Abstract
The study is concerned with Plotinus' conception of eternity (and time) according to Ennead III,7 [45], 1-6. While eternity means having always the whole of one's being, time means not having it wholly at any time, but longing for it incessantly, rushing to it and thus imitating its full possession, which is typical of eternity.
For this reason, the proper predication of eter- nity is only "is" (not "was" or "will be"); as far as time is concerned, the fu- ture towards which it rushes is pivotal here. Apart from eternity (aiôn) and time as its image, Plotinus also speaks of "everlastingness" (aidiotês), which is a characteristic of eternity as its nature. "Everlastingness" or "always" predicated of time and eternity are not identical.
With respect to time they mean "in every phase"; as for eternity, they render every moment in which it is viewed by the temporal soul. In other words, everlastingness (in our interpretation) is the face of eternity which reveals itself to the soul in its temporal nature