Hi Nick –
The question of 'eternal' must be addressed within context.
As the Abrahamic traditions believe the world is created, it has a beginning, and as its sacred texts reveal, it has an end. In that context, eternal in cosmological terms means the entire duration between the founding of the world and its end.
In reference to God, however, then 'eternal' becomes an absolute term, outside of any temporal or spatial restriction.
This is especially the case in the New Testament.
"To the only God our Saviour through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory and magnificence, empire and power, before all ages, and now, and
for all ages of ages. Amen.
Jude 1:25
This is why, in my view, such texts should be interpreted from 'within' the tradition, otherwise erroneous assumptions of face-value readings can be made.
Theosophy definitely teaches Heaven and Hell to be places of temporary residence.
The temporality of the eschatalogical state is not a simple one, as the same temporal conditions do not apply, however, one might ask why anyone would want to leave a paradisical state. Again, we have to be clear by what is meant by 'heaven', or 'paradise', etc.
Heaven/Hell are seen as places we go to between reincarnations.
Well, here then Theosophy departs from the Abrahamic traditions.
I would also add that to say that cultures who hold the same truths necessarily derive them from a singular source is an assumption, without firm evidence to the fact, as it would suggest that cultures cannot come to truth independently. The idea of 'age' belongs with every culture, but to suggest they all drew the concept from one source stretches it a bit.
Thomas
The question of 'eternal' must be addressed within context.
As the Abrahamic traditions believe the world is created, it has a beginning, and as its sacred texts reveal, it has an end. In that context, eternal in cosmological terms means the entire duration between the founding of the world and its end.
In reference to God, however, then 'eternal' becomes an absolute term, outside of any temporal or spatial restriction.
This is especially the case in the New Testament.
"To the only God our Saviour through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory and magnificence, empire and power, before all ages, and now, and
for all ages of ages. Amen.
Jude 1:25
This is why, in my view, such texts should be interpreted from 'within' the tradition, otherwise erroneous assumptions of face-value readings can be made.
Theosophy definitely teaches Heaven and Hell to be places of temporary residence.
The temporality of the eschatalogical state is not a simple one, as the same temporal conditions do not apply, however, one might ask why anyone would want to leave a paradisical state. Again, we have to be clear by what is meant by 'heaven', or 'paradise', etc.
Heaven/Hell are seen as places we go to between reincarnations.
Well, here then Theosophy departs from the Abrahamic traditions.
I would also add that to say that cultures who hold the same truths necessarily derive them from a singular source is an assumption, without firm evidence to the fact, as it would suggest that cultures cannot come to truth independently. The idea of 'age' belongs with every culture, but to suggest they all drew the concept from one source stretches it a bit.
Thomas
