be misleading as a translation of a word that means strictly "an age". This, however must not rest on bare

assertion; it is capable of proof by adducing all the Scriptures bearing on the point, and not merely a few

edited passages.

Advocates of eternal conscious punishment find in F.W. Grant a champion for their views, and we are

sure of a hearing from such if we give a quotation from his orthodox pen. Speaking of the words olam

and aion in Leaves from the Book, he says: "The Scripture is full of the doctrine of the ages". This

doctrine he says is "hidden under the stereotyped form "for ever" and "for ever and ever". This last is

always in the New Testament, if literally rendered, "for the ages of the ages"". Speaking on Romans

16:25, 2 Timothy 1:9 and Titus 1:2 he says: "It is hard to realize what eternal times can be. The true force

is in or before the age times".

Now what would be the action of a normal and unbiased mind, after making these statements? Surely

"stereotyped forms" would be set aside, and the "literal rendering" adopted. But no, the writer of these

true comments then turns round and labours with all his ability to substantiate the traditional meaning as

over against the literal, to enforce the stereotyped forms for living truth, and to accept what he had

admitted to be unintelligible. Such can be but blind guides, and to follow them is but to end in the ditch.

Rather let us put up the prayer: "Lead me in Thy truth, and teach me".

The underlying idea of olam is something secret or hidden, as in Psalm 90:8, "secret sins". Used of time

it indicates a period the end of which is undefined or hidden from man, but this does not warrant any man

saying; "Because I cannot see the end, there is none", neither does it warrant our translating an age, the

end of which is hidden from us, by the words "for ever". To do so is but an assumption.

Before we go further we would state, once and for all, the reason why we do not lead our readers into the

mazes of classical Greek for the meaning of these and other words. Greek thought, like English or Hindu,

is coloured by national and religious ideas. The Greek idea enshrined in the words "holy" and "love" is

utterly subversive of the truth. What pagan Greeks thought about "the immortality of the soul" is nothing

to us who have the Word of God. What pagan Greeks speculated about hades is not a part of our faith.

God has used the Greek of the common people as a vehicle for His truth, but He has provided a means of

testing every word of doctrinal importance in the New Testament. That provision is the Septuagint

Version, a translation by Jews of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek, long before Christ, and in common

use in the synagogues during the life of Christ and the apostles, who all quote it freely. The Greek word

aion is to us the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew olam, and means exactly the same, viz., "an age of

unknown duration".

We will now draw attention to the way in which the translators have rendered the word olam in the A.V.

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