eternity

eternity
The totality of time, conceived of as having no beginning and no end. The central philosophical dispute is whether eternity should be contrasted with time, not to be thought of as an especially long quantity of time, but as instead involving a kind of timelessness. Thus eternal objects, such as numbers, enjoy a timeless existence. Plotinus and the Neoplatonist tradition insist on a non-temporal interpretation of God's existence. Boethius makes the distinction between sempiternity (everlastingness) and eternity: ‘For our “now”, as if running, creates time and sempiternity, whereas the Divine “now” stays not moving, but standing still, and creates eternity’ (De Trinitate, 4. II). Such timelessness is beyond description, but its apprehension is the goal of mystical contemplation.

Philosophy dictionary. . 2011.

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  • Eternity — eternity …   Philosophy dictionary

  • Eternity — • Eternity is defined by Boetius (De Consol. Phil., V, vi) as possession, without succession and perfect, of interminable life Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Eternity     Eternity …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Eternity — (engl. für Ewigkeit) bedeutet: ein Puzzle aus England, siehe Eternity Puzzle ein Album von Anathema, siehe Eternity (Anathema Album) ein Album von Freedom Call, siehe Eternity (Freedom Call Album) ein Album von Kamelot, siehe Eternity (Kamelot… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Eternity — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Eternity puede referirse a: Eternity, tercer álbum de la banda japonesa Every Little Thing. Eternity, tercer álbum de la banda británica Anathema. Eternity, primer álbum de la banda de power metal estadounidense… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Eternity — E*ter ni*ty, n.; pl. {Eternities}. [F. [ e]ternit[ e], L. aeternitas, fr. aeternus. See {Etern}.] 1. Infinite duration, without beginning in the past or end in the future; also, duration without end in the future; endless time. [1913 Webster] The …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • eternity — ► NOUN (pl. eternities) 1) infinite or unending time. 2) Theology endless life after death. 3) (an eternity) informal an undesirably long period of time …   English terms dictionary

  • eternity — [ē tʉr′nə tē, itʉr′nə tē] n. pl. eternities [ME eternite < OFr eternité < L aeternitas] 1. the quality, state, or fact of being eternal; eternal existence or duration; continuance without end 2. infinite time; time without beginning or end… …   English World dictionary

  • eternity — index perpetuity Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • eternity — late 14c., from O.Fr. eternité (12c.), from L. aeternitatem (nom. aeternitas), from aeternus (see ETERNAL (Cf. eternal)). In the Mercian hymns, L. aeternum is glossed by O.E. ecnisse …   Etymology dictionary

  • eternity — [n] forever aeon, afterlife, age, ages, blue moon*, dog’s age*, endlessness, endless time, everlastingness, forever and a day*, future, immortality, imperishability, infiniteness, infinitude, infinity, kingdom come*, other world*, perpetuity,… …   New thesaurus

  • Eternity — For other uses, see Eternity (disambiguation). Eternity personified, holding the ourobouros. Caryatid in the apse of …   Wikipedia

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