (Aion) – Luke 18:30
End of the Eon (Aion) – Matthew 13:39

(Aion) Eon – A period of time, an age of limited duration.

God made the Eons (Aions) – Hebrews 1:2
Before the Eons (Aions) – 1 Corinthian 2:7
The on-coming Eons (Aions) – Ephesians 2:7
Conclusion of the Eons (Aions) – Hebrews 9:26

(Aions) Eons – Periods of time, ages of limited duration.

(Aionion) Eonian Life – Matthew 9:29 – Life of the Eons
(Aionion)Eonian Punishment – Matthew 25:46 – Punishment of the Eons
(Aionion)Eonian God – Romans 16:26 – God of the Eons
(Aionion) Eonian Redemption – Hebrews 9:12 – Redemption of the Eons
(Aionion) Eonian Judgment – Hebrews 6:2 – Judgment of the Eons

(Aionion) Eonian – Of the Eons, pertaining to the Eons.

Aion – Noun
Aions – Plural
Aionion – Adjective

Adjectives describe and relate to Nouns.

For example, the adjective “hourly” cannot mean “pertaining to days, weeks, months, or years”. The word must mean “pertaining to hours”.

Aionion is the adjective form of the noun Aion. Since the noun Aion is an Eon of limited duration the adjective Aionion must pertain to the Eons of time to make sense. Since grammar rules mandate that an adjective cannot take on a greater force than its noun form, it is evident that Aionion cannot possibly mean Eternal, Everlasting or Forever. The only way the adjective Aionion could mean Eternal, Everlasting and Forever would be if the noun Aion [Eon] was of infinite duration and it clearly is not. The noun Aion is not of infinite duration so the adjective Aionion cannot possibly be of infinite duration. Therfore the words Eternal, Everlasting and Forever and Ever are not scriptural.

 

[CCWoody]

That's funny cause my Greek dictionary of words notes the following concering the Matthew 25 verse (I picked that one because it was a verse from my devotion study from last night) that the definition of the word is:

eternal, for ever, everlasting, world

It does seem pretty clear that you are just redefining words for your own convenience. Perhaps, instead of forcing your own definitions upon the Bible, you should study what accepted scholarship has to say about the meanings of words. Then, after you know what the Bible says, you can study for yourself to learn what it all means.

 

[holdon]

Let us consider the true meaning of the Greek words Aion and Aionion.

The present Eon (Aion) – Galatians 1:4
This Eon (Aion) – Matthew 12:32
Past Eon (Aion) – Ephesians 3:9
The coming Eon (Aion) – Luke 18:30
End of the Eon (Aion) – Matthew 13:39

(Aion) Eon – A period of time, an age of limited duration.

God made the Eons (Aions) – Hebrews 1:2
Before the Eons (Aions) – 1 Corinthian 2:7
The on-coming Eons (Aions) – Ephesians 2:7
Conclusion of the Eons (Aions) – Hebrews 9:26

(Aions) Eons – Periods of time, ages of limited duration.

(Aionion) Eonian Life – Matthew 9:29 – Life of the Eons
(Aionion)Eonian Punishment – Matthew 25:46 – Punishment of the Eons
(Aionion)Eonian God – Romans 16:26 – God of the Eons
(Aionion) Eonian Redemption – Hebrews 9:12 – Redemption of the Eons
(Aionion) Eonian Judgment – Hebrews 6:2 – Judgment of the Eons

(Aionion) Eonian – Of the Eons, pertaining to the Eons.

Aion – Noun
Aions – Plural
Aionion – Adjective

Adjectives describe and relate to Nouns.

For example, the adjective “hourly” cannot mean “pertaining to days, weeks, months, or years”. The word must mean “pertaining to hours”.

Aionion is the adjective form of the noun Aion. Since the noun Aion is an Eon of limited duration the adjective Aionion must pertain to the Eons of time to make sense. Since grammar rules mandate that an adjective cannot take on a greater force than its noun form, it is evident that Aionion cannot possibly mean Eternal, Everlasting or Forever. The only way the adjective Aionion could mean Eternal, Everlasting and Forever would be if the noun Aion [Eon] was of infinite duration and it clearly is not. The noun Aion is not of infinite duration so the adjective Aionion cannot possibly be of infinite duration. Therfore the words Eternal, Everlasting and Forever and Ever are not scriptural.

It is only Universalists and Annihilationist that have a need to alter the meaning of Aion and Aionion.
Aion from ai + on = always be. Simple.

 

[Prodigy]

That's funny cause my Greek dictionary of words notes the following concering the Matthew 25 verse (I picked that one because it was a verse from my devotion study from last night) that the definition of the word is:

eternal, for ever, everlasting, world

It does seem pretty clear that you are just redefining words for your own convenience. Perhaps, instead of forcing your own definitions upon the Bible, you should study what accepted scholarship has to say about the meanings of words. Then, after you know what the Bible says, you can study for yourself to learn what it all means.

Aion - Noun
Aionion - Adjective

Aion - Eon of limited duration

Please tell me how the adjective Aionion can take on infinite duration when the noun Aion is of limited duration.

 

[Calvinist Dark Lord]

Aion - Noun
Aionion - Adjective

Aion - Eon of limited duration

Please tell me how the adjective Aionion can take on infinite duration when the noun Aion is of limited duration.

Greetings.

Basically, you seem to have a difference with just about every Greek Scholar that exists. Your quarrel is not with CC Woody, rather your quarrel is with the translators of the New Testament, who have studied the language all of their lives.

Perhaps you should consult Moule's book on Idioms of New Testament Greek. Some background in the language rather than selective appeal to grammar only (without regard to context, syntax, and idiom) would be in order.

 

[nobdysfool]

Let us consider the true meaning of the Greek words Aion and Aionion.

The present Eon (Aion) – Galatians 1:4
This Eon (Aion) – Matthew 12:32
Past Eon (Aion) – Ephesians 3:9
The coming Eon (Aion) – Luke 18:30
End of the Eon (Aion) – Matthew 13:39

(Aion) Eon – A period of time, an age of limited duration.

God made the Eons (Aions) – Hebrews 1:2
Before the Eons (Aions) – 1 Corinthian 2:7
The on-coming Eons (Aions) – Ephesians 2:7
Conclusion of the Eons (Aions) – Hebrews 9:26

(Aions) Eons – Periods of time, ages of limited duration.

(Aionion) Eonian Life – Matthew 9:29 – Life of the Eons
(Aionion)Eonian Punishment – Matthew 25:46 – Punishment of the Eons
(Aionion)Eonian God – Romans 16:26 – God of the Eons
(Aionion) Eonian Redemption – Hebrews 9:12 – Redemption of the Eons
(Aionion) Eonian Judgment – Hebrews 6:2 – Judgment of the Eons

(Aionion) Eonian – Of the Eons, pertaining to the Eons.

Aion – Noun
Aions – Plural
Aionion – Adjective

Adjectives describe and relate to Nouns.

For example, the adjective “hourly” cannot mean “pertaining to days, weeks, months, or years”. The word must mean “pertaining to hours”.

Aionion is the adjective form of the noun Aion. Since the noun Aion is an Eon of limited duration the adjective Aionion must pertain to the Eons of time to make sense. Since grammar rules mandate that an adjective cannot take on a greater force than its noun form, it is evident that Aionion cannot possibly mean Eternal, Everlasting or Forever. The only way the adjective Aionion could mean Eternal, Everlasting and Forever would be if the noun Aion [Eon] was of infinite duration and it clearly is not. The noun Aion is not of infinite duration so the adjective Aionion cannot possibly be of infinite duration. Therfore the words Eternal, Everlasting and Forever and Ever are not scriptural.

If that is so (which it is not), you have robbed Christians of their greatest hope. You have rendered meaningless the promise of everlasting life. For that reason alone, I reject your ridiculous premise. It is unbiblical and heretical.

 

[moonbeam]

Let us consider the true meaning of the Greek words Aion and Aionion.

The present Eon (Aion) – Galatians 1:4
This Eon (Aion) – Matthew 12:32
Past Eon (Aion) – Ephesians 3:9
The coming Eon (Aion) – Luke 18:30
End of the Eon (Aion) – Matthew 13:39

(Aion) Eon – A period of time, an age of limited duration.

God made the Eons (Aions) – Hebrews 1:2
Before the Eons (Aions) – 1 Corinthian 2:7
The on-coming Eons (Aions) – Ephesians 2:7
Conclusion of the Eons (Aions) – Hebrews 9:26

(Aions) Eons – Periods of time, ages of limited duration.

(Aionion) Eonian Life – Matthew 9:29 – Life of the Eons
(Aionion)Eonian Punishment – Matthew 25:46 – Punishment of the Eons
(Aionion)Eonian God – Romans 16:26 – God of the Eons
(Aionion) Eonian Redemption – Hebrews 9:12 – Redemption of the Eons
(Aionion) Eonian Judgment – Hebrews 6:2 – Judgment of the Eons

(Aionion) Eonian – Of the Eons, pertaining to the Eons.

Aion – Noun
Aions – Plural
Aionion – Adjective

Adjectives describe and relate to Nouns.

For example, the adjective “hourly” cannot mean “pertaining to days, weeks, months, or years”. The word must mean “pertaining to hours”.

Aionion is the adjective form of the noun Aion. Since the noun Aion is an Eon of limited duration the adjective Aionion must pertain to the Eons of time to make sense. Since grammar rules mandate that an adjective cannot take on a greater force than its noun form, it is evident that Aionion cannot possibly mean Eternal, Everlasting or Forever. The only way the adjective Aionion could mean Eternal, Everlasting and Forever would be if the noun Aion [Eon] was of infinite duration and it clearly is not. The noun Aion is not of infinite duration so the adjective Aionion cannot possibly be of infinite duration. Therfore the words Eternal, Everlasting and Forever and Ever are not scriptural.

Let us consider the true meaning of the word idiot.....a person deficient in mind and permanently incapable of rational conduct.

 

[john14_20]

It is only Universalists and Annihilationist that have a need to alter the meaning of Aion and Aionion.

And that is supposed to invalidate it?

Here's one: It's only literalists that need to twist a language so much that an adjective has nothing to do with it's noun! All to suit a pre-conceived idea.

 

[apocatastasis]

prodigy,

Are you Tony Nungesser? If not, your first post was plagiarism.

 

[apocatastasis]

In fact, everything you've posted in thsi thread is plagiarism. You must site your sources and quote them.

 

[apocatastasis]

moonbeam wrote:

Let us consider the true meaning of the word idiot.....a person deficient in mind and permanently incapable of rational conduct.

I though this is a forum for christians only? Is this your idea, moon beam, of reflecting the light of the Son?

 

[apocatastasis]

CCWoody wrote:

That's funny cause my Greek dictionary of words notes the following concering the Matthew 25 verse (I picked that one because it was a verse from my devotion study from last night) that the definition of the word is:

eternal, for ever, everlasting, world

Does this really exhaust the semantic range and usage of AIONIOS?

It does seem pretty clear that you are just redefining words for your own convenience. Perhaps, instead of forcing your own definitions upon the Bible, you should study what accepted scholarship has to say about the meanings of words. Then, after you know what the Bible says, you can study for yourself to learn what it all means.

I don't see that prodigy is redefining AIONIOS, as he is correct that it can mean "pertaining to and age(s). Prodigy's mistake is in the fact that he is insisting that this is all it means.

 

[apocatastasis]

holdon wrote:

It is only Universalists and Annihilationist that have a need to alter the meaning of Aion and Aionion.
Aion from ai + on = always be. Simple.

Actually it is not that simple. Actually, you are committing the root fallacy just as prodigy has done. You just cannot insist that a word is semantically bound to its root(s). The Greek scholar Marvin Vincent wrote:

To deduce that meaning from its relation to aei is absurd; for, apart from the fact that the meaning of a word is not definitely fixed by its derivation, aei does not signify endless duration. When the writer of the Pastoral Epistles quotes the saying that the Cretans are always (aei) liars (***. 1:12), he surely does not mean that the Cretans will go on lying to all eternity. See also Acts 7:51; 2 Cor. 4:11; 6:10; Heb 3:10; 1 Pet. 3:15. Aei means habitually or continually within the limit of the subject's life. In our colloquial dialect everlastingly is used in the same way. "The boy is everlastingly tormenting me to buy him a drum."

 

[apocatastasis]

Calvinist dark lord wrote:

Basically, you seem to have a difference with just about every Greek Scholar that exists.

Are you claiming that Aionios never means "pertaining to an age(s)"?
If so, are you prepared to defend your assertion that virtually all scholars and translators deny Aionios this meaning?

Perhaps you should consult Moule's book on Idioms of New Testament Greek. Some background in the language rather than selective appeal to grammar only (without regard to context, syntax, and idiom) would be in order.

Good call!

 

[apocatastasis]

nobdysfool wrote:

If that is so (which it is not), you have robbed Christians of their greatest hope. You have rendered meaningless the promise of everlasting life. For that reason alone, I reject your ridiculous premise. It is unbiblical and heretical.

Let me try to extract your argument in syllogistic form.

Aionios is used to describe the life believers have in Christ
Aionios refers to a finite amount of time.

Therefore, believers will not live forever.

This is fallacious, as Aionios may be used not to describe the duration of the life, but may be used to refer to the life insofar as it pertains to a certain period of time.

Our hope of immortality does not hinge upon the word AIONIOS.

 

[jmacvols]

Aionion is the adjective form of the noun Aion. Since the noun Aion is an Eon of limited duration the adjective Aionion must pertain to the Eons of time to make sense. Since grammar rules mandate that an adjective cannot take on a greater force than its noun form, it is evident that Aionion cannot possibly mean Eternal, Everlasting or Forever. The only way the adjective Aionion could mean Eternal, Everlasting and Forever would be if the noun Aion [Eon] was of infinite duration and it clearly is not. The noun Aion is not of infinite duration so the adjective Aionion cannot possibly be of infinite duration. Therfore the words Eternal, Everlasting and Forever and Ever are not scriptural.

My 2 cents.

You said that "aionion is the adjective form of the noun Aion.....aionion cannot possibly mean Eternal, Everlasting or Forever." One Greek scholar (Lenski?) asked that if the adjective does not mean eternal (infinity), then what Greek word means eternal? It would be very odd/strange that the Greek and Jewish world, Jesus spoke aramaic, would have no word in their vocabulary to describe infinity. What word would they use to describe an infinite universe, counting to infinity, or how a circle goes round and round for infinity?

Lastly, look at the contrast Paul made in 2 Cor 4:18:
"While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal (proskairos); but the things which are not seen are eternal (aionios). Paul contrasts the temporal to the eternal. He says physical things that you can see with human eyes are temporal, even what you see when you look in the mirror is temporal. On the other hand Paul tells us the spiritual, like God is invisible; unseen, Col 1:15, therefore God would be eternal. Also the torment caused by the unquenchable fire is unseen by human eyes, it would be also classified as eternal--eternal in the sense of having been contrasted to that which is less than eternal, the temporary.

 

[Van]

Not to put too fine a point on it, but John 3:16 says whoever believes in Him, (1) shall not perish, and (2) but have eternal life.

If a person does not perish, that means they never perish. If they perish, that means they did not have eternal life, but it ended at some point. On the other hand, if they never perish, then the meaning of eternal is forever. Now just what word appears in John 3:16? Aionios

 

[apocatastasis]

hi jmc. you wrote:

One Greek scholar (Lenski?) asked that if the adjective does not mean eternal (infinity), then what Greek word means eternal?

I think the following two New Testament words express the idea of eternality:

aphthartos and athanasia

I'm sure there are others besides aionios.

Lastly, look at the contrast Paul made in 2 Cor 4:18:
"While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal (proskairos); but the things which are not seen are eternal (aionios). Paul contrasts the temporal to the eternal. He says physical things that you can see with human eyes are temporal, even what you see when you look in the mirror is temporal. On the other hand Paul tells us the spiritual, like God is invisible; unseen, Col 1:15, therefore God would be eternal. Also the torment caused by the unquenchable fire is unseen by human eyes, it would be also classified as eternal--eternal in the sense of having been contrasted to that which is less than eternal, the temporary.

Good thoughts. I would only add that 1 cor 4:18 seems to contrast time and timelessness. that which is aionios is not subject to time.

 

[apocatastasis]

van wrote:

Not to put too fine a point on it, but John 3:16 says whoever believes in Him, (1) shall not perish, and (2) but have eternal life.

If a person does not perish, that means they never perish. If they perish, that means they did not have eternal life, but it ended at some point. On the other hand, if they never perish, then the meaning of eternal is forever. Now just what word appears in John 3:16? Aionios

Good point, Van. Let me play devil's advocate. Perhaps the context of this verse is dealing with the age to come, and perhaps we are being told that those who believe in this age will not perish like the rest in the age to come?

 

[jmacvols]

Not to put too fine a point on it, but John 3:16 says whoever believes in Him, (1) shall not perish, and (2) but have eternal life.

If a person does not perish, that means they never perish. If they perish, that means they did not have eternal life, but it ended at some point. On the other hand, if they never perish, then the meaning of eternal is forever. Now just what word appears in John 3:16? Aionios

A similar verse Jn 3:36 says those that do not believe the Son shall not see life(salvation). "Shall not see life" means to never, at any point, see life. God's wrath abides upon him. Strong says abide-meno-means to remain, not to depart, to continue to be present, to be held, kept continually, in reference to time it means to continue to be, not to perish, to last, endure.