Importance of a Trinitarian understanding of eternity in relation to a human experience of time

Martin Grimm

Faculty of Catholic Theology of the University of Erfurt

Abstract

The author takes into consideration the daily experience of steady acceleration to save time, by promoting a theological understanding of time. Time shall be understood from through the Trinitarian concept of eternity. The author notices the human longing for rest, for a “time to live”. This often leads to strong acceleration of life because of the thought that we just can “live” after all our duties are completed. Probably there is the desire for a new feeling of time. This shall be endorsed in a theological way. In ifference to the metaphysical meaning of eternity three theological possibilities of an understanding of time through the concept of eternity are shown: 1. Time as created by God in creatio continua is a continual gift – a gift of every moment. 2. The belief and certainty of God given to the future, the eschatological hope, the sharing of God’s eternity in our actual presence. A peacefulness in our handling of time should be the result of hope for the perfection of our time. 3. The eschatological hope and the meaning of time as God’s gift of creation both found in the Revelation of eternity in the time. In Jesus Christ eternity caves into time. In community with him we are already taken into the wealth of Trinitarian life, whose execution is eternity.

Keywords:

time, eternity, Trinity, acceleration of time