[B-Greek] More on AIONIOS
Harold R. Holmyard III
hholmyard at ont.com
Wed Oct 27 08:32:50 EDT 2004
Dear Barry,
>>HH: If eternal life has a special quality, it is no less eternal in
>>duration. It starts when we believe and continues forever. So
>>strictly speaking I think Mr. Newman's comment should read "eternal
>>(of quality as well as time)."
>
>I have no problem with the meaning AIWNIOS. But the what is the
>English "eternal of quality" or "qualitative eternity" supposed to
>mean?
HH: You have to go back to what Mr. Newman originally wrote. I said:
The Greek-English Dictionary of the New Testament by Barclay Newman
that accompanies the UBS text has "eternal (of quality rather than
time); unending, everlasting, for all time."
HH: I think what the words mean is that the word "eternal" speaks of
quality rather than of time. That's why I amended the phrase to "(of
quality as well as time)." It seems to me that "eternal" as a
translation of AIWNIOS can indeed refer to time. I don't think you
can extrapolate from Mr. Newman's comment, or from Dr. Carson's, the
idea of an "eternal of quality" or a "qualitative eternity." I did
not use those phrases.
HH: As to what the men may have had in mind by associating "eternal"
with "quality," it probably concerns the quality that our lives can
have, at their best moments, because of our relationship to God in
Jesus Christ. We have an eternal perspective on life and can even
deal with others in terms of eternal realities such as divine love
and judgment. There is security and solidity in knowing one will
exist forever and is upheld by God's forgiving hands. We communicate
daily with One who is eternal.
Yours,
Harold Holmyard
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