ANCIENT OF DAYS

'Ancient of Days' is a name for God in Aramaic (''Atik Yomin''); in the Greek Septuagint: (''Palaios Hemeron''); and in the Vulgate: (''Antiquus Dierum'').
The title "Ancient of Days" has been used as a source of inspiration in art and music, denoting the creator's aspects of eternity combined with perfection. See for example William Blake's painting entitled "The Ancient of Days".

Contents

In Judaism

In Christianity

In Latter Day Saint Terms

In Hinduism

In Buddhism

Esoteric

References

In Judaism

This term appears three times in the Bible in the book of Daniel (7:9, 13, 22), and is used in the sense of God being eternal. In contrast with all earthly kings, God's days are past reckoning.
See also The names of God in Judaism

In Christianity

In Eastern Orthodox Christian hymns and icons, the Ancient of Days is sometimes identified with God the Father, and sometimes with God the Son, or Jesus Christ. As such, an icon will sometimes portray Jesus Christ as an old man, the Ancient of Days, to show symbolically that he existed from all eternity, and sometimes as a young man to portray him as he was incarnate.
In the hymn "Immortal, Invisible, God only Wise", the last two lines of the first verse read:
: ''Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,''
: ''Almighty, victorious, Thy great Name we praise.''
"The Ancient of Days" is also the name of a painting by William Blake.
Also "The Ancient of Days", is a song from the Petra Praise 2- We Need Jesus whose Words & Music are composed by Gary Sadler and Jamie Harvill.
:Blessing and Honor,
:Glory and power,
:Be unto the Ancient of Days.
:From every nation,
:All of creation,
:Bow unto the Ancient of Days.
::Every tongue in heaven and earth shall declare Your glory,
::Every knee shall bow at Your throne in worship,
::You will be exalted O God
::And Your kingdom shall not past away
::O "Ancient of Days".

In Latter Day Saint Terms

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the title ''Ancient of Days'' belongs to Adam, the oldest man, who is also identified with the archangel Michael. It is not normally used as a name of God, except by those who subscribe to the Adam-God theory.

In Hinduism

The Sanskrit name, Karttikeya or Skanda, means "always a youth"1 and is revered as one of the four (or seven) sons of Brahma.

In Buddhism

Main articles: God in Buddhism

In Buddhism, in the Kevattha Sutta (Digha Nikaya 11), the term "ancient of days" is referred to the creator God Brahma,
''"“I am the Great Brahma, the Supreme, the Mighty, the All-seeing, the Ruler, the Lord of all, the Controller, the Creator, the Chief of all, appointing to each his place, 'the Ancient of days', the Father of all that are and are to be.” ."''
In Buddhism, although Brahma or God is respected, he is not regarded as omnipotent or all knowing, but someone in samsara who is subject to ignorance, birth and death (over billions of years) and a disciple of the Buddha.

Esoteric

In Esoteric tradition, the Ancient of Days is also known as Sanat Kumara.

References

1 Dowson, John (1820-1881). ''A classical dictionary of Hindu mythology and religion, geography, history, and literature.'' London: Trübner, 1879 [Reprint, London: Routledge, 1979]. ISBN 0-415-24521-4 [1]