Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible Online

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Aion αἰών
(595 words)

I. Name

Aion does not occur as a divine name or concept in the Bible, although Reitzenstein (1921) followed by others (BAGD, s.v.) considered Aion in Eph. 2.2, Eph. 7; Eph. 3.9 and Col. 1.26 a deity, the evil ruler of the cosmos. Aion in Greek has a wide range of meanings, ‘lifetime, life, age, generation, period, eternity’ (LSJ, s.v.; TWNT I, 197–204), and can even be identical with cosmos.

II. Identity

Reitzenstein (1921) identified Aion with Persian zervan akarana, ‘the endless time’, and believed it a de…

Cite this page
H. J. W. Drijvers, “Aion αἰών”, in: Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible Online, Edited by: Karel van der Toorn, Bob Becking, Pieter W. van der Horst. Consulted online on 01 April 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2589-7802_DDDO_DDDO_Aion>



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