An AGE, an era, the whole temper and duration of a time — the root of 'aeon'; distinct from kosmos, the physical world, in that aiōn is the world seen as an epoch with a CHARACTER. Galatians 1:4 says Christ gave himself 'to rescue us out of the present evil age' (tou aiōnos tou enestōtos ponērou) — salvation framed not as forgiveness alone or heaven-after-death but as an EXTRACTION from a still-running world-order that is actively evil. The plural doubles for emphasis: 'into the ages of the ages' (v5) = forever. KJV renders it 'world', which blurs the era-sense; NWT's 'system of things' catches the character even as it modernises. → first discussed at Galatians 1:4