In
the plural, the word denotes ages, or periods, that may be extended, and
even vast, but still of limited duration.
The word cannot denote unendingness, commonly, but erroneously, termed
"eternity" by those who forget that eternity is without beginning as
well as without end. Else, how could the plural of the word be used, and
how could Scripture speak of "the aions" and "the aions of the aions"
(i.e., "the ages," and "the ages of the ages")? There can be no plural
to "eternity," and it is surely an absurdity to talk about "the
eternities" and "the eternities of the eternities." And yet the
translators, in some instances have deliberately imported into the word
[Greek: aion] the meaning of everlastingness, while excluding it in
other instances.
Here is an example, out of many:
In Mark iii. 29, the passage, according to the Greek, is: "He that shall
blaspheme against the Holy Spirit hath not forgiveness all through the
aion (age), but is in danger of aionial judgment (i.e., the judgment
of an age)."
The translators have rendered this: "He that shall blaspheme against the
Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness (i.e., not forgiveness forever), but
is in danger of eternal damnation."
In this case, it will be seen that they have imported the idea of
unendingness into the word [Greek: aion] and the idea of "eternal" into
its adjective, [Greek: aionios].
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