Definition and Etymology:
The term "Aeon" (Greek: αἰών, aiōn) is a multifaceted word in biblical literature, often translated as "age," "world," or "eternity" in English. It is derived from the Greek root that conveys the idea of a long duration, an era, or a specific period of time. In the context of the Bible, "aeon" can refer to both temporal and eternal dimensions, depending on the context in which it is used.

Biblical Usage:
In the New Testament, "aeon" is frequently used to describe both the present age and the age to come. It is a term that encapsulates the temporal framework within which God's redemptive history unfolds. The word appears in various contexts, often contrasting the current fallen world with the eternal kingdom of God.

1. Present Age vs. Age to Come:
The New Testament often contrasts this present age (αἰών) with the age to come. In Matthew 12:32 , Jesus speaks of the unforgivable sin, stating, "Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come." Here, "aeon" signifies both the current temporal order and the future eternal state.

2. Eternal Life:
The concept of eternal life is frequently associated with "aeon." In John 3:16 , the promise of eternal life is given: "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." The term "eternal" (αἰώνιος, aiōnios) is derived from "aeon," emphasizing the everlasting nature of the life promised to believers.

3. Worldly Wisdom vs. Divine Wisdom:
The Apostle Paul uses "aeon" to contrast worldly wisdom with divine wisdom. In 1 Corinthians 2:6 , he writes, "We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing." Here, "aeon" refers to the prevailing philosophies and values of the current world system, which are transient and ultimately futile.

4. Spiritual Forces:
"Aeon" is also used in the context of spiritual warfare. Ephesians 2:2 describes the former way of life of believers: "in which you used to walk when you conformed to the ways of this world and of the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit who is now at work in the sons of disobedience." The "ways of this world" (literally "aeon of this world") indicates the spiritual and moral climate influenced by satanic forces.

Theological Implications:
The use of "aeon" in the Bible underscores the temporal and eternal dimensions of God's plan. It highlights the transient nature of the current world order and the eternal significance of God's kingdom. Believers are called to live with an eternal perspective, recognizing that the present age is temporary and that their true citizenship is in the age to come.

Conclusion:
The concept of "aeon" in biblical theology serves as a reminder of the temporal nature of the present world and the eternal reality of God's kingdom. It calls believers to focus on the eternal truths of the gospel and to live in anticipation of the age to come, where God's purposes will be fully realized.1. (n.) A period of immeasurable duration; also, an emanation of the Deity. See Eon.

2. (n.) An immeasurable or infinite space of time; eternity; a long space of time; an age.

3. (n.) One of the embodiments of the divine attributes of the Eternal Being.

AEON

e'-on: This word originally meant "duration," "dispensation." In the philosophy of Plato and Aristotle the word is aion, from which this word is transliterated. In the Gnostic philosophy it has a special meaning and is there used to solve the problem of the world order. In the infinite separation between God and the world, it was taught, there must of necessity be mediating powers. These powers are the eons and are the successive emanations from God from eternity. They are spiritual, existing as distinct entities. They constituted the Divine fullness or the Divine Pleroma. The name was applied to these beings for two reasons: because they were thought to partake of the eternal existence of God and because they were supposed to govern the various ages. The idea of the eons in various forms may be found in nearly all oriental philosophy that attempted to deal with the problem of the world order. It appears in the writings of Philo, in Shintoism, in the old Zoroastrian religion.

See GNOSTICISM.

Jacob W. Kapp

The Gnostics, the Montanists, and the Manichaeans.
... generation of Aeons, as it receded from the great Fountain of Spiritual Existence,
lost somewhat of the vigour of divinity; and at length an Aeon was produced ...
/.../killen/the ancient church/chapter iv the gnostics the.htm

Conclusion
... and dried, When the oldest colours have faded, and the youngest critic has died"
We shall rest, and faith, we shall need it"lie down for an aeon or two ...
/.../cable/the fulfilment of a dream of pastor hsis/chapter xxv conclusion.htm

The Epistle of Judas
... who took some view of the person of Christ which he regarded as infringing its fullness,
as, eg, when some held that Christ meant a heavenly aeon or spirit ...
/.../moffat/the general epistles james peter and judas/the epistle of judas.htm

The Mystery of the Cross. A Good Friday Sermon.
... shew that St John and St Paul spoke, not of one who was Very God of Very God, but
of some highest and most primeval of all creatures, Emanation, AEon, or what ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/westminster sermons/sermon i the mystery of.htm

The Lord's Prayer: the Preface in Matthew
... in the third generation enables them with difficulty to join the church, nor Moabite
and Ammonite, unless the tenth generation is complete and the aeon passed. ...
/.../origen/origen on prayer/chapter xii the lords prayer .htm

Selections from the Work against Heresies by Irenaeus, Bishop of ...
... greater skill] does not consist in imagining beyond the Creator and Demiurge the
Mother of these things and of him, the Desire of a wandering Aeon, and coming ...
/.../richardson/early christian fathers/selections from the work against 2.htm

Secret Study of the Holy Scriptures.
... He foretold minutely His own death, and the end of the City and the Temple, and
the circumstances of the close of this aeon. Was He "soothsaying"? ...
/.../moule/to my younger brethren/chapter iii secret study of.htm

The Romance of Orthodoxy
... Lord. According to Himself the Son was a sword separating brother and
brother that they should for an aeon hate each other. But ...
//christianbookshelf.org/chesterton/orthodoxy/viii the romance of orthodoxy.htm

Light.
... to make them repent? Who knows but such sin may need for its cure the
continuous punishment of an aeon? There are three conceivable ...
//christianbookshelf.org/macdonald/unspoken sermons/light.htm

Chapter i
... Says Skinner: "The interpretation of y??m as aeon, a favourite resource of harmonists
of science and revelation, is opposed to the plain sense of the passage ...
//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter i.htm

Aeon
... an age. 3. (n.) One of the embodiments of the divine attributes of the Eternal
Being. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. AEON. e'-on ...
/a/aeon.htm - 7k

Times (1875 Occurrences)
... It is equivalent to what was later called "the coming aeon" (see ESCHATOLOGY
OF THE NEW TESTAMENT). In the New Testament, on the ...
/t/times.htm - 11k

Time (7245 Occurrences)
... It is equivalent to what was later called "the coming aeon" (see ESCHATOLOGY
OF THE NEW TESTAMENT). In the New Testament, on the ...
/t/time.htm - 21k

Night (3322 Occurrences)
... Paul also uses the figure in reference to the Parousia (Romans 13:12), where "night"
seems to refer to the present aeon and "day" to the aeon to come. ...
/n/night.htm - 15k

Last (1087 Occurrences)
... It is equivalent to what was later called "the coming aeon" (see ESCHATOLOGY
OF THE NEW TESTAMENT). In the New Testament, on the ...
/l/last.htm - 18k

Aesora

/a/aesora.htm - 6k

Ae'non (1 Occurrence)
Ae'non. Aenon, Ae'non. Aeon . Multi-Version Concordance Ae'non (1 Occurrence). ...
They came, and were baptized. (See RSV). Aenon, Ae'non. Aeon . Reference ...
/a/ae'non.htm - 6k

Epistle (13 Occurrences)
... meaning. The underlying teaching is equally distinct. The Christ of the
Colossians is not the aeon Christ of Gnosticism. In Essenism ...
/e/epistle.htm - 101k

Colossians (1 Occurrence)
... meaning. The underlying teaching is equally distinct. The Christ of the
Colossians is not the aeon Christ of Gnosticism. In Essenism ...
/c/colossians.htm - 23k

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