Aquinas on time and eternity
According to St. Thomas Aquinas, as far as temporal (relating to worldly as opposed to spiritual affairs, i.e., secular) things are concerned, only present things exist. God knows immediately, all at once, in a single act the past, present, and future. God’s is timeless and omnipresent (present everywhere at the same time). For Aquinas, both are inextricably bound up with His existence. Time and eternity are not the same or similar thing. ‘Time’ as understood, is defined as the progression of moments.
Eternity on the other hand, has no beginning or end, its fundamental unity, its lack of moments, precludes them. Eternity is that which is lacking in time. Aquinas’ intention is not to draw attention to the ways in which time and eternity might be the same, but rather to the fact that they are (and must be) fundamentally different. Then, where time only has one definition (that is, the straightforward procession of moments, one after another).There are two ways in which we can conceive of eternity: First, because what is eternal is Interminable – has no beginning nor end (that is, no term either way); secondly, because eternity has no succession, being simultaneously whole. Omnipresence, being everywhere at once. God is as transcendent of place as He is of time. Time and eternity are not the same or similar thing. ‘Time’ as understood, is defined as the progression of moments.
