Difference between revisions of "World"

<p> The conception of the world in the apostolic writings is one of much complexity. Its content is derived partly from the OT, partly from later Judaism; but it has also assimilated an important element from Greek thought, and the peculiar experience of early [[Christianity]] has added to it a sinister significance of its own. Thus the various synonyms by which it is expressed reveal so many narrowly differentiated senses in each, and also shade off into each other in such a way, that a delicate problem for exact exegesis is often created. The three terms chiefly to be considered are ἡ οἰκουμένη, ὁ αἰὼν οὗτος, and ὁ κόσμος, which in their proper significance denote the world respectively as a place, a period, and a system. </p> <p> 1. The spatial conception of the world.-The spatial conception of the world as the orbis terrarum, the comprehensive abode of man and scene of human life, is rendered in the OT by àÈøÈö and its more poetical synonym úÌÅáÇi, which in the lxx are translated, the former by γῆ, the latter by οἰκουμένη (vice versa in a few passages in Isaiah). In the apostolic writings γῆ is retained in this sense in quotations from the lxx (e.g. &nbsp;Acts 2:19, &nbsp;Romans 9:17, &nbsp;Hebrews 1:10), also in &nbsp;Acts 17:26, &nbsp;James 5:5, and frequently in the [[Apocalypse]] (&nbsp;Revelation 1:5; &nbsp;Revelation 1:7; &nbsp;Revelation 3:10, etc.). The more distinctive term is ἡ οἰκουμένη (sc. γῆ). Originally it was used, with racial self-consciousness, to signify the territorial extent of Greek life and civilization (Herod. iv. 110); but after the conquests of Alexander, and in consequence of the same unifying influences as those by which the Greek dialects were merged in the κοινή, it came to express a view and feeling of the inhabited world as overpassing all national distinctions and boundaries. Later, when the rule of the Caesars seemed to be practically co-extensive with the habitable earth, it acquired a more special sense-the [[Empire]] as a territorial unity (e.g. &nbsp;Luke 2:1); but in the apostolic writings it has the larger significance, the world-wide abode of man (&nbsp;Acts 11:28; &nbsp;Acts 17:6; &nbsp;Acts 19:27 by passionate exaggeration, &nbsp;Acts 24:5, &nbsp;Romans 10:18, &nbsp;Revelation 3:10; &nbsp;Revelation 16:14), or, by a natural transition, mankind (&nbsp;Acts 17:31, &nbsp;Revelation 12:9). As an example of the elasticity which characterizes the use of these terms, it may be noted that to express the same thought of the world-wide field for the dissemination of the gospel St. Paul prefers κόσμος (&nbsp;Romans 1:8, &nbsp;Colossians 1:6); and that, on the contrary, the writer of Hebrews gives to οἰκουμένη the proper significance both of κόσμος, the ‘terrestrial order’ (&nbsp;Hebrews 1:6), and of αἰών (cf. the unique τὴν μέλλουσαν οἰκουμένην of &nbsp;Hebrews 2:5 and μέλλοντος αἰῶνος, &nbsp;Hebrews 6:5). </p> <p> 2. The temporal conception of the world.-The temporal conception of the world as a saeculum, a cycle of history, complete within itself yet related to a before and an after, is distinctively expressed by αἰών, or in contrast with the ‘world to come,’ as actually it always is, by ὁ αἰὼν οὗτος (&nbsp;1 Corinthians 1:20; &nbsp;1 Corinthians 2:6-8; &nbsp;1 Corinthians 3:18, &nbsp;2 Corinthians 4:4, &nbsp;Ephesians 1:21; variants, ὁ ἐνεστὼς αἰών, &nbsp;Galatians 1:4; ὁ αἰὼν τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, &nbsp;Ephesians 2:2; ὁ νῦν αἰών, &nbsp;1 Timothy 6:17, &nbsp;2 Timothy 4:10, &nbsp;Titus 2:12; ὁ νῦν καιρός, &nbsp;Romans 3:26; &nbsp;Romans 8:18). </p> <p> The use of in this sense, as denoting the present order of existence, does not occur in the OT (&nbsp;Ecclesiastes 3:11?), but is characteristic of later Hebraism, the contrast between the two ‘aeons’ being an essential feature in the [[Apocalyptic]] view of history. Dalman remarks upon the absence of evidence for this form of expression in any extant pre-Christian writing (Words of Jesus, p. 148); it occurs chiefly in the later parts of the [[Baruch]] Apocalypse, in 4 Ezra (e.g. 6:9, 7:12, 13, 8:1, 52) and the Slavonic Enoch. In [[Rabbinism]] (Dalman, p. 150) the earliest witnesses for the expression are [[Hillel]] and Jochanan ben Zakkai (fl. c. a.d. 80). The idea, however, is vouched for by earlier documents, Enoch, Jubilees, Assumption of Moses (see on the whole subject Bousset’s [[Religion]] des Judentums2, p. 278 ff.), and the frequency of its occurrence in the NT, with the assumption of its familiarity, seems to imply its popular currency (contrariwise, Dalman-‘the expressions characterised the language of the learned rather than that of the people’ [p. 151]). </p> <p> But while αἰὼν οὗτος in primarily a time-concept, this world-age in contrast with the future age of the ‘regeneration,’ the temporal element tends to become secondary. The notion of a period of time (emphatic in &nbsp;1 Corinthians 7:31) is always implied; but the ruling idea approximates to that which properly belongs to the κὀσμος, the organic system of terrestrial existence (e.g. in &nbsp;1 Corinthians 1:20ὁ αἰὼν οὗτος and ὁ κόσμος are parallel and synonymous). The opposition between the two ‘aeons’ is qualitative even more than temporal: the one is ‘evil’ (&nbsp;Galatians 1:4), and under the dominion of the [[Devil]] (&nbsp;2 Corinthians 4:4) and kindred spirits (&nbsp;1 Corinthians 2:6; &nbsp;1 Corinthians 2:8), a world of sin and death in contrast with that other eternal world of righteousness (&nbsp;2 Peter 3:13) and life. The two, indeed, are thought of as in a sense contemporaneous; the ‘world to come’ projects itself into the present; its ‘powers’ are already experienced by all in whom the Spirit of God dwells and the work of spiritual quickening and transformation is begun (&nbsp;Hebrews 6:5). </p> <p> 3. The world as an organic system.-The world as an organic system, a universe, is distinctively ὁ κόσμος. </p> <p> The idea which underlies all the various uses of κόσμος is that of order or arrangement (as in the common Homeric phrases, κατὰ κόσμον = ‘in an orderly manner’; κατὰ κόσμον καθίζειν = ‘to sit in order’), and since the strongest impression of unvarying and reliable order in nature is given by the movement of the heavenly bodies, it was probably to this that the term was first applied in a more special sense. In classical Greek, while it is sometime used with reference to the firmament above, and its sense is not anywhere restricted to the earth, so also in the lxx it translates öÈáÈà, the ‘host’ of heaven (in [[Enoch]] also, κόσμος τῶν φωστήρων, xx. 4), and elsewhere appears only in the sense at ‘ornament.’ [[Pythagoras]] is credited with having been the first to employ the word to express the philosophical conception of an ordered universe of being (plutarch, de Plac. Phil. 886 B); and from the Pythagoraeans it passed into the common vocabulary of philosophic poetry and speculation. [[Plato]] (Gorgias, 508 A) defines κόσμος in its widest extent, οὐρανὸν καὶ γῆν καὶ θεοὺς καὶ ἀνθρώπους τὴν κοινωνίαν συνέχειν καὶ φιλίαν καὶ κοσμιότητα καὶ σωφροσύνην καὶ δικαιότητα, καὶ τὸ ὅλον τοῦτο διὰ ταῦτα κόσμον καλοῦσιν … οὐκ ἀκοσμίαν, οὐδὲ ἀκολασίαν. In [[Stoicism]] the idea was further developed in a mystical and pantheistic fashion. The universe, the macrocosm, was conceived after the analogy or the microcosm, man. It was a ζῷον ἔμψυχον καὶ λογικόν; and as the human organism consists of a body and an animating soul, so God was the eternal world-soul animating and ruling the imperishable world-body. Through the influence especially of Posidonius, this conception of the Cosmos became widely influential in the Graeco-Roman world (see P. Wendland, Die hellenistischrömische Kultur, Tübingen, 1907, p. 84ff.). In the OT there is neither term nor conception corresponding to the Hellenic κόσμος (yet cf. &nbsp;Jeremiah 10:16, &nbsp;Ecclesiastes 11:5); it is in [[Hellenistic]] compositions such as 2 [[Maccabees]] and the Book of Wisdom that they first appear in Judaism. In the latter the idea of the Cosmos is specially prominent. ἡ σύστασις κόσμου is formed by the word of God out of formless matter (&nbsp;Wisdom of [[Solomon]] 1:14; &nbsp;Wisdom of Solomon 7:17; &nbsp;Wisdom of Solomon 11:7) and the ever-living Spirit of God is active in all things (&nbsp;Wisdom of Solomon 12:1); [[Divine]] wisdom and beauty pervade the world in all its diverse parts, establishing all things by number, measure, and weight (&nbsp;Wisdom of Solomon 7:24, &nbsp;Wisdom of Solomon 8:1, &nbsp;Wisdom of Solomon 11:20), at the same time giving to human intelligence its power to apprehend the Divine ordering of all things (&nbsp;Wisdom of Solomon 7:17-23, &nbsp;Wisdom of Solomon 8:8), a striking anticipation of &nbsp;Romans 1:20. In the same book there is another anticipation of NT usage, the employment, unknown to classical Greek, of κόσμος for the world of mankind, the human race as a unity. Thus Adam is described as πρωτόπλαστος πατὴρ κόσμου&nbsp;Wisdom of Solomon 10:1); a multitude of wise men is the salvation of the world (&nbsp;Wisdom of Solomon 6:24), as the family of Noah was its hope (&nbsp;Wisdom of Solomon 14:6). </p> <p> Such indications of the penetration of Hellenic influences into [[Jewish]] thought explain, from a historical point of view, the use of κόσμος, both as term and as concept, in the apostolic writings, (a) Primarily the Cosmos is the rerum natura, the sum of terrestrial things, without moral reference. Occasionally the conception is simply this (&nbsp;1 Corinthians 8:4, there is no such thing as an idol, ἐν κόσμῳ; &nbsp;1 Corinthians 14:10, there are various kinds of sounds in it); but normally the thought of God as [[Creator]] of the Cosmos is expressed or implied (e.g. &nbsp;Acts 17:24, &nbsp;Romans 1:20, &nbsp;Ephesians 1:4, &nbsp;Hebrews 4:3). </p> <p> The simple pictorial phrase, ‘the heaven and the earth,’ by which the OT expresses the idea of the visible creation as contrasted with the Creator, is still retained in the liturgical and rhetorical style (&nbsp;Acts 4:24; &nbsp;Acts 14:15; &nbsp;Acts 17:24), and for the sake of special emphasis (&nbsp;Ephesians 1:10, &nbsp;Philippians 2:10, &nbsp;Colossians 1:16; &nbsp;Colossians 1:20, &nbsp;Revelation 20:11; &nbsp;Revelation 21:1). To the same effect Paul uses ἡ κτίσις (&nbsp;Romans 8:19-22, &nbsp;Colossians 1:15; &nbsp;2 Peter 3:4, &nbsp;Revelation 3:14), but more frequently τὰ πάντα (&nbsp;Romans 9:5; &nbsp;Romans 11:36, &nbsp;1 Corinthians 8:6; &nbsp;1 Corinthians 15:28, etc.; cf. &nbsp;Hebrews 1:3; &nbsp;Hebrews 2:8; &nbsp;Hebrews 2:10; &nbsp;Hebrews 3:4, &nbsp;Revelation 4:11). </p> <p> And when the Cosmos is defined as the ‘terrestrial order’ it is to be remembered that in the apostolic cosmology this includes the heavens with their inhabitants as well as the earth and mankind. The world created in the πρωτότοκος includes ‘all things in the heavens and upon the earth, visible and invisible’ (&nbsp;Colossians 1:16). ‘Heaven,’ in the popular sense of the word, the sphere of God’s immediate self-manifestation, the place of His [[Throne]] and [[Majesty]] on high (&nbsp;Colossians 3:1; &nbsp;Hebrews 1:3), the sphere from which Christ comes (&nbsp;1 Corinthians 15:47) and to which He returns (&nbsp;1 Corinthians 3:1), the kingdom of eternal light in which believers already have an inheritance (&nbsp;2 Corinthians 5:1, &nbsp;Philippians 3:20, &nbsp;Colossians 1:12), is ‘above all heavens’ (&nbsp;Ephesians 4:10). It does not belong to ‘this world’ or to ‘this age’. All else does. The heavens and the spiritual beings that dwell therein belong naturally and morally to the same cosmic system as the earth and its inhabitants (&nbsp;1 Corinthians 2:6; &nbsp;1 Corinthians 2:8; &nbsp;1 Corinthians 4:9; &nbsp;1 Corinthians 6:2-3; &nbsp;1 Corinthians 11:10, &nbsp;Ephesians 2:2; &nbsp;Ephesians 6:12, &nbsp;Colossians 1:16; &nbsp;Colossians 1:20; &nbsp;Colossians 2:8; &nbsp;Colossians 2:20). </p> <p> (b) Yet the immediate interest in the Cosmos lies in its relation to man as the physical environment of his life, and thus it naturally acquires the more limited significance of the terrestrial order in association with mankind-the world of human existence, into which sin comes (&nbsp;Romans 5:12-13), into which Christ comes (&nbsp;1 Timothy 1:15, &nbsp;Hebrews 10:5, &nbsp;1 John 4:9), where He is believed on (&nbsp;1 Timothy 3:16). (For Jewish parallels see Dalman, p. 173.) Hence also it easily comes to mean (as already in Enoch [see above]) mankind in general (&nbsp;1 Corinthians 4:13, &nbsp;Hebrews 11:33); and, by further natural transitions, worldly possessions (&nbsp;1 John 3:17), and the whole complex of man’s secular activities and relationships (&nbsp;1 Corinthians 7:29-33). </p> <p> More characteristically the word is used with moral implications more or less strong. In the majority of its occurrences the idea is coloured by the dark significance of the αἰὼν οὗτος. It is the present material order together with its inhabitants, both demonic and human, as lying under the power of evil, destitute of God’s Spirit and insensible to Divine influence-not merely profane and unchristian humanity, but the whole organism of existence which is alienated from God by sin. It has a spirit of its own (&nbsp;1 Corinthians 2:12) which is antagonistic to the Spirit of God; a wisdom of its own (&nbsp;1 Corinthians 1:20-21) which is foolishness with God (&nbsp;1 Corinthians 3:19); a sorrow of its own (&nbsp;2 Corinthians 7:10) which is opposite in character and effect to godly sorrow; its moral life is governed by the ‘prince of the power of the air’ (&nbsp;Ephesians 2:12; cf. &nbsp;2 Corinthians 4:4); physically it lies directly under the dominion of elemental powers (στοιχεῖα) hostile to man (&nbsp;Colossians 2:8; &nbsp;Colossians 2:20, &nbsp;Galatians 4:3); the [[Christian]] is redeemed from it and inwardly no longer belongs to it (&nbsp;Galatians 6:14, &nbsp;Colossians 2:20); its kingdoms finally become the [[Kingdom]] of God and of His Christ (&nbsp;Revelation 11:15; cf. &nbsp;1 Corinthians 15:28, &nbsp;Ephesians 1:10, &nbsp;Colossians 1:20) in the new Cosmos which arises in its place (&nbsp;Revelation 21:1). </p> <p> But here, again, since the primary interest is in man and his salvation, the Cosmos naturally comes to mean the human race as under sin, and as the object of Christ’s redeeming and reconciling work (&nbsp;Romans 3:10-19, &nbsp;2 Corinthians 5:19, &nbsp;1 John 2:2; &nbsp;1 John 4:14). In the later apostolic writings, especially the Johannine, it takes on a still darker hue. It is not only the world of fallen sinful humanity; it is that portion of society, Jewish or Gentile, with its opinions, sentiments, and influences, which is definitely antagonistic to the Church and the Christian cause. It hates the people of Christ as [[Cain]] hated [[Abel]] (&nbsp;1 John 3:12-13); its character and conduct are dominated by the ‘lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the vainglory of life’ (&nbsp;1 John 2:16), and are morally polluted (&nbsp;James 1:27; &nbsp;2 Peter 2:20); it offers a fruitful field to anti-Christian teaching (&nbsp;1 John 4:1; &nbsp;1 John 4:7, &nbsp;2 John 1:7); its friendship is incompatible with loyalty to God (&nbsp;James 4:4, &nbsp;1 John 2:15). </p> <p> For the sake of clearness the various uses of κόσμος may be thus tabulated, with the proviso that at certain points classification cannot be more than tentative. </p> <p> (a) κόσμος = adornment (&nbsp;1 Peter 3:3). </p> <p> (b) = (metaphorically) a universe (&nbsp;James 3:6). </p> <p> (c) = οἰκουμένη, the world-wide abode of mankind (&nbsp;Romans 1:8, &nbsp;Colossians 1:6; &nbsp;1 Peter 5:9). </p> <p> (d) = the [[Gentile]] world in contrast with the elect people (&nbsp;Romans 4:13; &nbsp;Romans 11:12; &nbsp;Romans 11:15). </p> <p> (e) = the terrestrial order, without moral implication: simply as such (&nbsp;1 Corinthians 8:4; &nbsp;1 Corinthians 14:10, &nbsp;Ephesians 2:12 [?]), as related to the Creator (&nbsp;Acts 17:24, &nbsp;Romans 1:20, &nbsp;1 Corinthians 3:22, &nbsp;Ephesians 1:4, &nbsp;Hebrews 4:3; &nbsp;Hebrews 9:28; &nbsp;1 Peter 1:20, &nbsp;2 Peter 2:5; &nbsp;2 Peter 3:6, &nbsp;Revelation 13:6; &nbsp;Revelation 17:8). </p> <p> (f) = the terrestrial order without moral reference, but as especially associated with humankind (&nbsp;Romans 5:12-13, &nbsp;1 Timothy 1:15; &nbsp;1 Timothy 3:16; &nbsp;1 Timothy 6:7, &nbsp;Hebrews 10:5, &nbsp;1 John 4:9), as associated with men and angels (&nbsp;1 Corinthians 4:9), with the secular activities and relationships of men (&nbsp;1 Corinthians 7:31-34, &nbsp;2 Corinthians 1:12 [?]). </p> <p> (g) = mankind in general (&nbsp;1 Corinthians 4:13, &nbsp;Hebrews 11:38). </p> <p> (h) = material possessions (&nbsp;1 John 3:17). </p> <p> (i) = the terrestrial order, together with its inhabitants as lying under the power of evil (&nbsp;1 Corinthians 1:20-21; &nbsp;1 Corinthians 1:27-28; &nbsp;1 Corinthians 2:12; &nbsp;1 Corinthians 3:19; &nbsp;1 Corinthians 5:10; &nbsp;1 Corinthians 6:2; &nbsp;1 Corinthians 11:32, &nbsp;2 Corinthians 7:10, &nbsp;Galatians 4:3; &nbsp;Galatians 6:14, &nbsp;Ephesians 2:2, &nbsp;Colossians 2:8; &nbsp;Colossians 2:20, &nbsp;James 2:5, &nbsp;1 John 4:17, &nbsp;Revelation 11:5). </p> <p> (j) = the human race as sinful and needing redemption (&nbsp;Romans 3:6; &nbsp;Romans 3:19, &nbsp;2 Corinthians 5:19, &nbsp;1 John 2:2; &nbsp;1 John 4:14). </p> <p> (k) = the human society as definitely hostile to christ, the gospel, and the Church (&nbsp;Hebrews 11:7, &nbsp;James 1:27; &nbsp;James 4:4; &nbsp;2 Peter 1:4; &nbsp;2 Peter 2:20, &nbsp;1 John 2:15-17; &nbsp;1 John 3:1; &nbsp;1 John 3:13; &nbsp;1 John 4:1; &nbsp;1 John 4:3-5; &nbsp;1 John 4:17; &nbsp;1 John 5:4-5; &nbsp;1 John 5:19, &nbsp;2 John 1:7). </p> <p> To sum up, the world is an organic whole of being, a system (συνέστηκεν, &nbsp;Colossians 1:17) in which there is a complete interrelation of parts; having a transitory existence, beginning in time and in time coming to an end, an ‘aeon’ within an encircling eternity; not self-originating but created; in the most ultimate sense God’s world, because not only created but continually upheld and animated by him (&nbsp;Acts 17:28); and not only God’s world but Christ’s, who mediatorially is the source of its existence and the active principle of its unity (q.v. ). But while necessarily retaining its creaturely dependence on God and its natural unity, it has fallen as a whole under the dominion of moral and consequently of physical evil. [[Sin]] and death entered into the human Cosmos through the disobedience of our first father (&nbsp;Romans 5:12, &nbsp;1 Corinthians 15:22), but anterior to this, and in some causal relation to it, sin was existent in the angelic Cosmos (&nbsp;2 Corinthians 11:3, &nbsp;1 Timothy 2:14; &nbsp;2 Peter 2:4, &nbsp;1 John 3:8), and from this source human sin is still inspired (&nbsp;2 Corinthians 4:4, &nbsp;Ephesians 2:2, etc.). Into the speculative question of the origin of evil apostolic thought does not enter. It is enough that sin is not inherent in the Cosmos, but entered into it, and that therefore its presence there may come to an end. Christ has come into the Cosmos, directly into the world of mankind, and God is in Him reconciling it unto Himself. But the scope of Christ’s redeeming work is destined to include the whole Cosmos in both its physical and its spiritual elements (&nbsp;Romans 8:21, &nbsp;Ephesians 1:10, &nbsp;Colossians 1:20, &nbsp;1 Corinthians 15:24-28). Yet this ultimate consummation will not be attained within the present aeon. That must pass away through the fires of Divine judgment, before Christ is universally triumphant, and God is all in all. </p> <p> This scheme of the world and its history inevitably leaves vast questions shrouded in mystery, and in its conception of the intermediate process by which nature is operated and governed it moves in regions of ideas which are remote from those of the modern mind. Yet essentially all that it endeavours to express in the terms of contemporary thought-that man is God’s creature and child; that, therefore, the existing condition of human life is radically abnormal and sinfully wrong, yet is salvable by the sacrificial love of God in Christ; that the world is God’s world, and that, therefore, its existing condition also is abnormal and cannot be otherwise regarded than as the correlate of sin; that it is a fruitful source of temptation to the evil tendencies in man but also a school of salutary discipline and a field of moral victory for those who seek the things that are above; and that, finally, a new and perfect environment is destined for the regenerate and perfected life-all this belongs to what is central and abiding in the Christian faith. See, further, art. Worldliness. </p> <p> Literature.-V. H. Stanton, art. ‘World’ in HDB; A. Ritschl and J. Weiss, art. ‘Welt’ in PRE 3; H. Cremer, Lexicon of NT Greek3, Edinburgh, 1880; commentaries, esp. J. Weiss, Der erste Korintherbrief9, Tübingen, 1910 (particularly the note on 1:19, 20), and B. F. Westcott, The [[Gospel]] according to St. John , 2 vols., London, 1908, i. 64ff.; W. Beyschlag, NT Theology, Eng. tr. , 2 vols., Edinburgh, 1895. ii. 100-109; G. Dalman, The Words of Jesus, Eng. tr. , do., 1902, pp. 147-179; W. Bousset, Die Religion des Judentums2, Berlin, 1906, pp. 278-286; M. Dibelius, Die Geisterwelt im Glauben des Paulus, Göttingen, 1909. </p> <p> [[Robert]] Law. </p>

<div> '''1: κόσμος ''' (Strong'S #2889 — Noun Masculine — kosmos — kos'-mos ) </div> <p> primarily "order, arrangement, ornament, adornment" (&nbsp;1 Peter 3:3 , see [[Adorn]] , B), is used to denote (a) the "earth," e.g., &nbsp;Matthew 13;35; &nbsp;John 21:25; &nbsp;Acts 17:24; &nbsp;Romans 1:20 (probably here the universe: it had this meaning among the Greeks, owing to the order observable in it); &nbsp; 1 Timothy 6:7; &nbsp;Hebrews 4:3; &nbsp;9:26; (b) the "earth" in contrast with Heaven, &nbsp;1 John 3:17 (perhaps also &nbsp; Romans 4:13 ); (c) by metonymy, the "human race, mankind," e.g., &nbsp;Matthew 5:14; &nbsp;John 1:9 [here "that cometh (RV, 'coming') into the world" is said of Christ, not of "every man;" by His coming into the world He was the light for all men]; &nbsp; 1 John 3:10; &nbsp;3:16,17 (thrice),19; 4:42, and frequently in Rom. 1Cor. and 1John; (d) "Gentiles" as distinguished from Jews, e.g., &nbsp; Romans 11:12,15 , where the meaning is that all who will may be reconciled (cp. &nbsp;2 Corinthians 5:19 ); (e) the "present condition of human affairs," in alienation from and opposition to God, e.g., &nbsp;John 7:7; &nbsp;8:23; &nbsp;14:30; &nbsp;1 Corinthians 2:12; &nbsp;Galatians 4:3; &nbsp;6:14; &nbsp;Colossians 2:8; &nbsp;James 1:27; &nbsp;1 John 4:5 (thrice); 5:19; (f) the "sum of temporal possessions," &nbsp; Matthew 16:26; &nbsp;1 Corinthians 7:31 (1st part); (g) metaphorically, of the "tongue" as "a world (of iniquity)," &nbsp; James 3:6; expressive of magnitude and variety. </p> <div> '''2: αἰών ''' (Strong'S #165 — Noun Masculine — aion — ahee-ohn' ) </div> <p> "an age, a period of time," marked in the NT usage by spiritual or moral characteristics, is sometimes translated "world;" the RV marg. always has "age." The following are details concerning the world in this respect; its cares, &nbsp;Matthew 13:22; its sons, &nbsp;Luke 16:8; &nbsp;20:34; its rulers, &nbsp;1 Corinthians 2:6,8; its wisdom, &nbsp;1 Corinthians 1:20; &nbsp;2:6; &nbsp;3:18 , its fashion, &nbsp;Romans 12:2; its character, &nbsp;Galatians 1:4; its god, &nbsp;2 Corinthians 4:4 . The phrase "the end of the world" should be rendered "the end of the age," in most places (see [[End]] , A, No. 2); in &nbsp;1 Corinthians 10:11 , AV, "the ends (tele) of the world," RV, "the ends of the ages," probably signifies the fulfillment of the Divine purposes concerning the ages in regard to the church [this would come under END, A, No. 1, (c)]. In &nbsp;Hebrews 11:3 [lit., "the ages (have been prepared)"] the word indicates all that the successive periods contain; cp. &nbsp; Hebrews 1:2 . Aion is always to be distinguished from kosmos, even where the two seem to express the same idea, e.g., &nbsp;1 Corinthians 3:18 , aion, &nbsp;1 Corinthians 3:19 , kosmos; the two are used together in &nbsp;Ephesians 2:2 , lit., "the age of this world." For a list of phrases containing aion, with their respective meanings, see [[Ever]] , B. </p> <div> '''3: οἰκουμένη ''' (Strong'S #3625 — Noun [[Feminine]] — oikoumene — oy-kou-men'-ay ) </div> <p> "the inhabited earth" (see [[Earth]] , No. 2), is used (a) of the whole inhabited world, &nbsp;Matthew 24:14; &nbsp;Luke 4:5; &nbsp;21:26; &nbsp;Romans 10:18; &nbsp;Hebrews 1:6; &nbsp;Revelation 3:10; &nbsp;16:14; by metonymy, of its inhabitants, &nbsp;Acts 17:31; &nbsp;Revelation 12:9; (b) of the Roman Empire, the world as viewed by the writer or speaker, &nbsp;Luke 2:1; &nbsp;Acts 11:28; &nbsp;24:5; by metonymy, of its inhabitants, &nbsp;Acts 17:6; &nbsp;19:27; (c) the inhabited world in a coming age, &nbsp;Hebrews 2:5 . </p> &nbsp;Revelation 13:3&nbsp;Romans 16:25&nbsp;2 Timothy 1:9&nbsp;Titus 1:2[[Eternal]]

<p> '''World.''' This word in the A. V. is the translation of five Hebrew and four Greek words. It is therefore not always plain in what sense it is used. The Hebrew terms have these literal meanings: "The earth," "rest," "the grave," &nbsp;Isaiah 38:11; "the world," corresponding to ''Aion'' in the New Testament, or that which is finite, temporary, &nbsp;Job 11:17; "the veiled," unlimited time, whether past or future; used very frequently, and generally translated "forever;" and, finally, the poetical term for "world," which occurs some 37 times, but in various meanings which are easily understood. When the Hebrews desired to express the universe they employed a phrase like "heaven and earth and the sea, and all that in them is." &nbsp;Exodus 20:11. In the New Testament the Greek words are equally diverse: 1. ''Aion,'' "duration," thus used of time past, &nbsp;Luke 1:70, of time present, with the idea of evil, both moral and physical. &nbsp;Mark 4:19. Hence "children of this world," or worldly men, &nbsp;Luke 16:8; and so Satan is called "the god of this world." &nbsp;2 Corinthians 4:4 ''Aion'' is also put for endless duration, eternity, &nbsp;1 Timothy 6:16, to signify the material world as created by the deity, &nbsp;Hebrews 11:3; also the world to come, the kingdom of the Messiah. 2. ''Ge,'' the earth, in contrast to the heavens. &nbsp;Revelation 13:3. 3. ''Kosmos,'' used in several senses:(a) the universe, the heavens, and the earth, &nbsp;Matthew 13:35, and thence for the inhabitants of the universe, &nbsp;1 Corinthians 4:9, and an aggregate. &nbsp;James 3:6. (''B'' ) This lower world as the abode of man, &nbsp;John 16:18; the inhabitants of the earth or mankind. &nbsp;Matthew 5:14. (''C'' ) The present world, as opposed to the kingdom of Christ, &nbsp;John 12:25; specifically, the wealth and enjoyments and cares of this world. &nbsp;Matthew 16:26, and so for those who seek the opposite things to the kingdom of God, the worldlings. &nbsp;John 15:19. 4. ''Oikoumene,'' the inhabited earth, &nbsp;Matthew 24:14, the people of it, &nbsp;Acts 17:31, sometimes the Roman empire, the then civilized world, &nbsp;Acts 17:6, including [[Palestine]] and adjacent parts. &nbsp;Luke 2:1; &nbsp;Acts 11:28. The [[Jews]] distinguished two worlds, or sons, the present aeon to the appearance of the Messiah, and the future aeon, or the Messianic era, which is to last forever. The closing days of the present order of things were called "the last days." &nbsp;Isaiah 2:2; &nbsp;Micah 4:1; &nbsp;Acts 2:17. The same phraseology is found in the New Testament, but the dividing-line is marked by the second instead of the first advent of the Messiah. &nbsp;Matthew 12:32; &nbsp;1 Corinthians 10:11; &nbsp;Galatians 4:3; &nbsp;Hebrews 1:2; &nbsp;Hebrews 6:5; &nbsp;Hebrews 9:26. </p>

<p> The whole system of created things. ( </p> <p> See CREATION.) It is taken also for a secular life, the present state of existence, and the pleasure and interests which steal away the soul from God. The love of the World does not consist in the use and enjoyment of the comforts God gives us, but in an inordinate attachment to the things of time and sense. </p> <p> 1. "We love the world too much, " says Dr. Jortin, "when, for the sake of any profit or pleasure, we willfully, knowingly, and deliberately transgress the commands of God. </p> <p> 2. When we take more pains about the present life than the next. </p> <p> 3. When we cannot be contented, patient, or resigned, under low and inconvenient circumstances. </p> <p> 4. We love the world too much when we cannot part with any thing we possess to those who want, deserve, and have a right to it. </p> <p> 5. When we envy those who are more fortunate and more favoured by the world than we are. </p> <p> 6. When we honour, and esteem, and favour persons purely according to their birth, fortunes, and success, measuring our judgment and approbation by their outward appearance and situation in life. </p> <p> 7. When worldly prosperity makes us proud, and vain, and arrogant. </p> <p> 8. When we omit no opportunity of enjoying the good things of this life; when our great and chief business is to divert ourselves till we contract an indifference for rational and manly occupations, deceiving ourselves, and fancying that we are not in a bad condition because others are worse than we." </p> <p> See Jortin's Ser. vol. 3: ser. 9.; [[Bishop]] Hopkins on the [[Vanity]] of the World; Dr. Stennet's [[Sermon]] on [[Conformity]] to the World; H. Moore on Education, chap. 9. vol. 2:; R. Walker's Sermons, vol. 4: ser. 20. </p>

<p> is the English term by which our translators have rendered four Hebrew words (in addition to the general term אֶרֶוֹ, ''Erits,'' "earth"): </p> <p> '''1.''' חֶדֶל '', Chedel,'' which is erroneously supposed by some to have arisen by transposition of letters from חלד, comes from a root which signifies "to rest," to "discontinue," and hence "to cease from life," "to be at rest;" and as a noun, "the place of rest," "the grave." 'The word occurs in the complaint uttered by Hezekiah, when in prospect of dissolution, and when he contemplates his state among the inhabitants, not of the upper, but the lower world (&nbsp;Isaiah 38:11); thus combining with many other passages to show that the Hebrews, probably borrowing the idea from the [[Egyptian]] tombs, had a vague conception of some shadowy state where the manes of their departed friends lay at rest in their ashes, retaining only an indefinable personality in a land of darkness and "the shadow of death" (&nbsp;Job 10:21-22). </p> <p> '''2.''' חֶלֶד, ''Cheled'' (Psalm 42:14), means "to conceal," and derivatively "any hidden thing," hence "age," "antiquity," "remote and hidden ages;" also "the world," as the hidden or unknown thing (&nbsp;Psalms 49:1). </p> <p> '''3.''' עוֹלָם, '''Olam'' (in the New Test. αἰών), the root-signification of which is "to hide," denotes a very remote, indefinite, and therefore unknown period in time past or time to come, which metaphysicians call eternity a parte ante, and eternity a, parte post (&nbsp;Ecclesiastes 3:11). In &nbsp;Psalms 73:12, it is rendered "world;" but in this and in the previous instance it may be questioned whether the natural creation is really meant, and not rather "the world" in our metaphorical use of the term, as denoting the intelligent world, the rational inhabitants of the earth, and still more specifically that portion of them with which we are immediately concerned. </p> <p> '''4.''' תֵּבֵל, ''Tebel'' (the usual word so rendered the Greek κόσμος ), comes from a root that signifies "to flow," and as water is the unfailing cause of fertility in the East, it denotes "to be productive," "to bear fruit;" and as a noun, "the fruit-bearer," that is, the earth. This word is frequently rendered "world" in the common version, but if more was intended than the earth on which we dwell, it may be doubted if the passages in which it occurs will justify the translators. In truth, the Hebrews had no word which comprised the entire visible universe. When they wanted to speak comprehensively of God's creation, they joined two words together and used the phrase "heaven and earth" (&nbsp;Genesis 1:1). We have already seen that they had an idea of an under world; the meaning of their ordinary term for earth, </p> <p> אֶרֶוֹ, which signifies the "lower," shows that they also regarded the earth as beneath the sun; while the term for heaven, שָׁמִיַם, denoting "what is elevated," indicates that their view was that the heavens, or the heights, were above. Above, below, and under these three relations of space comprehend their conception of the world. (See Earth); (See [[Heaven]]). </p> <p> The following Greek words are also translated "world:" </p> <p> '''1.''' κσόμος, ''Kosmos,'' the world, ''Universe'' (&nbsp;Matthew 13:35; &nbsp;Matthew 24:21; &nbsp;Luke 11:50; &nbsp;John 17:5; &nbsp;John 17:24; &nbsp;Acts 17:24; &nbsp;Romans 1:20); the inhabitants thereof (&nbsp;1 Corinthians 4:9); also the ''Earth,'' as the abode of man (&nbsp;Matthew 13:38; &nbsp;Mark 16:15; &nbsp;John 1:9; &nbsp;John 3:19; &nbsp;John 6:14; &nbsp;John 16:21; &nbsp;John 16:28; &nbsp;John 21:25; &nbsp;Hebrews 10:5; &nbsp;Matthew 4:8; &nbsp;Romans 1:8); the inhabitants of the earth (&nbsp;Matthew 5:14; &nbsp;John 1:29; &nbsp;John 3:16; &nbsp;John 17:14; &nbsp;John 17:25; &nbsp;Romans 3:6; &nbsp;Romans 3:19; &nbsp;Hebrews 11:7; &nbsp;2 Peter 2:5; &nbsp;1 John 2:2); the multitude, as we say "everybody" (&nbsp;John 7:4; &nbsp;John 12:19; &nbsp;John 14:22; &nbsp;John 18:20; &nbsp;2 Corinthians 1:12; &nbsp;2 Peter 2:5); also the [[Heathen]] world (&nbsp;Romans 11:12; &nbsp;Romans 11:15). It likewise designates the state of the world, as opposed to the kingdom of Christ (&nbsp;Matthew 16:26; &nbsp;Mark 8:36; &nbsp;John 18:36; &nbsp;1 Corinthians 3:22; &nbsp;1 Corinthians 5:10; &nbsp;Ephesians 2:2; &nbsp;Galatians 6:14; &nbsp;James 4:4) and men of the world, worldlings (&nbsp;John 12:31; &nbsp;1 Corinthians 1:2; &nbsp;1 Corinthians 3:19; &nbsp;2 Corinthians 7:10; &nbsp;Philippians 2:15); also the ''Jewish Dispensation,'' founded on [[Sinai]] and ended on [[Calvary]] (&nbsp;Ephesians 1:4; &nbsp;1 Peter 1:20; &nbsp;Hebrews 9:26) </p> <p> '''2.''' Οἰκουμένη '', Oikounene,'' the inhabited earth, the [[World]] as known to the ancients (&nbsp;Matthew 4:8; &nbsp;Matthew 24:14; &nbsp;Luke 4:5; &nbsp;Romans 10:18; &nbsp;Hebrews 1:6; &nbsp;Revelation 16:14); the inhabitants of the earth (&nbsp;Acts 17:31; &nbsp;Acts 19:27; &nbsp;Revelation 3:10; &nbsp;Revelation 12:9); the Roman empire (&nbsp;Acts 17:6; &nbsp;Acts 24:5); Palestine and the adjacent countries (&nbsp;Luke 2:1; &nbsp;Acts 11:28). </p> <p> '''3.''' Αἰών '', Aihn,'' the ''World,'' or ''Age,'' the present ''Time,'' or the future, as implying duration (&nbsp;Matthew 12:32; &nbsp;Mark 10:50; &nbsp;Mark 3:28-29; &nbsp;Luke 18:30); the present world or age, with its cares, temptations, evils, etc. (&nbsp;Matthew 13:22; &nbsp;Luke 16:8; &nbsp;Luke 20:34; &nbsp;Romans 12:2; &nbsp;1 Corinthians 1:20; &nbsp;1 Corinthians 2:6; &nbsp;1 Corinthians 2:8; &nbsp;2 Corinthians 4:4; &nbsp;2 Timothy 4:10; &nbsp;Titus 1:12; &nbsp;Galatians 1:4); and men of the world, wicked generation (&nbsp;Ephesians 2:2; &nbsp;Luke 16:8; &nbsp;Luke 20:34); also the ''World Itself,'' as an object of creation and existence (&nbsp;Matthew 13:40; &nbsp;Matthew 24:3; &nbsp;Hebrews 1:2; &nbsp;Hebrews 11:3). This term also denotes the age or world before the Messiah, i.e., the Jewish dispensation (&nbsp;1 Corinthians 10:11; &nbsp;Hebrews 9:26); also, after the Messiah, i.e., the ''Gospel Dispensation'' (&nbsp;Hebrews 2:5; &nbsp;Hebrews 6:5). (See [[Cosmogony]]). </p> <p> In popular Christian phraseology, the world is taken also for a secular life, the present state of existence, and the pleasures and interests which steal away the soul from God. The love of the world does not consist in the use and enjoyment of the comforts God gives us, but in an inordinate attachment to the things of time and sense. We love the world too much </p> <p> '''(1)''' when, for the sake of any profit or pleasure, we wilfully, knowingly, and deliberately transgress the commands of God; </p> <p> '''(2)''' when we take more pains about the present life than the next; </p> <p> '''(3)''' when we cannot be contented, patient, or resigned, under low and inconvenient circumstances; </p> <p> '''(4)''' when we cannot part with anything we possess to those who want, deserve, and have a right to it; </p> <p> '''(5)''' when we envy those who are more fortunate and more favored by the world than we are; </p> <p> '''(6)''' when we honor and esteem and favor persons purely according to their birth, fortunes, and success, measuring our judgment and approbation by their outward appearance and situation in life; </p> <p> '''(7)''' when worldly prosperity makes us proud and vain and arrogant; </p> <p> '''(8)''' when we omit no opportunity of enjoying the good things of this life; when our great and chief business is to divert ourselves till we contract an indifference for rational and manly occupations, deceiving ourselves, and fancying that we are not in a bad condition because others are worse than we (Jortin, ''Sermons,'' volume 3, ser. 9). See Hopkins, ''On The Vanity Of The World;'' Stennet, ''Sermon On Conformity To The World;.'' More, ''On Education,'' volume 2, chapter 9; Walker, ''Sermons,'' volume 4, ser. 20. </p>