αἰών

αἰών, -ῶνος, ὁ,

[in LXX chiefly for עַד ,עוֹלָם ;]

1. in cl., like Lat. aevum (LS, MM, VGT, see word), a space of time, as, a lifetime, generation, period of history, an indefinitely long period; in NT of an indefinitely long period, an age, eternity, usually with prep. (MM, VGT);

(a) of the past: ἀπ᾽ αἰ. (cf. Heb. מֵעוֹלָם), Luk 1,70

(b) of the future: εἰς τ. αἰ. (cf. לְעוֹלָם), forever, Matt 21,19 id., with neg., never, Joh 4,14 more strongly, εἰς τὸν αἰ. τοῦ αἰ., Hebr 1,8 (LXX); εἰς τοὺς αἰ., Matt 6,13 εἰς τοὺς αἰ. τῶν αἰ. (cf. Es 45,17, עַד־עוֹלְמֵי עַד), Rom 16,27, LT; cf. also Ef 3,21, 2 Pet 3,18, Jud 25, Åb 14,11.

2. οἱ αἰ., the worlds, the universe, "the sum of the periods of time, including all that is manifested in them": He :12 11:3 (cf. 1 Tim 1,17, where τῶν αἰ. are prob. "the ages or world-periods which when summed up make eternity".

3. the present age (Heb. הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה): ὁ αἰ., Matt 13,22 ὁ αἰ. οὗτος, Matt 12,32 ὁ νῦν αἰ., 1 Tim 6,17 ὁ ἐνεστὼς αἰ., Gal 1,4 similarly, of the time after Christ's second coming (הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא), ὁ αἰ. ἐκεῖνος, Luk 20,35 ὁ αἰ. μέλλων, Matt 12,32 ὁ αἰ. ὁ ἐρχόμενος, Mark 10,30,

SYN.: κόσμος, the ordered universe, the scheme of material things; οἰκουμένη, the inhabited earth; in contrast with both of which αἰ. is the world under aspects of time (cf. Westc. on Hebr 1,2 Tr., Syn., §lix; Thayer, see word, αἰ.; Cremer, 74, 620; MM, VGT).