⌨ (Aevum)
The measure of created substances that are subject to change but not to time.
- Aevum
- In Scholastic metaphysics, aevum is the mode of duration proper to created substances that are subject to change (like angels) but not to time (tempus) in the sense of measurable succession. It is often described as "semi-eternity."
The concept of aevum occupies a unique position in the history of philosophy, bridging the gap between the mutable world of physical time and the immutable realm of divine eternity. Coined and refined by medieval Scholastics, particularly Thomas Aquinas, it addresses the ontological status of spiritual created beings.[1]
Etymology
The term aevum is derived from the Latin word for "age" or "life." In classical literature, it often referred to an indefinite period or the golden age. However, in philosophical discourse, it acquired a precise technical meaning regarding the nature of duration.
Definition & Distinction
To understand aevum, one must distinguish it from its counterparts:
- Tempus (Time): The measure of change in material bodies. It is divisible, successive, and bound by past, present, and future.
- Aeternitas (Eternity): The mode of God's existence. It is wholly simultaneous, without succession or change (totum simul).
- Aevum: The duration of beings that are immutable in their essence but mutable in their operations (e.g., intellectual substances, angels).
Thus, aevum is "between" time and eternity. It allows for a succession of acts without the succession of the substance itself.[2]
Scholastic Context
Thomas Aquinas, in his Summa Theologiae, argues that angels are not subject to time because they have no bodily motion to measure. However, they are not eternal because they are created. Therefore, they possess aevum. This concept solves the problem of how spiritual beings can have a history or will without being subject to the decay associated with physical time.
Symbolism of ⌨
In modern contexts and within this encyclopedia, the symbol ⌨ (Turned Up Yoghurt, U+2B28) is adopted as a shorthand glyph for Aevum. The symbol represents the inversion or suspension of standard temporal flow, visually suggesting a state that is "turned" away from linear progression.[3]
References
- Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, I, Q. 10, Art. 5. "Whether aevum is between eternity and time?"
- Bonaventura, Commentary on the Sentences, Book II, Distinction 1.
- Aevum Editorial Board, "Standardizing Metaphysical Glyphs," Aevum Quarterly, Vol. 4, 2023.
- St. Albert the Great, De Creatura Rationali.