The Evangelical Universalist Forum

The Meaning Of Aionios In the New Covenant

Theology
#65

AIDIOS

This adjective is used only twice in the NT: Rom. 1:20 and Jude 6.

The Concordant Greek-English Keyword concordance gives the meaning: “unperceived”
The root of this word is id-, from the verb idein: “to see”

The adjective aidios has the prefix a- (the alpha privative) which negates the meaning of the word.

Cognates of this adjective are the nouns aidoion (“private parts”) and aids (“modesty; reserve; shame”)

The idea is that one keeps their private parts unseen, so as to be modest and show reserve.

The adjective idios and the noun idiots both have the same root id- (cf Liddell & Scott Lex.) as our
adjective.

The meanings given for the adjective private “private; personal.” Such things as aidoion (our
private parts) are normally kept “unseen” (a-idios).

The noun means “specific character; peculiar nature; property.”

If the noun were negated, then we could not see its specific character, peculiar nature, and
thus not know its properties.

With these words, it’s all about seeing, or not seeing. Modesty (aids)
means keeping something private unseen. Another adjective, aidmn, means “bashful” – that is, one
who does not want to be seen.

And then there is the noun aids, which Liddell & Scott give as the alpha privative a-, plus the verb idein
as it root, and thus list the resultant meaning as “unseen.”

English translations drop the iota and normally render this word “Hades,” but, as with the Concordant Literal New Testament, this should be rendered “the Unseen.”

A second meaning that Liddell & Scott give for this word is “blind.”

Here are my renderings of the two NT verses:

Rom. 1:20,

“For you see, from [the] creation (framing; founding of order out of chaos; settling) of [the]
ordered System (cosmos; universe; or: world of culture, religion and government) His invisible
things (unseen [qualities and attributes]) – both His imperceptible (unobservable) power,
ability and capacity, as well as divinity (Godship; God-state) – are habitually seen down the
line (or: are normally correspondingly perceived), being continually apprehended (grasped by
the mind; mentally conceived) in the results and by the effects of things which are made or
done, in order for them to be continuously defenseless (without an excuse).”

Jude 6,

“Besides that, those agents (or: folks having or bringing a message) not guarding (keeping
watch over; maintaining) the beginning of themselves (or: the rule of themselves), but to the
contrary, after leaving away from (= abandoning) the personal dwelling place (one’s own
abode or habitation), He has guarded, kept watch over and maintained under gloom (or: thick
darkness) by imperceptible (or: in unobservable) bonds, with a view to a judging (a sifting and
a separation for evaluating; a making of a distinction and a deciding) of a great Day (or:
pertaining to or whose source is a great day; or: which is [the] great Day).”

-Jonathan Mitchell N.T Translation-

#66

Regardless of all this verbiage, “αιωνιος” (aiōnios) means “lasting” and “αιδιος” (aidios) means “everlasting” or “eternal”.

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#67

Lets see what the Lexicon states:

aionios

agelong

Eternal

The context of the lake of fire is the new Jerusalem. This isn’t the earthly Jerusalem or Earthly Gehenna. It’s in a spiritual context therefore it is figurative. Just as life is eternal so is the punishment.

Robin parry in the "Evangelical Universalist:

One could maintain that the devil will be punished forever, but that Lucifer will ultimately be saved. Paul is able to speak of how God saves humans through the putting to death of “the flesh” or the “old person”. The human in rebellion against God is “killed” so that there is a new creation (2 Cor 5:17). According to the tradition, the devil is a fallen angel. The devil, like the “flesh”, must be destroyed forever, because creation has no place for him. But he dies, and Lucifer is reborn as a redeemed angel. It would still be possible to speak of the devil being tormented forever and ever to symbolize this defeat even though no actual being is still in the lake of fire. This goes beyond anything taught in Revelation, but it is one way of trying to reconcile what revelation teaches with what Colossians teaches and I tentatively commend it to the reader. The Evangelical Universalist page 131

The view that gives God the most glory is the true interpretation. This is the view that gives God the most glory. We see this glory as Christ saves the outcasts in the Lake of fire. The paradox of the glory of Christ is His beautiful outshining radiance of His high holiness. We also see His glory shine in His love and humble lowliness for the outcasts. Jesus has always had compassion for the outcasts. The first are last and the last are first. The outcasts of the new creation will experience shame outside the gates in the lake of fire. But Jesus was always for healing the shamed outcasts. I guess the main reason I’m a Christian Universalist is because it brings God the most glory. According to Jonathan Edwards:

God is glorified not only by His glory’s being seen, but by its being rejoiced in

When those that see it delight in it, God is more glorified than if they only see it. Therefore, God is most glorified if everybody sees His glory and rejoices in it instead of being miserable in hell. The old sinful self (ego) is “tormented” forever in hell. The Devil is punished forever, not Lucifer. Therefore, the manifestation of God glory in His hatred of sin goes on forever.

It is a proper and excellent thing for infinite glory to shine forth; and for the same reason, it is proper that the shining forth of God’s glory should be complete; that is, all the parts of His glory should shine forth, that every beauty should be proportionably effulgent, that the beholder may have a proper notion of God. It is not proper that one glory should be exceedingly manifested, and another not at all…Thus it is necessary, that God’s aweful majesty, His authority and dreadful greatness, justice, and holiness, should be manifested. But this could not be, unless sin and punishment had been decreed; so that the shining forth of God’s glory would be very imperfect, both because these parts of divine glory would not shine forth as the others do, and also the glory of His goodness, love, and holiness would be faint without them; nay, they could scarcely shine forth at all. If it were not right that God should permit and punish sin, there could be no manifestation of God’s holiness in hatred of sin, or in showing any preference, in His providence, of godliness before it. There would be no manifestation of God’s grace or true goodness, if there was no sin to be pardoned, no misery to be saved from. How much happiness soever He bestowed, His goodness would not be so much prized and admired…So evil is necessary, in order to the highest happiness of the creature, and the completeness of that communication of God, for which He made the world; because the creature’s happiness consists in the knowledge of God, and the sense of His love. And if the knowledge of Him be imperfect, the happiness of the creature must be proportionably imperfect. ~~ Jonathan Edwards

#68

Isaiah 6:3

And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”

“Since God is holy in every way possible; God is glorious in the most possible way. To say that God is glorious means that God is worthy of fame and admiration; that God has striking beauty and splendor that evokes feelings of delighted admiration in us.

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#69

Which lexicon?
“Agelong” literally yes.The word for “age” is “αιων” which is part of the word “αιωνιος”.
But looking at the word in context, I find that “lasting” fits all contexts best.

In Matthew 25:46 where the goats are to be sent into “αἰωνιος κολασις”. If we agree that “κολασις” means “correction”, then what would “eternal correction” mean? If a person were corrected eternally, the correction would never be completed, and thus the person would not be corrected at all!

Fortunately “αἰωνιος” DOES NOT mean “eternal”. Indeed, it never means “eternal”. It is the adjectival form of the noun “αἰων”, which means “age”. So, I suppose we could translate “αἰωνιος” as “agey”, but as far as I know, the latter is not an English word.

The word was used in koine Greek (the Greek spoken from 300 B.C. to 300 A.D.) to refer to anything which is enduring. The word was used by Diodorus Siculus to describe the stone used to build a wall. The word seems to have been used as meaning “lasting” or “durable”.

Josephus in “The Wars of the Jews” book 6, states that Jonathan was condemned to “αἰωνιος” imprisonment. Yet that prison sentence lasted only three years.

But the clincher comes from the Homily of the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Ephesians, written by Chrysostom. He wrote that the kingdom of Satan “is αἰωνιος (agey), in other words it will cease with the present αἰων (age).” So Chrysostum apparently believed that “αἰωνιος” meant exactly the opposite to “eternal”! ---- that is “ lasting” but in this case also “temporary.”

Now back to Matthew 25:46 where the goats are to be sent into “αἰωνιος κολασις”. If we agree that “κολασις” means “correction”, then what would “eternal correction” mean? If a person were corrected eternally, the correction would never be completed, and thus the person would not be corrected at all!

Fortunately “αἰωνιος” DOES NOT mean “eternal”. Indeed, it never means “eternal”. It is the adjectival form of the noun “αἰων”, which means “age”. So, I suppose we could translate “αἰωνιος” as “agey”, but as far as I know, the latter is not an English word.

The word was used in koine Greek (the Greek spoken from 300 B.C. to 300 A.D.) to refer to anything which is enduring. The word was used by Diodorus Siculus to describe the stone used to build a wall. The word seems to have been used as meaning “lasting” or “durable”.

Josephus in “The Wars of the Jews” book 6, states that Jonathan was condemned to “αἰωνιος” imprisonment. Yet that prison sentence lasted only three years.

But the clincher comes from the Homily of the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Ephesians, written by Chrysostom. He wrote that the kingdom of Satan “is αἰωνιος (agey), in other words it will cease with the present αἰων (age).” So Chrysostum apparently believed that “αἰωνιος” meant exactly the opposite to “eternal”! ---- that is “ lasting” but in this case also “temporary.”

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#70

Another Greek Lexicon

aionioß

  1. without beginning and end, that which always has been and always will be

  2. without beginning

  3. without end, never to cease, everlasting

#71

Dear Holly: The numbering system of Dr. Strong is an invaluable tool. But walk with caution going beyond the numbers.

The chains of the Aidios God are eternal & they remain aidios/ eternal until the mighty day of our God when He sets the all, the ta pante right!

The ONLY other reference to aidios is again where it rightly belongs in the Aidios One who ALONE is aidios!

Aionios = everlasting = rooted in aion = age

Aidios = eternal = rooted in the Aidios God ALONE.

αιωνιος = aiōnios

αιδιος = aidios

“It is in Him, and through the shedding of His blood, that we have our deliverance–the forgiveness of our offences–so abundant was God’s grace, the grace which He, the possessor of all wisdom and understanding, lavished upon us, when He made known to us the mystery of His will. And this is in harmony with God’s merciful purpose for the government of the world when the times are ripe for it-- the purpose which He has cherished in His own mind of restoring the whole creation to find its one Head in Christ; yes, things in Heaven and things on earth, to find their one Head in Him. And you…”

#72

The sum total remains the same if those in hell suffer an infinite degree for a finite period of time rather than a finite degree for infinite time. A thousand years to God is like a day. So, it could be infinite degree of suffering for days upon days. Thus those in hell suffer infinie punishment are annihilated or experience death and then are resurrected or restored. Here is all three views in one. Given those in hell have new bodies in a transdimensional reality they are able to experience an infinite degree of suffering for a finite time.

#73

Dear Holly: There are four hell’s, all swallowed into the One who eats all (the radical all of pas) & thanantos.

This is not a losing battle by the Prince-Leader: He prevails!

The Atonement

It is an Atonement made by Christ as the last ADAM. Not alone, then, does Christ sooner or later draw to Himself all men, but He cannot draw less than all men if He be a new and better ADAM .

Therefore, I repeat, the traditional creed, while in words teaching, in fact denies the Atonement of the Bible. It asserts an universal salvation - but it really means a salvation that does not save universally - one in which Christ tries to save all, and is defeated.

What is this but to dishonor the cross in its very essence: to deny that our Lord is truly the last ADAM, and to treat Him as one who, in the face of assembled creation, in the sight of men and angels, has challenged the powers of evil and has failed?

-Christ Triumphant-

#74

I believe Christ will be victorious. My point is that to God a “thousand” years is like a “day” and a “day” is like a “thousand” years. Both day and thousand years are symbolic here. The number one thousand (1,000) symbolizes “ immensity , ” “fullness of quantity” or “multitude .” The number evokes a very long time according to most Bible passages. This is why the Bible tells us that Jonah was in the belly of a whale for 3 days and 3 nights and yet it says he was there forever. It’s relative.

#75

This is how Jesus was tormented day and night forever and ever for our sins in the atonement. Yet it was only a few hours.