Time and Eternity

This paper contains an investigation of Leibniz’s ontology of time. Standard debates on Leibniz’s theory of time hinge upon the question whether the nature of time is relative or absolute and focus mainly on the Leibniz-Clarke correspondence. Focusing instead on Theodicy and referring to the contemporary frame and debate, I address some different questions: whether Leibniz is an A-theorist or a B-theorist, or an advocate of a hybrid form of an A/B-theory; and whether he is a presentist (who think that only present things and states of affairs exist) or an eternalist (who claims that past, present and future things and states of affairs are equally real). After careful analysis of several passages that seemingly support a presentist interpretation, I conclude that under the most charitable interpretation Leibniz should be considered as an eternalist, and precisely as a dynamical one. I further argue that Leibniz’s peculiar view on modality mirror this hybrid theory of time.

Análise da ideia de "eternidade" do ponto de vista teológico e filosófico a partir do qual aspiro responder de algum modo a seguinte pergunta: como delimitar uma forma [finita] para algo que é por definição disforme [infinito], a eternidade?

Warum kann Augustinus die These, dass die Welt schon immer mit Gott existiert hat, nicht verteidigen? Im ersten Abschnitt werde ich Augustinus Theorie der Zeit und Schöpfung kurz rekonstruieren und einige Probleme vorstellen. Im zweiten Abschnitt werde ich die folgenden Fragen versuchen zu beantworten: warum kann Augustinus die These, dass die Welt schon immer mit Gott existiert hat, nicht verteidigen? Ich werde argumentieren, dass wir die Augustinus Zeittheorie im Hinblick auf ihr Schuld-Doktrin betrachten sollen und, dass Augustinus, obwohl kein philosophisches Argument und auch keine biblischen Beweise für die ex-nihilo Schöpfung hat, steht seine Verteidigung seiner Zeittheorie in Einklang mit seiner Schuld-Doktrin.

“Il divino Platone e lo stupefacente Kant”, con queste parole, è noto, Schopenhauer apriva la sua prima opera pubblicata come dissertazione di tesi dottorale: La quadruplice radice del principio di ragion sufficiente. A partire da questa affermazione perentoria che si ripeterà anche nel suo capolavoro indiscusso, che il legame storiografico tra Schopenhauer e il platonismo è più che evidente. Tuttavia, il taglio interpretativo che si è dato a questo studio non è tanto quello di offrire una comparazione storiografica tra le dottrine di Platone e di Schopenhauer, quanto piuttosto di cercare di scavare più a fondo, in direzione di una coappartenenza essenziale dei due autori in una radicalità dell’interrogare filosofico che oltrepassa il loro “detto”, in direzione di ciò che lo trascende. In questo senso, la tensione tra i poli del tempo e dell’eternità costituisce senz’altro quell’elemento in grado di restituire l’immagine più autentica delle intenzioni schopenhaueriane, oltre quel volontarismo dietro cui lo stesso pensatore tedesco ha inteso occultare il suo profondo platonismo, così come si era venuto a caratterizzare nei suoi scritti giovanili: tra “coscienza empirica” e “migliore coscienza”. Il presente lavoro cerca quindi di rintracciare, in questa prospettiva, i motivi di una dottrina dei livelli di coscienza all’interno del pensiero di Schopenhauer.

Preface to Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture 20:4 (Fall 2017).  In this essay I reflect on the fear of eternity, "apeirophobia" as it is sometimes called, noting how such fears are natural given the biblical dictum that God has put eternity in the mind of men.  Though natural, they must be overcome as it is the goal of Catholic Christian life to know God whose eternity and omnipresence are reflected in the vastness of universal space and time. In fact, the Christian goal is to probe God's presence through all disciplines, a goal that this journal has had from its beginnings.  I close by reflecting on the successes and the future goals for the journal.

PART I PRAYER (has only one question) Using the following from my " Ratio, Preces, Intuitus: Prayer's Mediation in Boethius' Consolation " [posted both on the Brightspace and Academia.edu] to outline what must be considered, explain the nature (or natures), role (or roles), and purpose (or purposes) of prayer in in Boethius' Consolation of Philosophy.

Maximus follows Dionysius the Areopagite in holding that God ‘precontains’ the knowledge of all things as their cause. He develops this idea by interpreting divine foreknowledge as a consequence of God’s knowledge of the divine logoi, the acts of will by which God predefines and creates all things. Since among the items God foreknows are creatures’ free acts, it would seem to follow that such acts are determined by the logoi. Elsewhere, however, Maximus emphasizes that the full realization of a rational creature’s logos depends upon that creature’s free choice. There thus seems to be a conflict between Maximus’s Neoplatonic account of divine knowledge and his commitment to human free will. I argue that to reconcile this conflict we must distinguish two stages in the existence of the logoi: an initial stage in which they embody simply the divine intent, and a later stage in which (as Maximus puts it in Ambiguum 10) they ‘re-enter’ into eternity to the extent that they have been embodied in the lives of the faithful. The logoi at the latter stage are the joint product of the divine will and creatures’ free choice. However, the distinction between the two stages is conceptual rather than temporal; from a point of view within time, the logoi are always already at the latter stage. This explains how in knowing them from all eternity God can foreknow, without determining, creatures’ free choices.

Since the beginning of human history people have always wondered about the cosmos however limited the educational horizons of a generation might be. People also have always wondered about space and time and the relation they bear to the unfurling of life from birth to death and the implications of the many faces of this topical question. Albert Einstein provides an angle to this issue and this will be used as a stepping stone to introduce a new perspective that proves to be challenging and very creative and which is derived from a spiral conception of space and time within the frameworks of an emergent Spiral Theory of Everything contrary to the existing linear and cyclic conceptions.

'Kitaab at-Tawheed' (‘The Book of Monotheism’) is the famous Sunni theologian Abu Mansoor al-Maturidi’s (d. 333/944) magnum opus: both the work and its author became the foundation of Sunni theological and philosophical thought until the present day. Its early provenance and originality as well as wide and enduring influence make this book essential for students of theology, philosophy, and the history of ideas. Yet despite the wide purported influence of and devotion to his ideas, Maturidi’s work has however been strangely neglected by Muslim and non-Muslim scholars alike. This book is the first of two volumes comprising the first ever English translation - with commentary - of ‘Kitaab at-Tawheed’.

This work is unique in that it provides a detailed and holistic approach to Islamic theology whilst also being its earliest extant comprehensive source. Maturidi presents the epistemological foundations of his teaching, provides detailed arguments in defence of monotheism - including his cosmological doctrines such as proofs that the universe is created and its ontological, temporal or infinite nature. He also focuses on God, his existence, the differences between God and created entities, and the names and attributes of God, analysing issues related to anthropomorphism and the speech and the vision of God.

Regardless of theological affiliation, this is an indispensable work for academics and laymen alike.

In certain theological circles today, panentheism is all the rage. One of the most notorious difficulties with panentheism lies in figuring out what panentheism actually is. There have been several attempts in recent literature to demarcate panentheism from classical theism, neo-classical theism, open theism, and pantheism. I shall argue that these attempts to demarcate panentheism from these other positions fail. Then I shall offer my own demarcation.

The article is devoted to the analysis of temporal structure in Mikhail Shishkin's novel “Pismovnik”. A characteristic feature of the poetics of the novel is the intentional universalization of time, which is seen in connection with the philosophy of eternalism. Particular attention is paid to identifying eternalist temporal patterns in the novel. The analysis of art time is consistently connected with con-sideration of narrative structure of the novel.

The present document analyzes the figurations and the meaning of the concept of eternity in the work of Jorge Luis Borges. In the first chapter, it points out the main Borgesian symbols linked to the concept (the word, the nothing, the I, the animal, etc.); in the second chapter, the main refutations of time, found in the author's essays; in the third and last chapter, it examines in what way the concept of eternity is related to the writer ́s process of literary creation and to his very concept of literature. Such analysis means to offer a new approach towards the Argentine author's work, emphasizing, behind his obsession with labyrinths, enigmas, and with the problem of time, his search for the center, for the solution of the enigma of time, found, through literary art, in the concept of eternity. Moreover, it wishes to analyze the ambiguous relation the author maintained with the concept of eternity, seeing it at times as a dream that humans should abandon to be part of the real world and, at other times, as an impossible goal that, through literature, finds a more approachable means of representation.

In the current chapter we will trace the history of eternity in the early modern period (roughly, 1550-1750). Modernity seemed to be the autumn of eternity. The secularization of European culture provided little sustenance to the concept of eternity with its heavy theological baggage. Yet, our hero will not leave the stage without an outstanding demonstration of its power and temptation. Indeed, in the two centuries of early modernity, the concept of eternity played important roles in the period’s greatest philosophical systems.
The first part of the chapter concentrates on the debate about God’s relation to time. While most of the great metaphysicians of the period – Suarez (1548-1617), Spinoza (1632-1677), Malebranche (1638-1715), and Leibniz (1646-1716) – ascribed non-temporal eternity to God, a growing number of philosophers conceived God as existing in time, and eternity as having everlasting existence. For Newton, Gassendi (1592-1655), Henry More (1614-1687), Samuel Clarke, Isaac Barrow (1630-1677), and John Locke (1632-1704), God’s eternity was simply the fact that he always was, is and will forever be. In the second part of the chapter we will study the concept of eternal truth [aeternae veritates or vérités éternelles]. Though this concept has a long history it became far more central in the early modern period with the emergence of the closely related notion of the “Law of Nature” [lex naturae].
The third and most extensive part of the chapter will present Spinoza’s original understanding of eternity as self-necessitated existence. Various elements of Spinoza’s notion of eternity can be traced back to previous philosophers, but the core of his understanding of eternity is genuine and surprising. For Spinoza, eternity is primarily a modal notion, a unique kind of necessity and necessary existence. The final part of the chapter will address the reception of Spinoza’s concept of eternity in the century following his death. Remarkably, Spinoza’s notion of eternity was received positively by figures who would otherwise sharply criticize his philosophy. Oddly enough the great “atheist” of the early modern period turned out to be the philosophical expert on eternity, namely, the very essence of God.

In the essay Spinoza Dies, the Author imagines Spinoza's reflections in the hours preceding his death and uses them to present the philosopher's theories on life, death, suicide and eternity of the mind. These theories require a concept of identity able to answer questions on the essence of life and death, the identity of the dying and of the surviving individual. While some interpreters deny that the eternal mind can be a personal one, the Author argues in complete contrast that the mind truly achieves a personal identity only in the dimension of eternity.

This essay seeks to answer the question, “What is Salvation?” by firstly identifying that it is from sin and it’s consequences that humanity needs to be saved.  The consequences of sin outlined are: Separation from God, Hostility toward each other and the rest of creation, Being forsaken and abandoned by God, and Physical and Spiritual death.  The essay first establishes the state of humanity in order to show how God’s gift of Salvation reverses all the consequences of sin.  Salvation is explained as something that is: Initiated by God, Requiring of repentance and faith, Justifies from sin, Sanctifies through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and ultimately leads to Glorification of the believer.  Themes such as redemption, restoration and reconciliation form part of the essay, which also seeks to briefly explain the effect that salvation has on all of creation, not just humanity.  The essay explains that this salvation is only made possible because of the work of Jesus Christ, and because of Him all who believe in their heart and confess with their mouths that ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’, look forward to a glorious hope in the kingdom of God.

The recent trend among many philosophers of religion has been to interpret divine eternity as an everlasting temporality in which an omnitemporal God exists in and throughout the whole of time. This is in contrast to the classical account of divine eternity as atemporal, immutable existence. In this paper, Aquinas' use of Boethius's definition of eternity as “the whole, perfect, and simultaneous possession of endless life” is analyzed and explained in contradistinction to Aristotle's definition of time. This analysis is then used to respond to Nicholas Wolterstroff's argument in "God Everlasting" that God's knowledge of temporal events infects God with temporality and mutability. The argument concludes by introducing an important distinction between absolute simultaneity and temporal simultaneity, which allows us to hold God is omniscient because he is absolutely simultaneous with all events but is not temporally simultaneous with any event.

Christian theism claims that God is in some sense responsible for the existence and nature of time. There are at least two options for understanding this claim. First, the creationist option, which says that God creates time. Second, the identification view, which says that time is to be identified with God. Both options will answer the question, "what is time?" differently. I shall consider different versions of the creationist option, and offer several objections that the view faces. I will also consider different versions of the identification view, and argue that the objections it faces can be refuted.

Available on Amazon, http://amzn.to/2fUmhvy. This book discusses the exact nature of the will to power in the overcoming of tragedy through the soulful forces (Macht) of the psyche. From /The Birth of Tragedy/, to /The Genealogy of Morals/ and at last /The Will to Power/, Nietzsche's works address the willful strength of psyche (Spirit) being fundamental to, and more central to Life than the sheer reactive forces of nihilism and strength of the body alone (Kraft). Along with cosmological and metaphysical, historiological, aetiological, and sociopolitical questions and implications of the Eternal Return, the book discusses various ways that Nietzschean Will to Power (Wille zur Macht) has been misunderstood and appropriated by fascism. Passive and active nihilism are tied to various defense/coping mechanisms, including Sublimation as a valid way to overcome the hardships of tragic events.

Unico e straordinario è il disegno di Dio: prima Cristo e poi Adamo! Come a dire: “la soluzione precede il problema”. Non esistono due progetti, come se il peccato avesse costretto Dio a cambiare piano, esiste un unico e straordinario disegno. Infatti, il peccato di Adamo può aver sorpreso Dio fino al punto da sconvolgere il suo disegno originario d’amore? La Scrittura rivela che Cristo è prima di tutte le cose, tutte sono state create per mezzo di lui (cfr. Col 1,16). Siamo stati pensati e voluti nel Redentore. All’inizio di tutto c’è Cristo morto e risorto e solo in Lui si rivela il mistero dell’uomo e della Chiesa. Il testo conduce il lettore alla scoperta di questa meravigliosa visione cristocentrica che Giacomo Biffi ha meditato e proclamato per tutta la sua vita.

A geometric model has been introduced for the dimensional depiction of consciousness. According to this model, a consciousness 'dimension' may be represented through definition of concentric spherical layers in space/innerspace stretching from an innermost point representing the SOURCE God to the physically identifiable outermost layers. It is further suggested that the illustration of dimensional space may be simplified via definition of a two-dimensional unit vector identifying a 'plane of consciousness.' This plane is defined through specification of, respectively, the 'vector of time' and 'vector of space' defining a mutually orthogonal set of Cartesian coordinate system composed of time as one axis and space as the other axis. In this respect, a dimension of consciousness may be depicted by the angle that the planar unit vector subtends with of these axes (time or space) chosen as a reference axis that represents an eigenvalue and is referred to as the 'dimensional angle,' and by the unit vector subtending the aforementioned plane that represents the eigenvector and is referred to as the 'dimensional vector.'

Avicenna was the most significant Muslim philosopher and physician of the Middle Ages. He understood philosophy as a systematic and universal scientific endeavor, and considerably shaped the way in which theological and religious matters – just as much as concerns from within metaphysics, natural philosophy, and logic – have been conceived by Muslim, Christian, and Jewish authors writing in the wake of his accomplishments. His long-lasting influence is attested by numerous commentaries and reactions to his account of reality. Central aspects of his philosophy include the account of God as well as the scientific explanation of creation, prophecy, evil, and the afterlife.

-Non commerciale -Non opere derivate 2.5 Italia (CC BY-NC-ND 2.5). Questo significa che è possibile riprodurla o distribuirla a condizione che -la paternità dell'opera sia attribuita nei modi indicati dall'autore o da chi ha dato l'opera in licenza e in modo tale da non suggerire che essi avallino chi la distribuisce o la usa; -l'opera non sia usata per fini commerciali; -l'opera non sia alterata o trasformata, né usata per crearne un'altra. Per maggiori informazioni è possibile consultare il testo completo della licenza Creative Commons Italia (CC BY-NC-ND 2.5) all'indirizzo http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/it/legalcode. Nota. Ogni volta che quest'opera è usata o distribuita, ciò deve essere fatto secondo i termini di questa licenza, che deve essere indicata esplicitamente. LUCA BIANCHI L'errore di Aristotele. La polemica contro l'eternità del mondo nel XIII secolo Firenze,

This article explores the concepts of eternity and time as employed by Plato in his metaphysics and natural philosophy. It focuses on the Timaeus, which is the main source used in the attempts to reconstruct Plato's theory of time and to gain insights into his understanding of time's paradigm and counterpart, i.e. eternity. The chief thesis regarding Plato's concept of eternity presented here is that Plato conceived of it not as infinite duration (sempiternity), but as timeless, unchanging present (eternity proper). It thus, in accordance with the original meaning of the Greek term for eternity (αἰών), signifies the state of being of the Forms. As far as time (χρόνος) and its nature is concerned, an attempt is made here to argue that Plato did not identify time with a) the heavenly sphere in motion, b) number, nor with c) motion in general, motion of the heavenly sphere, or motion of some of its part –as suggested by some ancient, as well as contemporary commentators. In fact, time is inseparable from motion, however not as being motion, but as being characterized by regular motion, through which it enlivens the world of Becoming and makes it what it is. So it turns out that Plato's somewhat poetic description of time as moving image of eternity is more than just a metaphorical expression – eternity, the state of being of the Forms, reflects itself into time, the never-ending-life of the universe in constant motion. Time, as every image, has to be imperfect and therefore, unlike its paradigm, entails permanent change and instability.

La parola fra eternità e tempo: un tema suggestivo ed evocativo che si offre al lettore come chiave ermeneutica per il libro XI e al contempo per l’intera opera. Da una parte la parola transeunte dell’uomo e dall’altra parte la Parola eterna di Dio. La parola è il tema che innerva dal principio alla fine il testo delle Confessioni: nei libri di contenuto autobiografico la parola è al servizio della narrazione di una storia che si distende nel tempo; ma questa storia di conversione trova senso compiuto nel ministero di un’altra parola che è quella di Dio, spiegata nei libri di contenuto esegetico. L’una e l’altra parola vengono a contatto nel libro XI, che comporta la transizione dalla prima alla seconda parte delle Confessioni: dalla parola che risuona nel tempo per mezzo di una voce transeunte si deve passare alla parola eterna che si fa sentire nell’animo senza il suono della voce ed è il Verbo eternamente proferito da Dio. L’interpretazione del primo versetto di Genesi pone appunto il tema dell’eternità e del tempo e il tema della parola. Il creatore è immutabile ed eterno; invece le creature, che sono state fatte, sono mutabili e soggette al tempo. Dio ha fatto le creature per mezzo della sua parola che è il Verbo eterno (Jo 1, 1: «il Verbo era presso Dio e il Verbo era Dio») e non una voce transeunte (Lc 9, 35: «dalla nube uscì una voce che disse: ‘Questi è il Figlio mio diletto’»). Con queste premesse è introdotta una lunga digressione sul tempo, conclusa con la descrizione di una voce transeunte, che alterna sillabe brevi e sillabe lunghe nel canto dell’inno ambrosiano Deus creator omnium, e con una riflessione sull’animo, che nel canto indirizza il corso del tempo dal futuro attraverso il presente nel passato. L’intera trattazione sul tempo è dunque racchiusa entro la cornice dell’opposizione tra la voce e il Verbo: alla voce transeunte dell’uomo, che canta un inno al creatore dell’universo, si oppone il Verbo eterno, con il quale Dio ha creato l’universo stesso. L’anima dell’uomo, in quanto è unita al corpo, è soggetta al trascorrere del tempo; invece in se stessa, in quanto pura anima, è in grado di protendersi al di là del tempo verso l’eternità. È questo il significato delle parole di Phil 3, 12-14 secondo l’interpretazione proposta nell’epilogo del libro XI: «[…] e dopo i giorni antichi sia raccolto seguendo l’uno, dimentico delle cose passate, non verso le cose future che passeranno, ma verso le cose che sono dinanzi non disteso ma proteso, non con la distensione ma con l’intenzione inseguo la palma della chiamata celeste (Phil 3, 12-14) […]» (conf. 11, 29, 39).

كانت قضية قِدَم العالم من بين أهم القضايا الخلافية التي شغلت شُرَّاح أرسطو، سواء اليونانيون منهم أم المسلمون. وكان يحيى النحوي من بين أهم الفلاسفة الذين واجهوا نظرية أرسطو في قِدَم العالم، وبذلك كان على كل الشُرَّاح التالين الذين تبنوا نظرية القِدَم ودافعوا عنها وتمسكوا بصيغتها الأرسطية أن يردوا على النحوي، أو على الأقل أن يتجاوزوا نقده لأرسطو بأن يضعوا البدائل والتفسيرات الجديدة للنظرية. وتعد ردود ابن رشد على نقد يحيى النحوي لقدم العالم عند أرسطو أهم ردود قُدمت في هذا الشأن. ومن أهم الاعتراضات التي قدمها النحوي على قِدَم العالم عند أرسطو، ذلك الاعتراض الذي استغل أحد المبادئ الطبيعية الأرسطية كدليل لاستحالة قِدَم العالم. ينص هذا المبدأ على أن كل جسم متناهٍ، وبالتالي فإن قوته متناهية، ويستحيل على أي جسم متناهٍ أن تكون قوته لامتناهية، إذ أن هذا يتناقض مع طبيعة الجسم. ظهر هذا المبدأ في المقالة الثامنة من كتاب "السماع الطبيعي" لأرسطو، واستغله النحوي وقال إن السماء، بما أنها جسم، فإن قوتها متناهية، ولما كانت قوتها متناهية فلا يمكن أن تكون حركتها أزلية، وبالتالي يستحيل أن يكون العالم قديماً. إذ يستند قِدَم العالم عند أرسطو على نظريته في الحركة الأزلية للسماء؛ وبإثبات النحوي أن حركة السماء ليست أزلية نظراً لأن قوتها المحركة متناهية، تنهار نظرية قِدَم العالم كلها. ويتمثل حل ابن رشد المباشر لهذه الإشكالية في قوله إن الجسم السماوي قوته متناهية في الشدة والسرعة، لامتناهية في دوام التحريك في الزمان. فالجسم السماوي قوته متناهية في شدة تحريكها لجسم بعينه ذي عِظَم محدد، ومتناهية في تحريكها إياه بسرعة محددة، لكنها لامتناهية في الاستمرار في تحريكه أزلاً. وعلى الرغم من البساطة والمباشَرَة التي يبدو عليها هذا الحل، إلا أنه يستند على مجموعة كبيرة من المقدمات والأدلة، يمثل هو نتيجتها النهائية، وهي مقدمات وأدلة تَنْصَب كلها على البرهنة على أن طبيعة الجسم السماوي تؤهله لمثل هذه الحركة الأزلية من تلقائه.
One of the central concerns of Ibn Rushd (Averroes, d. 595/1198) in his commentaries on Aristotle was defending the theory of Eternity. This theory in Aristotle took the form of the eternal motion of the celestial sphere and its bodies. John Philoponus in his critique of Eternity tried to use one of Aristotle's natural principles to refute his theory of the eternal motion of the celestial body. Philoponus reasoned that every body is finite and thus has finite force, so the celestial bodies cannot have infinite force, and, thus, their rotation could not be eternal. Ibn Rushd tried, in various ways and in many places of his commentaries, to defend the eternal rotation of the heavens, by refuting Philoponus' argument. We can divide Ibn Rushd's solution into a dialectical approach and a demonstrative approach. Dialectically, Ibn Rushd provided some principles that paved the way to convince the reader of the thesis of Eternity itself. He proved that it is not in contradiction with the ideas of the unity of God, of His omnipotence and of His nature as the sole Creator. Ibn Rushd went on to reason that God as an infinite cause could not be proven except by positing infinite causes in circular motion, on the premise that an infinite cause must by necessity produce infinite effects. In this way the eternal rotation of the heavens is the immediate effect of God’s infinite causality. Demonstratively, Ibn Rushd proves that Aristotle’s principle of the finite force in the body is correct in all ways if that body is sublunary; but if it is a celestial body, its force is finite in one respect, infinite in another. It is finite in intensity and speed, moving just one body with a definite magnitude and with a regular fixed speed; it is also infinite in time, that is, it moves the celestial body in infinite time. Ibn Rushd tried to prove that the force of the celestial body is infinite in time in itself and by its nature in many ways, such as proving that this nature is characterized by some distinctive features: it is not composed of matter and form similar to sublunary bodies, its matter is eternal because it is simple and lacks contraries, and its form is just its circular motion.

More than 20 years after presenting his first interpretation of the mosaic from the House of Aion in a paper entitled “Uwagi na temat mozaiki z Domu Aiona w Nea Paphos (Cypr)” (Meander 9/10, 1987, p. 421-438, in Polish, and translated to English: « The Immortality of the Human Soul and the Dionysiac Mysteries in the 4th Century Allegory [in Connection with the Interpretation of the Mosaic from the “House of Aion” at Paphos in Cyprus]»), where he proposed reading the five mythological panels (1. Leda and Zeus; 2. Dionysus on Mount Nysa; 3. The Dionysian thiasos; 4. Apollo and Marsyas; 5. The Apotheosis of Cassiopeia) as an allegory of the destiny of the human soul and body, starting with conception and ending with the liberation of the soul and its apotheosis, the author now enhances his initial interpretation with numerous reflections concerning the historical context of this work of art, created in the years 320-360.
If, according to the author, the mosaic is a “Hymn” in honour of the pagan gods, Man (his soul) and his place in the (pagan) universe, then at the same time it polemicises with the Christian faith and its God, Jesus Christ.
The author puts forward numerous new solutions relating to the mosaic’s iconography and iconology. Analysis of the mosaic also leads him to propose a solution to the as-yet unanswered question regarding the absence of images of the crucified Christ in Christian art of the 3rd and 4th centuries, up until 420/430, when the first images of Christ on the cross appear.
CONTENTS:
Introduction
1. Research to-date (recap)
2. Description of mosaic (recap)
2.1. Composition of five mythological scenes
2.2. Brief iconographic description of mythological panels
2.3. Outline of individual iconographic elements and their respective roles
2.4. The pagan gods’ air of majesty and dignity as an expression of piety
3. A few words about the pagan reaction
4. An apology of pious human life according to pagan principles and a polemic on the Christian model of Man and his theological idol, Jesus Christ
4.1. Divine intervention in the act of human conception (allusion to/polemic on the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary)
4.2. The Epiphany of Dionysus (an allusion to the Epiphany of Christ – Theou Pais)
4.3. The procession and dissemination of Dionysian order (allusion to/polemic on Christ’s entry into Jerusalem)
4.4. The error of Marsyas (polemic on/allusion to the error of Jesus the Messiah): arrest, sentencing for arrogance and lack of piety (asebeia) and condemnation to a martyr’s death
4.5. The anabasis (or anagoge psyches) of a ‘beautiful soul’ (allusion to/polemic on the Ascension of Christ)
5. A few words on the mosaic programme prior to final conclusions
Final conclusions
Key words: mythological mosaic, House of Aion, Nea Paphos, Late Antiquity, Roman art, allegorical narrative, allusive language of mythological pictures, wordplay (Marsyas-Messias), Jesus Christ, anti-Christian polemic, Dionysos, Cassiopeia, Apollon, Nereides, Abstract Personifications, Greek Mythology, ΚΥΠΡΟΣ

What happens to the inner light of consciousness with the death of the individual body and brain? Reductive materialism assumes it simply fades to black. Others think of consciousness as indicating a continuation of self, a transformation, an awakening or even alternatives based on the quality of life experience. In this issue, speculations drawn from philosophical research are presented.

In this paper I shall consider an objection to divine temporality called “The Prisoner of Time” objection. I shall begin by distinguishing divine timelessness from divine temporality in order to clear up common misunderstandings and caricatures of divine temporality. From there I shall examine the prisoner of time objection and explain why the prisoner of time objection fails to be a problem for the Christian divine temporalist.

All Things Made New:

Divine information in the Bible is shrouded in mystery. Described by numbers, information is presented to its reader as an equation, begging to be solved.

A day is a thousand years is the epicenter of major Judaic concepts related to the destiny of humanity. Broad in scope, it addresses a universal audience but focuses primarily on the Twelve Tribes of Israel, in both the TaNaCh (OT) and the New Testament.

The 7,000-year plan of the God of Israel is a major concept and foundational truth in understanding Bible prophecy and eschatology. The Rabbis of traditional Judaism understand that the God of Israel gave the seven days of creation in Genesis as instruction to teach His people that there are 7,000 years of time from the creation of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden to the end of the Messianic Age. Each day in creation represents 1,000 years in time. This is based upon connecting Psalm 90:4 to the seven days of creation. In Rabbinic literature, it is also taught that each day in creation represents 1,000 years of time.

The traditional Jewish view of each day of creation representing 1,000 years of time is expressed in the New Testament in 2 Peter 3:8-10 as it is written and directly ties it to the Torah and the end of the Messianic Age. It fact it warns not to be Lawless (Torahless) in the chapter.

We have Judaism explaining everything in great detail to the end of the Messianic Era and all is then shrouded in mystery. What happens after this period?

The New Testament is the only source that adds to it and gives staggering revelations on what happens after the 7,000 year period, come and embark on a futuristic journey to learn about the biggest mystery in human history; your destiny into eternity…

The headings in this part cover the following areas:

• All Things Made New Overview.
• The Purification Process.
• The New Jerusalem City.
• The Occupants Of The New Jerusalem.
• Living Conditions.
• Seven Names For The City Of HaShem.
• Twelve Blessings For Man On The New Earth.
• The Holy City, The New Jerusalem.
• Only Torah-Observant Believers Allowed In The New Jerusalem City.
• Life In the Eternal City.
• The Bible Explains The Enigma Of The Sphinx And Pyramid Of Giza.
• Who Built The Pyramids Of Giza?
• Background And Statistics Of The Giza Pyramids.
• Names Of The Three Stars In Orion’s Belt.
• The Background And Statistics Of The Giza Sphinx.
• The Age Of The Sphinx.
• Meaning Of The Word Pyramid.
• The Astonishing Accuracy Of The Giza Pyramids.
• The Construction Material Of The Giza Pyramids.
• The Site Of The Giza Pyramids.
• The Chambers Inside The Great Pyramid Of Giza.
• Engineering Of The Known Interior Chambers.
• Did They Find Any Egyptian Hieroglyphics As In The Other Pyramid?
• The Capstone Of The Great Pyramid Of Giza.
• The Eight Sides of the Great Pyramid of Giza.
• Is The Giza Pyramids A Holy Place? Isaiah’s Altar In The Middle Of Egypt.
• The Torah Calls For Two Witnesses.
• The Coffer Inside the Great Pyramid.
• Isaiah’s Altar In Egypt Decoded In The Hebrew Text.
• The Pyramid Altar Concept: Isaiah’s Sign And Witness.
• Is the New Jerusalem a Cube or a Pyramid?
• Conclusion on the Pyramid of Giza.
• Into Eternity.
• Conclusion.

Paul Helm has offered an objection to the so-called Oxford school of divine temporality based on the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. He has argued that this form of divine temporality entails Arianism. In this paper I shall first articulate the so-called Oxford school of divine temporality and then develop some of its theological and philosophical benefits. Then I will argue that the Arian charge is not a threat to divine temporality.

The mechanics of consciousness as pertains to projection of coherent light on a soul has been discussed. It is elucidated that consciousness is discrete in nature and occurs on a quantum scale through flashing of adamantine or Akash particles. These particulate units of consciousness flow or convert from antimatter in the ethereal to matter in the physical and vice versa via a purely conservative process that is both cyclic and non-dissipative in terms of energy consumption. It is further explained that this flashing of the light of consciousness is facilitated through black and white holes contained with the conical vortices of our chakras that serve as energetic particle accelerators. The fundamental principle behind the inhaling ‘in’ and exhaling ‘out’ of the antimatter-matter and its reverse process is that it occurs sequentially among various distinct continuums of time and space within separate parallels of dimensional consciousness that define our multidimensionality. These processes occur all spontaneously in the continuous NOW moment without any discernment in our physical consciousness within a particular parallel. Two parameters are envisioned to describe the extent of consciousness within a parallel that, in essence, are indigenous to that particular continuum of time and space within the said particular dimensional reality. These are the ‘light quotient’ that depicts the decay time of consciousness between sequential flashes of light of consciousness, the so-called ‘darkening period,’ and the resonant ‘frequency of vibration’ of that particular parallel dimension. It is envisaged that the notion of multidimensionality within a particular parallel dimension of reality is accentuated as the natural frequency of vibration or light quotient of a Soul Aspect animating within that parallel is increased. Finally, it is explicated that a crystalline form such as the well anticipated ‘Light Body genetics’ comprised of silicate-based, ordered and coherent, crystalline molecular matter is thought to merge the limited frontal mind with that of the divine God Mind, culminating in expedient consciousness expansion, and refined discernment of multidimensionality. Furthermore, it is clarified that a crystalline form has the advantage of ‘tuning’ the human energy field harmonically to myriads of dimensional fields more effectively, thus reducing the ‘darkening period’ between discrete consecutive flashes of consciousness within a parallel.

This article provides a first exploration of the debate on the eternity of the world in the works of Sayf al-Dīn al-Āmidī (d. 631/1233) and Athīr al-Dīn al-Abharī (d. 663/1264). The focus on these two intellectuals is not random. Both al-Āmidī and al-Abharī have been renowned, influential thinkers and each is described in the secondary literature in seemingly unambiguous terms, either as an Ashʿarī theologian (in the case of al-Āmidī) or as an Avicennian philosopher (in the case of al-Abharī). Yet, neither of these descriptions is unproblematic, and so it is on the whole difficult to see whether al-Āmidī is an Avicennian at heart or an Ashʿarī partisan who resentfully defies Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī's innovations in theology or, in turn, whether al-Abharī is an actual defender of the theological dogma or parroting Avicenna’s philosophy. Against this background, then, it may also be unclear what their position was towards the most pressing of questions, viz., whether the world existed for all eternity or is the result of an origination.

An overview of the phenomenon of unity consciousness has been presented. As consciousness is a quantum phenomenon, the subject of unity consciousness has been explored from the stance of the quantum mechanics ideology.  It is explicated that at its root level, unity consciousness pertains to the consciousness of the Prime Creator, which is progressively disseminated via infinite potentials via certain programs of reality onto a series of consciousness grids that define different levels of consciousness. It is also proposed that the Prime Creator, the SOURCE of all consciousness, acquired a form of SINGULARITY, which due to its colossal mass of consciousness, reached a certain state of saturation congealment in which it could no longer effectuate further consciousness expansion. As a result, the Prime Creator imploded upon itself to form companions that could function as its constituent parts, through which it could obtain ‘relative’ life experiences, leading to its consciousness expansion. In this respect, the Prime Creator epitomizes the infinite mass or Zero-Point Consciousness energy, and us as sentient beings function as light beings of finite density, having been streamed upon these pre-devised programs of reality by the Prime Creator, that are commensurate with our level of frequency of consciousness-light quotient-propinquity. Thus, the mind of the Prime Creator represents a Unified Field of consciousness to which we can tap into to optimally experience our devised sojourns of life, culminating in our spiritual education, and ultimately, adding to our consciousness expansion and that of the Prime Creator. We are endowed with the gift of thoughts and emotions as to be able to adequately receive, decipher, and subsequently, project these devised programs of reality onto the space-time to experience our life sojourns within our designated dimensions of consciousness. However, as we are also ordained with Free Will as well as ego, equipped with a system of neural network that uses binary logic as its operating software, and having a 50-50 chance of success with regards to proper adoption of these programs of reality, we best not improvise too drastically with regard to the choices we come up with regarding our life sojourns. It may be elucidated that ego is what anchors us to this particular dimension of consciousness that is commensurate with our level of consciousness-cognitive capability. And, ego is, in turn, dictated by the collective consciousness that is reflected within our particular planetary consciousness grid. Therefore, as our planetary consciousness grid reflecting our overall matrix of reality is currently contaminated by outside forces to our species, who are self-serving and not benevolent, it is best that we abstain from subscribing to its intellect, mentality, and spiritual curriculum. In contrast, it is best that we go WITHIN, getting intimately attuned to our HIGHERSELF, who originates from a higher dimension of consciousness than our level of physical consciousness, who is our friend, counselor, and who pre-selects our relevant programs of reality, streaming them on to us. Furthermore, the HIGHERSELF is the part of us who is connected to the Unified Field of consciousness. Thus, through sharpening and utilizing our intuitive-inspirations senses, we can remain connected to the Unified Field, being privy to accessing the Akashic Records of the Cosmos that would serve as a role model and a divine template and impetus for acquiring our spiritual education, effectuating our consciousness growth. After all, all that counts is consciousness expansion. This is why it is the only directive mandated by our Prime Creator to us as potential consciousness generators.

This paper examines Borges’ view of time—the most important metaphysical problem in his opinion. Regarding it as indecipherable and indefinable like all the major metaphysical questions, it is governed in his works by Heraclitus’ metaphor of the flowing river or enigmatic dictum that “we cannot enter the same river twice.” Heraclitus’ fundamental philosophical principles of constant flux and the identity of opposites illuminate the way in which Borges perceives time as both the perpetual tide on which human existence is carried and the ontological inconceivable “mysterious material” of all reality. In order to fully illuminate the aesthetical, existential and philosophical aspects of Borges' reaction to Heraclitus' view of time, special attention is given here to three Borgesian stories: "Funes the Memorious" (1942), "The Immortal" (1947), and "the Aleph" (1945).

2 3 Ai miei amici, gli altri che ci salvano «Gli atei fanatici non possono sentire la musica delle sfere» [Albert Einstein] «La libertà non è la ribellione, ma piuttosto la pratica di una fantasia senza limiti all'interno delle restrizioni imposte dal potere» [Alejandro Jodorowski] 4 5 INDICE INTRODUZIONE……………………………………………………………………p. 07 7 INTRODUZIONE « -Fammene uno con tuttodisse il mistico al venditore di hamburger 1 » [J. D. Barrow] La fuga è un processo che si lascia qualcosa alle spalle. Si fugge da una situazione divenuta scomoda, da uno stato di cose che, reale o immaginario, ha smesso di essere adatto all'esistenza di chi sceglie di abbandonarlo. Spesso si è costretti a fuggire da condizioni e volontà esterne, altre volte la fuga è una scelta volontaria, una decisione del soggetto che consapevolmente abbandona uno stadio per raggiungerne un altro, noto o ignoto che sia. Certo è che non sempre si sa dove ci si sta dirigendo mentre si scappa a gambe levate o mentre i nostri pensieri e sentimenti scelgono di lasciarsi alle spalle ciò che è avvenuto. Caratteristica peculiare della fuga è il suo finale aperto, potenzialmente infinito o costituito da infiniti moduli finiti di una fuga da altro o da se stessi sempre rinnovabile.

En la obra de Ilaria Ramelli encontramos una aproximación inédita al concepto de apocatástasis llevando a cabo una amplia investigación histórica y lingüística que le permite indagar en sus fundamentos históricos, bíblicos, lingüísticos, filosóficos y teológicos. De este modo, la autora es capaz de presentarnos de modo coherente la apocatástasis no como una mera teoría teológica circunscrita al origenismo antiguo, que es como se entiende generalmente, sino como una auténtica tradición teológica con fundamentos bíblicos que se habría extendido a lo largo de la toda la Historia del cristianismo y en sus diferentes confesiones a través de multitud de autores, en una perspectiva que, me parece, aún no ha llegado al mundo de habla hispana.

Il pensiero di Emanuele Severino è certamente tra i più dibattuti al giorno d'oggi. Esso si propone di restare sui temi classici dell'ontologia e della metafisica occidentale, esibendone, però, spesso, un autentico capovolgimento prospettico.