Aionios

Aiṓnios, in Greek αἰώνιος, is a key term in the New Testament that is typically translated as "eternal", as in "eternal life." Sometimes it is translated as "everlasting" or "perpetual".

When used in the Gospel of John, however, αἰώνιος seems to have a more immediate meaning. A translation as "infinite life," here and now, may be more accurate than translating it as "eternal life" about the distant future.

Since at least the 1800s, scholars have questioned the use of "eternal" to translate αἰώνιος in the New Testament, and at least one expert says that its proper translation should relate to God.

Reddit analysis

In an interesting analysis on Reddit, apparently from Aristotle:

“

The entirety of the time which circumscribes each life, which can't naturally be exceeded, [the ancients] called the αἰών of each. By the same token the "entirety" of the whole universe — (and) of all time, of that which extends to the furthermost bounds of infinity — is also (called) αἰών, this name being taken from ἀεὶ εἶναι ("to exist forever")

”

The same commentator there observes that "very rarely — possibly not even 2 or 3 instances total — it denotes constant frequency within a clearly non-permanent period of time (cf. Diodorus Siculus 17.112.2)."

Root

The root of αἰώνιος is αἰών, which commonly means "age" but is also sometimes translated as "world" (without the temporal connotation).

"αἰών has a comfortable history of meaning things like "eternity" and "forever" in Greek literature long before the NT."

See also

• B-Greek: The Biblical Greek Forum