More thoughts about αἰωνιος κολασις

[Paidion]

In Matthew 25:46, the words which have been translated as “eternal punishment” are the Greek words “αἰωνιος κολασις” Let’s consider “κολασις” first. This word was originally used for “prune” as in pruning plants. Plants are pruned by cutting off certain parts so as to correct the growth of the plant. “κολασις” was used in classical Greek in reference to a means to correct an offender. Look at any Greek lexicon, and you will find “correct” is given as one of its meanings.

The word is found only twice in the entire New Testament --- Matthew 25:46 in regards to the goats in Jesus’ parable, and I John 4:18 :

There is no fear in love, but complete love casts out fear. Fear has κολασις. The one who is afraid is not completed in love.

What could the statement “Fear has punishment” possibly mean? I could understand “Punishment has fear”, but not “Fear has punishment”. Do you know of anyone who has been punished because he is afraid?

However, I CAN understand “Fear has correction”. The context of this statement indicates what the correction is. A state of fear in a person can be corrected when that person is completed in love.

Now back to Matthew 25:46 where the goats are to be sent into “αἰωνιος κολασις”. If we agree that “κολασις” means “correction”, then what would “eternal correction” mean? If a person were corrected eternally, the correction would never be completed, and thus the person would not be corrected at all!

Fortunately “αἰωνιος” DOES NOT mean “eternal”. Indeed, it never means “eternal”. It is the adjectival form of the noun “αἰων”, which means “age”. So, I suppose we could translate “αἰωνιος” as “agey”, but as far as I know, the latter is not an English word.

The word was used in koine Greek (the Greek spoken from 300 B.C. to 300 A.D.) to refer to anything which is enduring. The word was used by Diodorus Siculus to describe the stone used to build a wall. The word seems to have been used as meaning “lasting” or “durable”.

Josephus in “The Wars of the Jews” book 6, states that Jonathan was condemned to “αἰωνιος” imprisonment. Yet that prison sentence lasted only three years.

But the clincher comes from the Homily of the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Ephesians, written by Chrysostum. He wrote that the kingdom of Satan “is αἰωνιος (agey), in other words it will cease with the present αἰων (age).” So Chrysostum apparently believed that “αἰωνιος” meant exactly the opposite to “eternal”! ---- that is “ lasting” but in this case also “temporary.”

As I see it, the following would be a correct translation of Matthew 25:46

And they [the goats] will go away into lasting correction, but the righteous into lasting life.

Lasting correction is correction which endures. At some point it comes to an end. Lasting life is life which endures. But it just so happens that the lasting life we receive from Christ endures forever. But the idea of "forever" is not inherent in the word “αἰωνιος”.

The true Greek word for "eternal" is "αἰδιος". That word is found in the following verse:

Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made. Romans 1:20

[Todd]

Paidion,

I certainly agree with you that "correction" is the appropriate translation. The area where I differ with you is the timing of the correction. I think you are saying that the correction occurs in the after-life, right? If so, why do think God would wait until then to correct an ungodly behavior and allow it to continue unabated throughout his life?

It is my opinion that God is calling every man everywhere to repent through the ever-present conviction of the Holy Spirit against sin. This work of God in the hearts of all men is an over-riding condemnation which wages war in his soul. I think this is what is referred to by the term "everlasting punishment" in Matthew 25:46.

Paul gives us a description of this internal struggle in the following....

Rom 7:22-24
22 For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?

God calls us to repentance to deliver us from sin and this condemnation. He doesn't wait until the after-life to do the correcting.

Todd

[Paidion]

Todd, my argument doesn't address the point you are trying to make. It addresses the fact that both the correction of the "goats" and the life of the "sheep" are αἰωνιος (lasting).

[mikew]

If this discussion is about the goats and sheep of Matt 25, then my interested has got stronger here.

The goats and sheep had something in common, namely that they were judged for how they treated Christians as seen by Jesus' words "the way you treated one of these the least of my brethren." So the passage doesn't apply in any sense to suggest that people who have not been in contact with Christians would be affected by this judgment.

I have seen Matt 25 as likely describing a reference to whether nations, as distinct political or cultural entities, would last through that first century. The proposed clarification that Matt 25 speaks about "lasting life" and "lasting correction" makes a little more sense of the passage rather than suggest that a nation has everlasting life or everlasting punishment.

[Todd]

Todd, my argument doesn't address the point you are trying to make. It addresses the fact that both the correction of the "goats" and the life of the "sheep" are αἰωνιος (lasting).

Paidion,

I'm sorry I got off topic. I agree with you that "lasting" seems appropriate; whether the correction is in this life or the after-life doesn't matter.

Todd

[Paidion]

No problem, Todd. I realize that knowing another person's stance on a matter, a stance with which one disagrees, makes it tempting to address his position.

[Homer]

Paidion,

Regarding 1John 4:18 you wrote:

What could the statement “Fear has punishment” possibly mean? I could understand “Punishment has fear”, but not “Fear has punishment”. Do you know of anyone who has been punished because he is afraid?

Regarding the Greek word echo ("has"), the TDNT says:

Sometimes the subj. and obj. can change places (i.e. in Gk. one may say "he has a sickness" or "a sickness has him").

If you considered the context, I believe you would find clarity:

1 John 4:17-18 (New King James Version)

17. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. 18. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

Here we find that the one who has attained completeness in love (perfected) may have boldness (confidence, assurance, or lack of fear) in the day of judgement. The one who is lacking in love fears torment (punishment). It makes nonsense of John's statement to say the proper translation of kolasis here is "pruning".

[Paidion]

What is the TNDT?

Could you give another Biblical example of the subject and object changing places?

This doesn't make sense to me. I have never encountered it in my Greek testament studies. Surely there is a good reason the author chose to place "fear" in the nominative case and "correction" in the accusative case instead of vice versa

[Homer]

Paidion,

What is the TNDT?

Theological Dictionary of New Testament Words, editor Verlyn Verbrugge, an abridged version of the Dictionary of New Testament Theology, editor Colin Brown. (I have both). The statement is found in both. The unabridged article on echo, written by Johannes Eichler, can be found beginning p. 635, vol. 1 of the unabridged set. The only other pertinent example he gave was "a fever has a man". He did say the range of meaning in the NT is the same as in classical Greek and the LXX.

[Paidion]

Well I did a search of the New Testament for any verses which contain both "πυρετος" (fever) and "εχω" (have, has), and found only one. That one definitely does NOT say "a fever has a man."

However, you have roused my curiosity,and so I did a search for all occurrences of "εχω" (or "echo" if you wish), and found 626. I have begun to examine them in order to find an instance of the nominative and accusative being reversed, and so far have found none. But eventually I'll get through all 626 occurrences.