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The Problem of Eternity of the World in the Philosophical–Theological

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The Problem of Eternity of the World in the Philosophical–Theological Seyran ZAKARYAN 8'& Seyran ZAKARYAN 7+(352%/(02)(7(51,7<2)7+(:25/',17+( 3+,/2623+,&$/–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eywords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ith the title «De aeternL SKLORVRSK\ WKHILUVWQDWXUHSKLORVRSKHUV3OD tate mundi», «The Eternity of the World», WR $ULVWRWOH VWRLFV DQG RQ WHDFKLQJV RI ,EQ 'DYLG RI 'LQDQW 6LJHU RI %UDEDQW 7KRPDV 6LQD DQG ,EQ 5XVKG GXH WR WKH WUDQVODWLRQV Aquinas etc.), appeared; and proposition «the LQWR $UPHQLDQ RI WKH ZRUNV RI $OEHUW WKH world is eternal», regarded as avveroistic, was *UHDW 7KRPDV $TXLQDV DQG RWKHUV DQG DOVR FRQGHPQHGE\(WLHQQH7HPSLHUWKHELVKRSRI GXH WR ZRUNV RI EDVHG LQ $UPHQLD FDWKROLF 3DULVLQDQG,QWKHPHGLHYDO$U PLVVLRQHUVPHPEHUVRIWKH'RPLQLFDQ2UGHU PHQLDQ SKLORVRSK\ WKLV TXHVWLRQ ZDV WKRU Bartholomew of Bologna (†1333) and Peter 95 95 WISDOM 1(8), 2017 Seyran ZAKARYAN of Aragon (†1347). 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In this sense «the beginning of the e[ IXWXUH FUHDWLRQ H[LVWV LI WKH *RG GHFLGHG WR istence of the world is twice», firstly, when it FUHDWHVRPHWKLQJLWZLOOEHFUHDWHGQHFHVVDUL exists in the God’s mind, as a notion of a ly, that is the God’s will should be realized, as WHPSOH LQ WKH KHDG RI DQ DUFKLWHFW VHFRQGO\ WKHUHFRXOGQRWEHDFRQWUDGLFWLRQEHWZHHQWKH ZKHQ LW LV FUHDWHG WKDW LV WKH WHPSOH LV FRQ God’s will and providence. Anyway, in other VWUXFWHG 7DWHYDWVL XVHV D PHWKRG RI DQDORJ\ SODFHV 7DWHYDWVL DYRLGV VLPLODU H[SUHVVLRQV WU\LQJWRH[SODLQWKHIDFWRIDGRXEOHH[LVWHQFH H[SOLFDWLQJWKDWWKHFUHDWLRQRIWKHZRUOGLVD RI WKH ZRUOG E\ WKH H[DPSOH RI D FUDIWVPDQ YROXQWDU\DQGQRWQHFHVVDU\DFWLRQ DQDUFKLWHFW DQGDWHPSOHQRWLQJLQGHHGWKDW % The world is eternal as it is in the com- EHWZHHQ WKH RULJLQDO DQG WKH FRS\ WKHUH DUH munion with the God. $FFRUGLQJ WR 7DWHYDWVL VLPLODULWLHV DQG GLIIHUHQFHV )RU H[DPSOH LI one must differ «eternity» from «always» (eY WKH LPDJH RI D WHPSOH FDQ EH HUDVHG LQ WKH erlasting) and from «time» as a) Eternity like PLQGRIDQDUFKLWHFWIRUJRWWHQWKHQWKHLPDJH WKH *RG GRHV QRW KDYH QHLWKHU WKH EHJLQQLQJ of the world in the God’s mind never can be QRUWKHHQG(WHUQLW\LVQRWDQHQGOHVVGXUDWLRQ HUDVHG7KHZRUOGLVHWHUQDOEHFDXVHLILQWKH RI WLPH EXW D UHDOP WKDW H[LVWV RXW RI WKH PLQGRIDQDUFKLWHFWWKHWHPSOHH[LVWVE\SRV VSDFHWLPH IUDPH E (YHUODVWLQJ KDV D EHJLQ VLELOLW\WKHQE\LQIOXHQFHDQGWKHQ«being of QLQJEXWQRWDQHQGOLNHWKHDQJHOVDQGVRXOV the world by power is by God’s influence» F WKH WLPH KDV D EHJLQQLQJ DQG DQ HQG OLNH 7DWHYDWVL S 1RWLQJ FDQ EH E\ KHUEDODQGVHQVRU\PDWHULDOEHLQJV7KH*RGLV SRVVLELOLW\LQ WKH*RGDVWKHEHLQJE\SRVVL HWHUQDODQGLVWKHFDXVHRIWKHHYHUODVWLQJDQG ELOLW\ LPSOLHV D FKDQJH ZKLOH WKH *RG LV DQ WKHWLPH7KHWLPHFRQVLVWVRIWKUHHSDUWVSDVW unchangeable essence, namely is «unmovable SUHVHQW IXWXUH EXW WKH HYHUODVWLQJ DQG WKH by vision and will». The eteUQLW\RIWKHZRUOG HWHUQDO GR QRW KDYH SDUWV ,W LV HYLGHQW WKDW ILUVWRIDOOLVFDXVHGE\WKHHWHUQLW\RIGLYLQH 7DWHYDWVL KHUH FRQVLGHUV DV DQ DEVROXWH DQG SURYLGHQFH7KH*RGLVHWHUQDOVRHYHU\WKLQJ EHJLQQLQJOHVVRQO\WKH*RGDQGRWKHUVDVKDY LQ+LPLVDOVRHWHUQDO,QWKLVVHQVHWKH*RGLV LQJDEHJLQQLQJFUHDWLRQV7KHWLPHKDVLQLW 97 97 WISDOM 1(8), 2017 Seyran ZAKARYAN WKHHYHUODVWLQJDQGWKHHWHUQDODQGHYHUODVWLQJ ,Q WKLV FRQWH[W 7DWHYDWVL DVFULEHV HYHU KDVLQLWWKHHWHUQDO,QWKLVVHQVHWKHFUHDWHG ODVWLQJQHVV WR WKH ZRUOG ZKLOH DV ZH VDZ EHLQJVDQGWKHZRUOGDUHHWHUQDOEHFDXVHWKH\ DERYHKHFRQVLGHUHGDVHYHUODVWLQJDQJHOV,Q are in communion with the Eternal: «And aQ WKHVHDUJXPHQWVDOVRFDQEHVHHQWKHHOHPHQWV JHOVDQGVRXOVDQGWKHZRUOGDUHFDOOHGHWHU RIWKHQHRSODWRQLFWKHRU\RIWKHHWHUQLW\RIWKH QDODVWKH\FRPPXQLFDWHZLWKWKHHWHUQDOWKDW ZRUOG$FFRUGLQJWRWKHWKHRU\RIHPDQDWLRQ
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