E. Abbot, Literature of the Doctrine of a Future Life, etc., (New York, 1867), Index of subjects s. v. For its meanings in eccl. writ. see Suicer, Thesaur. Eccles. i. col. 140 sqq., cf. col. 1609; Huet, Origeniana (App. to vol. iv. of De la Rue’s Origen) lib. ii. c. ii. quaest. 11, § 26. Its use in Hom., Hes., Pind., Aeschyl., Soph., Eur., Aristot., Plato, Tim. Locr., is exhibited in detail by E. S. Goodwin in the Christ. Exam. for March and May, 1831, March and May, 1832. “On αἰών as the complete period, either of each particular life or of all existence, see Arist. cael. 1, 9, 15; on αἰών and χρόνος, cf. Philo [quis rer. div. her. § 34] i. 496, 18 sq.; [de mut. nom. § 47] i. 619, 10 sq.” L. and S. ed. 6; see also Philo de alleg. leg. iii. 8; quod deus immut. § 6 fin.; de prof. § 11; de praem. et poen. § 15; and (de mund. opif. § 7) esp. J. G. Müller, Philo’s Lehre v. d. Weltschöpfung, p. 168 (Berl. 1864). Schmidt (ch. 44) gives the distinction, for substance, as follows: both words denote the abstract idea of time and with special reference to its extent or duration; χρόνος is the general designation for time, which can be divided up into portions, each of which is in its turn a χρόνος; on the other hand, αἰών, which in the concrete and simple language of Homer (Pindar and the Tragedians) denotes the allotted lifetime, even the life, of the individual (Il. 4, 478 μινυνθάδιος δέ οἱ αἰών etc.), in Attic prose differs from χρόνος by denoting time unlimited and boundless, which is not conceived of as divisible into αἰῶνες (contrast here biblical usage and see below), but rather into χρόνοι. In philosophical speech it is without beginning also. Cf. Tim. Locr. 97 c. d. χρόνω δὲ τὰ μέρεα τάσδε τὰς περιόδως λέγοντι, ἃς ἐκόσμησεν ὁ θεὸς σὺν κόσμῳ· οὐ γὰρ ἦν πρὸ κόσμω ἄστρα· διόπερ οὐδ’ ἐνιαυτὸς οὐδ’ ὡρᾶν περίοδοι, αἷς μετρέεται ὁ γεννατὸς χρόνος οὗτος. εἰκὼν δέ ἐστι τῶ ἀγεννάτω χρόνω, ὃν αἰῶνα ποταγορεύομες· ὡς γὰρ ποτ’ ἀΐδιον παράδειγμα, τὸν ἰδανικὸν κόσμον, ὅδε ὁ ὠρανὸς ἐγεννάθη, οὕτως ὡς πρὸς παράδειγμα, τὸν αἰῶνα, ὅδε ὁ χρόνος σὺν κόσμῳ ἐδαμιουργήθη—after Plato, Timaeus p. 37 d. (where see Stallbaum’s note and reff.); Isocr. 8, 34 τοὺς δὲ μετ’ εὐσεβείας κ. δικαιοσύνης ζῶντας (ὁρῶ) ἔν τε τοῖς παροῦσι χρόνοις ἀσφαλῶς διάγοντας καὶ περὶ τοῦ σύμπαντος αἰῶνος ἡδίους τὰς ἐλπίδας ἔχοντας. The adj. ἄχρονος independent of time, above and beyond all time, is synon. with αἰώνιος; where time (with its subdivisions and limitations) ends eternity begins: Nonnus, metaph. evang. Johan. i. 1, ἄχρονος ἦν, ἀκίχητος, ἐν ἀρρήτῳ λόγος ἀρχῇ. Thoroughly Platonic in cast are the definitions of Gregory of Nazianzus (orat. xxxviii. 8) αἰὼν γὰρ οὔτε χρόνος οὔτε χρόνου τι μέρος· οὐδὲ γὰρ μετρητόν, ἀλλ’ ὅπερ ἡμῖν ὁ χρόνος ἡλίου φορᾷ μετρούμενος, τοῦτο τοῖς ἀϊδίοις αἰών, τὸ υμπαρεκτεινόμενον τοῖς οὖσιν οἷόν τι χρονικὸν κίνημα καὶ διάστημα (Suicer u. s.). So Clem. Alex. strom. i. 13, p. 756 a. ed. Migne, Ὁ γ’ οὖν αἰὼν τοῦ χρόνου τὸ μέλλον καὶ τὸ ἐνεστὼς, αὐτὰρ δὴ καὶ τὸ παρῳχηκὸς ἀκαριαίως συνίστησι. Instances from extra-biblical writ. of the use of αἰών in the plural are: τὸν ἀπ’ αἰώνων μύθον, Anthol. vol. iii. pt. ii. p. 55 ed. Jacobs; εἰς αἰῶνας, ibid. vol. iv. epigr. 492; ἐκ περιτροπῆς αἰώνων, Joseph. b. j. 3, 8, 5; εἰς αἰῶνας διαμένει, Sext. Empir. adv. Phys. i. 62. The discussions which have been raised respecting the word may give interest to additional reff. to its use by Philo and Josephus. Philo: ὁ πᾶς (ἅπας, σύμπας) or πᾶς (etc.) ὁ αἰών: de alleg. leg. iii. § 70; de cherub. § 1 (a noteworthy passage, cf. de congressu erud. § 11 and reff. s. v. θάνατος); de sacrif. Ab. et Caini § 11; quod det. pot. § 48; quod deus immut. § 1, § 24; de plantat. § 27; de sobrietate § 13; de migr. Abr. § 2; de prof. § 9; de mut. nom. § 34; de somn. ii. § 15, § 31, § 38; de legat. ad Gaium § 38; (ὁ) μακρὸς αἰ.: de sacrif. Ab. et Caini § 21; de ebrietate § 47; de prof. § 20; αἰ. μήκιστος: de sobrietate § 5; de prof. § 21; ὁ ἄπειρος αἰ.: de legat. ad Gaium § 11; ὁ ἔμπροσθεν αἰ.: de praem et. poen. § 6; αἰ. πολύς: de Abrah. § 46; τίς αἰ.: de merc. meretr. § 1; δι’ αἰ.: de cherub. § 26; de plantat. § 27; εἰς τὸν αἰ.: de gigant. § 5; ἐν (τῷ) αἰ.: de mut. nom. § 2 (bis) (note the restriction); quod deus immut. § 6; ἐξ αἰ.: de somn. i. § 3; ἐπ’ αἰ.: de plantat. § 12 (bis); de mundo § 7; πρὸ αἰ.: de mut. nom. § 2; πρὸς αἰ.: de mut. nom. § 11; (ὁ) αἰ.: de prof. § 18; de alleg. leg. iii. § 70; de cherub. § 22; de migr. Abr. § 22; de somn. i. § 18, § 22; de Josepho § 5; de vita Moys. ii. § 3; de decalogo § 14; de victimis § 3; frag. in Mang. ii. 660 (Richter vi. p. 219); de plantat. § 12 (bis); de mundo § 7. Josephus: (ὁ) πᾶς αἰών: antt. 1, 18, 7; 3, 8, 10; c. Ap. 2, 11, 3; 2, 22, 1; μακρὸς αἰ.: antt. 2, 7, 3; πολὺς αἰ.: c. Ap. 2, 31, 1; τοσοῦτος αἰ.: c. Ap. 1, 8, 4; πλῆθος αἰῶνος: antt. prooem. § 3; ἀπ’ αἰ.: b. j. prooem. § 4; δι’ αἰ.: antt. 1, 18, 8; 4, 6, 4; b. j. 6, 2, 1; εἰς (τὸν) αἰ.: antt. 4, 8, 18; 5, 1, 27; 7, 9, 5; 7, 14, 5; ἐξ αἰ.: b. j. 5, 10, 5; (ὁ) αἰ.: antt. 19, 2, 2; b. j. 1, 21, 10; plur. (see above) 3, 8, 5. See αἰώνιος.]
αἰώνιος, -ον, and (in 2 Th. ii. 16; Heb. ix. 12; Num. xxv. 13; Plat. Tim. p. 38 b. [see below]; Diod. i. 1; [cf. WH. App. p. 157; W. 69 (67); B. 26 (23)]) -ος, -α, -ον, (αἰών); 1. without beginning or end, that which always has been and always will be: θεὸς, Ro. xvi. 26, (ὁ μόνος αἰώνιος, 2 Macc. i. 25); πνεῦμα, Heb. ix. 14. 2. without beginning: χρόνοις αἰωνίοις, Ro. xvi. 25; πρὸ χρόνων αἰωνίων, 2 Tim. i. 9; Tit. i. 2; εὐαγγέλιον a gospel whose subject-matter is eternal, i. e. the saving purpose of God adopted from eternity, Rev. xiv. 6. 3. without end, never to cease, everlasting: 2 Co. iv. 18 (opp. to πρόσκαιρος); αἰώνιον αὐτόν, joined to thee forever as a sharer of the same eternal life, Philem. 15; βάρος δόξης, 2 Co. iv. 17; βασιλεία, 2 Pet. i. 11; δόξα, 2 Tim. ii. 10; 1 Pet. v. 10; ζωή (see ζωή, 2 b.); κληρονομία, Heb. ix. 15; λύτρωσις, Heb. ix. 12; παράκλησις, 2 Th. ii. 16; σκηναί, abodes to be occupied forever, Lk. xvi. 9 (the habitations of the blessed in heaven are referred to, cf. Jn. xiv. 2, [also, dabo eis tabernacula aeterna, quae praeparaveram illis, 4 Esdr. (Fritzsche 5 Esdr.) ii. 11]; similarly Hades is called αἰώνιος τόπος, Tob. iii. 6, cf. Eccl. xii. 5); σωτηρία, Heb. v. 9; [so Mk. xvi. WH, in the (rejected) ‘Shorter Conclusion’]. Opposite ideas are: κόλασις, Mt. xxv. 46; κρίμα, Heb. vi. 2; κρίσις, Mk. iii. 29 (Rec. [but L Τ WH Tr txt. ἁμαρτήματος; in Acta Thom. § 47, p. 227 Tdf., ἔσται σοι τοῦτο εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν καὶ λύτρον αἰωνίων παραπτωμάτων, it has been plausibly conjectured we should read λύτρον αἰώνιον (cf. Heb. ix. 12)]); ὄλεθρος [Lchm. txt. ὀλέθριος], 2 Th. i. 9, (4 Macc. x. 15); πῦρ, Mt. xxv. 41, (4 Macc. xii. 12 αἰωνίῳ πυρὶ κ. βασάνοις, αἳ εἰς ὅλον τὸν αἰῶνα οὐκ ἀνήσουσί σε).
[Of the examples of αἰώνιος from Philo (with whom it is less common than ἀΐδιος, q. v., of which there are some fifty instances) the following are noteworthy: de mut. nom. § 2; de caritate § 17; κόλασις αἰ. frag. in Mang. ii. 667 fin., (Richter vi. 229 mid.); cf. de praem. et poen. § 12. Other exx. are de alleg. leg. iii. § 70; de poster. Caini § 35; quod deus immut. § 30; quis rer. div. her. § 58; de congressu quaer. erud. § 19; de prof. § 38; de somn. ii. § 43; de Josepho § 24; quod omn. prob. lib. § 4, § 18; de ebrietate § 32; de Abrah. § 10; ζωὴ αἰ.: de prof. § 15; θεὸς (ὁ) αἰ.: de plan-
