Stanislav Leonidovich Bulanov lecturer, postgraduate student, Kuban State University (Stavropolskayast., 149, Krasnodar, Russia, 350040)
hagadol@mail.ru
Bulanov S. L. Meaning of αἰών/αἰώνιος concerning afterlife of sinners in the New Testament, Religiya. Tserkov’. Obshchestvo. Issledovaniya i publikatsii po teologii i religii [Religion. Church. Society: Research and publications in the field of theology and religious studies], Saint-Petersburg, 2024, vol. 13, pp. 48–61.
doi: 10.24412/2308-0698-2024-13-48-61
Language: Russian
This paper sets out to understand the meaning that the authors of the New Testament ascribed to the concept of αἰών/αἰώνιος in relation to the afterlife of sinners, based on an analysis of the ancient Greek texts that form its foundation. It is therefore clear that the perception of eternity as an endless duration of time is completely alien to the authors of the New Testament. Newton brought this understanding into modern everyday consciousness. He thought of space and time as something homogene ous, infinite and filled with indivisible atoms. The perception of eternity of the authors of the New Testament is radically different from the view of ancient Greek philosophers, who believed the cosmos made eternal circular movements. The study results clearly show that in the New Tes tament, the concept of «eternity» in the context of the afterlife of sin ners is associated with either the state of the human soul, the irresistible power of God, or the severity of the sinner’s punishment. We also examine other uses of the word αἰών/αἰώνιος and conclude that it is used to refer to the qualities of God, eternal, as well as to both this age and times long past.
Key words: eternity, time, New Testament, koine, judgment, cosmos, Newton, sin, age
URL: https://rcs-almanac.ru/bulanov-2024-en/
