Eternity

Abstract

The distinctive, philosophically interesting concept of eternity arose very early in the history of philosophy as the concept of a mode of existence that was not only beginningless and endless but also essentially different from time. It was introduced into early Greek philosophy as the mode of existence required for fundamental reality (being) contrasted with ordinary appearance (becoming). But the concept was given its classic formulation by Boethius, who thought of eternity as God’s mode of existence and defined God’s eternality as ‘the complete possession all at once of illimitable life’. As defined by Boethius the concept was important in medieval philosophy. The elements of the Boethian definition are life, illimitability (and hence duration), and absence of succession (or timelessness). Defined in this way, eternality is proper to an entity identifiable as a mind or a person (and in just that sense living) but existing beginninglessly, endlessly and timelessly. Such a concept raises obvious difficulties. Some philosophers think the difficulties can be resolved, but others think that in the light of such difficulties the concept must be modified or simply rejected as incoherent. The most obvious difficulty has to do with the combination of atemporality and duration. Special objections have arisen in connection with ascribing eternality to God. Some people have thought that an eternal being could not do anything at all, especially not in the temporal world. But the notion of an atemporal person’s acting is not incoherent. Such acts as knowing necessary truths or willing that a world exist for a certain length of time are acts that themselves take no time and require no temporal location. An eternal God could engage in acts of cognition and of volition and could even do things that might seem to require a temporal location, such as answering a prayer. The concept of God’s eternality is relevant to several issues in philosophy of religion, including the apparent irreconcilability of divine omniscience with divine immutability and with human freedom.

The Simplicity of the Living God: Aquinas, Barth, and Some Philosophers

“…Since a human understanding of what it means to be "in the present" governs their view of God's eternal present, they think that the idea of eternity as an isolated static instant is "not so far off the mark" as the idea of eternity as limitless duration. 61 For Aquinas, God is simultaneously whole and perfect, but is not therefore closer to being an instant than a duration. In fact, God exceeds duration: God "endures beyond every age, that is, beyond every kind of duration".…”

“…But Stump and Kretzmann propose, following Aquinas, to think of will as a "self-directed rational wanting of the good". 35 Thus, the possibility of doing otherwise than one does is not the criterion of true freedom. Instead, freedom means facing no obstacles in one's pursuit of the good.…”

Time(s), eternity, and duration

“…16 Stump and Kretzmann, of course, want and need to draw a substantive distinction between temporal and atemporal duration in order to differentiate between the infinite atemporal duration they identify as eternity and the infinite temporal duration which would characterize the "sempiternal. ' To deny that God has an infinitely extended duration is not to assert that God exists with instantaneous quickness.…”

“…To deny that God has an infinitely extended duration is not to assert that God exists with instantaneous quickness. But, arguing that "eternity entails duration" and that the eternal present "is by definition an infinitely extended, pastless, futureless duration", 19 Stump and Kretzmann insist that this "special sort" of duration is infinitely extended. Captured by the chillingly inappropriate image of a "frozen instant," Stump and Kretzmann imagine no alternative but an extension no less "frozen" than the "instant" they reject.…”

“…32 The basic difficulty in the Stump-Kretzmann account of atemporal duration is that they provide no answer to this question, and consequently no meaning to their contention that eternity is infinitely extended. Not time.…”