Three Eternities

Sed sciendum est quod aeternam tribus modis in sancta Scriptura legi solet. Primo, quod vere et proprie aeternum dicitur, omni mutabilitate carens, sicut solus Deus est. Alter vero modus est, eum ea res aeterna dicitur, quae ipsa quidem per se aeterna non est, sed quod significat, aeternum est; veluti hoc quod Abrahae dicitur: Dabo tibi et semini tuo terram hanc in possessionem aeternam. Cum nec ipsa terra, nec ejus habitatores aeterni esse potuissent, sed terra viventium, quae per hanc terram significatur, aeterna est; et habitatores illius aeterni, de quibus dicitur: Beati mites, quoniam ipsi possidebunt terram. Tertius modus est, quando ea res aeterna appelantur, cui finis non constituitur, aut ita fit ut deinceps non sit facienda, quantum ad curam val ad potestatem facientis, aut dicentis pertinet, eo genere locutionis, quo quidam Poeta dicit: Serviet aeternum, quo parvo nesciet uti. Non enim potest aeternum servire, cujus ipsa vita aeterna esse non potest. Sed magis quaedam differentia est inter essentiam omnipotentis Dei, et volventia humanae vitae tempora. Legimus enim tria tempora esse, id est, praeteritum, praesens, et futurum; sed ita ut pene nihil nobis praesens sit, sed omnia praeterita et futura. Verbum enim dum dico priorem dum dixi syllabam, posterior futura fuit: et dum posteriorem dico, praeteriit prior. Deo vero nihil praeteritum et futurum, sed omnia praesentia sunt, qui servo suo Moysi ait: Ego sum qui sum. Et Dices filiis Isreal: qui est, misit me ad vos. Alcuinus, Epistola CLXII, Ad Carolum Magnum Source: Migne PL 100.421b-d

But it should known that eternity is spoken of in three ways in Scripture. The first, which is the true and proper eternity, lacking any change, is God alone. Another way is when something is spoken of as eternal which is not in itself eternal, that is, it signifies something which is eternal, as when it is said to Abraham, 'I shall give to you and your seed this land as an eternal possession.' 1 And yet neither the land nor its inhabitants were eternal, but it is the 'land of the living,' 2 that is signified by this land, that which is eternal, and the inhabitants of it are also eternal, concerning which it is said, 'Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth' 3 The third way is when things are called eternal of which the end is not established, or that perhaps might not come to be on account of care of power to do it, which is signified by the words of that way of speaking, as a certain poet says, 'He shall be a slave for eternity who does not know how to live on little.' 4 For he cannot be a slave in eternity who does not have a life that is eternal. But certainly there is a great difference between the being of the almighty God and the fleeting times of human life. For we read there are three times, that is, the past, the present and the future, but almost nothing to us is able to be present, but everything is past or future. For a mere word which I speak, before I have said a syllable, it is in the future and then that moment after I have spoken it is of the past. But to God nothing is past or future but all things are present, which He declared to his servant Moses when He said, 'I am He who is.' And say to the sons of Israel, 'He who is sent me to you.' 5 Alcuin of York, from Letter 162, To Charlemagne 1 Gen 18.8 2 Ps 26.13 3 Mt 5.4 4 Horace Epis 1.10.41 5 Exod 3.14