THEOSISAugustine of Hippo
The thinkers of this age believed that the controversy at hand could only be resolved through the idea of cyclical time, where the same events are perpetually renewed and repeated in the fabric of existence. They maintained that this cycle would persist, with ages continuously arriving and departing, whether in a world that remains constant or in one that undergoes rebirth and decay at regular intervals, always presenting in a new guise what has already transpired and will recur. Such a perspective ridicules the eternal soul, and, regardless of its attainment of wisdom, it cannot escape this demeaning state, as it perpetually seeks illusory happiness while repeatedly falling back into genuine despair.
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For what kind of happiness can be deemed true if its eternity can never be realized, since the soul, either out of profound ignorance, fails to recognize its impending misfortune, or finds itself in wretched fear of it even while grasping at fleeting joy? Should it not transition from sorrow to unending joy, then an entirely new phenomenon emerges in time that lacks any temporal boundaries. Yet why does this not apply to the world? Why does it not apply to humanity, shaped by the world? Why should humans not evade the fictitious cycles devised by false philosophers obstructing the path of righteous understanding? Some interpret the words found in the first chapter of Ecclesiastes: “What has been, and what will be; and what has been done, will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. There is something of which it is said, ‘Look, behold, this is new’; but it was already in the ages that were before us” (Ecclesiastes 1:9-10), as referring to these recurring motions that consistently restore all things to their original state. However, it appears he spoke of generational cycles, where some fade while others come forth, as well as the cyclical movements of the sun and the courses of rivers, or perhaps of the species of all living things that emerge and vanish. For instance, there were people before us, they coexist with us, and they will be after us; the same applies to certain animals and trees. Extraordinary and remarkable occurrences, while unique and distinct, have historically been perceived as wondrous, therefore they were and will be again; it is not unprecedented that remarkable events transpire under the heavens. Some have interpreted Solomon’s comments as a declaration that all has already been accomplished within God's divine plan; thus, nothing is new under the sun. In any event, it is inconsistent with true faith to assume that Solomon’s words refer to cycles that merely repeat the same time and temporal occurrences. Just as the philosopher Plato taught his students in Athens at his Academy, under the assumption that this would occur in an infinite series of centuries to come, featuring the same Plato, the same city, the same school, and the same pupils, such notions stand in stark contrast to our belief. For Christ sacrificed Himself once for our transgressions; and upon rising, “He dies no more: death hath no more power over Him” (Romans 6:9); and we, after resurrection, “shall be with the Lord always” (1 Thessalonians 4:17), to whom we refer in the sacred psalm: “Thou, O Lord, wilt keep them, Thou wilt keep them from this generation forever” (Psalm 11:8). This is not due to their lives traversing cycles imagined by the deceitful, but rather, this represents a path of error due to false teaching.