eternity

{{see also|Eternalism (philosophy of time)|Philosophy of space and time}}

Classical philosophy defines eternity as what exists outside time, as in describing timeless supernatural beings and forces, distinguished from sempiternity which corresponds to infinite time, as described in requiem prayers for the dead.{{which|date=March 2021}} Some thinkers, such as Aristotle, suggest the eternity of the natural cosmos in regard to both past and future eternal duration. Boethius defined eternity as "simultaneously full and perfect possession of interminable life".{{sfnp|Boedder|1902|loc=book 2, ch. 2, "[https://maritain.nd.edu/jmc/etext/nath34.htm The Eternity of God]"}}{{efn|{{harvp|Boethius|523|loc=book 5, prose §. 6}}, quote: "{{lang|la|Aeternitas igitur est interminabilis vitae tota simul et perfecta possessio.}}"}} Thomas Aquinas believed that God's eternity does not cease, as it is without either a beginning or an end; the concept of eternity is of divine simplicity, thus incapable of being defined or fully understood by humankind.{{sfnp|Helm|2010|loc=§. 6, "[https://stanford.library.sydney.edu.au/archives/sum2010/entries/eternity/#:~:text=Medieval%20thinkers,-It%20is%20in&text=For%20Aquinas%20God%27s%20eternity%20is,fully%20grasped%20by%20a%20creature. Medieval thinkers]"}}

Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679) and many others in the Age of Enlightenment drew on the classical distinction to put forward metaphysical hypotheses such as "eternity is a permanent now".{{sfnp|Hobbes|1662|p=50}}

Today cosmologists, philosophers, and others look towards analyses of the concept from across cultures and history. They debate, among other things, whether an absolute concept of eternity has real application for fundamental laws of physics; compare the issue of entropy as an arrow of time.

{{see also|God and eternity|Unto the ages of ages}}

Eternity as infinite duration is an important concept in many lives and religions. God or gods are often said to endure eternally, or exist for all time, forever, without beginning or end. Religious views of an afterlife may speak of it in terms of eternity or eternal life.{{efn|For examples: {{harvp|Bassali|2008|p=138}}, quote: "In the next life, there will be two places only - heaven and hell. {{omission}} In heaven, you will spend an eternity of bliss, light, and glory with God. In hell, you will spend an eternity of woe, darkness and torment apart from God. Which of these two places would you prefer to spend your eternity?"}} Christian theologians may regard immutability, like the eternal Platonic forms, as essential to eternity.{{sfnp|Deng|2018|loc=§. 3.1, "[https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/eternity/#LociClas The {{lang|la|Loci Classici}}]"}}{{efn|{{harvp|Deng|2018}}, quote: "Augustine connects God's timeless eternity to God's being the cause of all times and God's immutability."}}

{{see also|Alpha and Omega|Armenian eternity sign|Engagement ring|Eternity ring}}

Eternity is often symbolized by the endless snake, swallowing its own tail, the ouroboros. The circle, band, or ring is also commonly used as a symbol for eternity, as is the mathematical symbol of infinity, {{math|$\backslash infty$}}. Symbolically these are reminders that eternity has no beginning or end.

{{gallery|width=300px|height=300px

|File:Ouroboros.png|The ouroboros

|File:EndlessKnot03d.png|The "endless knot," a symbol of eternity used in Tibetan Buddhism.

|File:Infinity symbol.svg|Infinity symbol variations

|File:Georgin François, The 3 Roads to Eternity, 1825 Cornell CUL PJM 1040 01.jpg|Folk art allegorical map "The 3 Roads to Eternity" from Matthew 7:13–14 by the woodcutter Georgin François (1801–1863) in 1825.

|File:Jacopo da Sellaio - Triumph of Eternity - 1485-90.jpg|Jacopo da Sellaio, Triumph of Eternity, 1485–1490

|File:Cagnacci Allegoria.jpg|An allegorical classical woman {{circa|1670s}}, representing eternity.{{efn|She holds up an hourglass, her elbow above a human skull and in her lower hand two flowers in maturity, one of which is a dandelion blowball or clock (seed head), reminders of transience. An Ouroboros, snake swallowing its own tail, floats above her head as a halo - symbols of eternity.}}

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{{Columnslist|colwidth=30em|

• Aeon
• Akal (Sikh term)
• Chronology of the universe
• Eternal now
• Eternal return
• Everlasting life
• Eviternity
• Kalpa
• Philosophical presentism
• Planck epoch
• Time perception
• Temporal finitism
• Wheel of time

}}

{{Notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Refbegin|30em|indent=yes}}

• {{Cite book |last1=Bassali |first1=Maurice |year=2008 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aoEha2bAEvgC |title=Where Will You Spend Eternity? |publisher=Xulon Press |isbn=9781606473276 |access-date=30 April 2021 }}
• {{Cite book |last1=Boedder |first1=Bernard |year=1902 |url=https://maritain.nd.edu/jmc/etext/nath.htm |title=Natural Theology |publisher=Longmans, Green, and Co. |via=University of Notre Dame |access-date=July 29, 2022 |archive-date=March 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326021842/https://maritain.nd.edu/jmc/etext/nath.htm |url-status=dead }}
• {{Cite Wikisource |last1=Boethius |first1=Anicius Manlius Torquatus Severinus |title=De philosophiae consolatione Boethius |wslanguage=la |wslink=De_philosophiae_consolatione/Liber_Quintus#XI |ref={{harvid|Boethius|523}} |author-link=Boethius}}
• {{Cite SEP |author-last1=Deng |author-first1=Natalja |url-id=eternity |title=Eternity in Christian Thought |edition=Fall 2018 |ref={{harvid|Deng|2018}}}}
• {{Cite SEP |author-last1=Helm |author-first1=Paul |url-id=eternity |title=Eternity |edition=Summer 2010 |ref={{harvid|Helm|2010}}}}
• {{Cite book |last1=Hobbes |first1=Thomas |title=Mr. Hobbes considered in his loyalty, religion, reputation, and manners, by way of a letter to Dr. Wallis |year=1662 |author-link=Thomas Hobbes}}

{{Refend}}

• {{Cite book |last=Yu |first=Jiyuan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T5pRlUoAbmIC&pg=PA188 |title=The Structure of Being in Aristotle's Metaphysics |publisher=Springer |year=2003 |pages=188–|isbn=9781402015373 }}

• [http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/eternity/ Entry] in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy on Eternity.
• [http://www.iep.utm.edu/g/god-time.htm Entry] in the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy on the relationship between God and Time.

{{Time Topics}}

{{Time in religion and mythology}}

{{Time in philosophy}}

{{Infinity}}

{{Spirituality-related topics}}

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Category:Metaphysical properties

Category:Philosophy of science

Category:Philosophy of time

Category:Philosophy of religion

Category:Infinity