MY THIRD EMAIL TO MR.SMITH

(ME)

I assumed you wouldn't go read the primary sources themselves (which is rather odd by the way) so I included a snippet from one of them in this email.

Before I get to that, however, I want you to look at something you've written before:

You couldn’t get me to read all of these pagan authors at the end of the barrel of a 57 Magnum.

For starters, do you ever think you might be a bit dramatic?

Anyways, to the heart of the matter, just where do you think we get definitions for Greek words?  I mean seriously, do you think we came up with definitions for them from the New Testament itself?  How exactly would that work? 

Studying the pagan primary texts is part of the deal if you want to seriously engage with the Greek of the New Testament.  Sorry.

Here is that reference for you.  You should really try to grasp the idea of semantic domains.  I think that would help your Bible study tremendously.

For aion (and its cognates) functioning as "eternity" (and its cognates) see for example:

Plato, Timaeus 37d

[37d] ...Accordingly, seeing that that Model is an eternal Living Creature, He set about making this Universe, so far as He could, of a like kind. But inasmuch as the nature of the Living Creature was eternal, this quality it was impossible to attach in its entirety to what is generated; wherefore He planned to make a movable image of Eternity, and, as He set in order the Heaven, of that Eternity which abides in unity He made an eternal image, moving according to number, even that which we have named Time.

(I gave you the English translation since I am under the impression that you cannot read Greek, so you are just going to have to guess which words have been translated from aion, but that should be easy given the context).

If you would like, I could keep emailing you other references and quotations (there are actually a lot of them in the New and Old Testaments, but I figured we could start with the pagan ones since you probably don’t have as much preconceived notions concerning them). 

Now, before I send this email, let me make it clear, don't misunderstand me here, I AM NOT SAYING THAT aion (and its cognates) always carry the idea of "eternity".  Of course I am not saying that!  That would be ludicrous (as would saying that aion never means “eternity”). 

However, regardless of how much you want to deny it, there are many ancient texts, pagan and Christian, which do use aion (and its cognates) and they are referencing the idea of “eternity”.  Once again, sorry.

AND THEN I EMAILED HIM THIS:

I just noticed that the email address you give on your website is different than the one you wrote from, so I just forwarded to you the two responses from your replies and another thing I just wrote.  Sorry if you get doublets of everything.  For future reference, which is the email address to which I should write?

Anyways, I was to going to say in the last email (but I forgot) that I was able to speak to a group of young people today.  It seemed like many of their hearts were softened after hearing my testimony.  I do not know much about your personal prayer life, but if you are in to that kind of thing and have the time or desire...well, you get the point.

(NO RESPONSE FROM MR.SMITH)