Comments on: what is ‘a parte ante’

By: Buddy Mitchell

Buddy Mitchell — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 20:06:44 +0000

I found this phrase in Frederic Godet’s commentary on the Gospel of John. He is quoting Weiss on I John 1:1.
“The absolute beginning at which our minds stop can therefore only be eternity a parte ante.”
Thanks for the insight Don.

Because of Him
BC

By: ox

ox — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 01:26:32 +0000

In reply to stéphane.

Thanks for your comment. I think I get it…

You must have found my site from an interesting search, that’s an old post!

Maranatha!
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3

By: stéphane

stéphane — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 22:27:29 +0000

If I remember correctly, eternity understood a parte ante is a term used in scholastic philosophy to refer to eternity which is past. It is the counterpart of eternity a parte post, which means eternity which is to come. If God created the heaven and the earth (and time is conditioned by the existence of heaven and the earth, which is here implicit, acting like a minor premise of a syllogism), then it indeed precludes the idea of eternity a parte ante. In the same way, the certain destruction of the world and time, under the same hypothesis, would preclude the idea of eternity a parte post. I think that’s what is meant here!