Creatio Ex Materia

is the notion that the universe was formed out of eternal, pre-existing matter. This is in contrast to the notion of '' creatio ex nihilo'', where the universe is created out of nothing. The idea of ''creatio ex materia'' is found in ancient near eastern cosmology, early Greek cosmology such as is in the works of Homer and Hesiod, and across the board in ancient Greek philosophy. It was also held by a few early Christians, although ''creatio ex nihilo'' was the dominant concept among such writers. After the King Follet discourse, ''creatio ex materia'' came to be accepted in Mormonism.

Greek philosophers came to widely frame the notion of ''creatio ex materia'' with the philosophical dictum "nothing comes from nothing" (; ). Although it is not clear if the dictum goes back to Parmenides (5th century BC) or the Milesian philosophers, a more common version of the expression was coined by Lucretius, who stated in his ''De rerum natura'' that "nothing can be created out of nothing".

Alternatives to ''creatio ex materia'' include ''creatio ex nihilo'' ("creation from nothing"); ''creatio ex deo'' ("creation from God"), referring to a derivation of the cosmos from the substance of God either partially (in panentheism) or completely (in pandeism), and ''creatio continua'' (ongoing divine creation).

Greek philosophy

Greek philosophers widely accepted the notion that creation acted on eternally existing, uncreated matter. Parmenides' articulation of the dictum that "nothing comes from nothing" is first attested in Aristotle's ''Physics'':

In English translation:

Though commonly credited to Parmenides, some historians believe that the dictum instead historically traces back to the Milesian philosophers. In any case, Parmenides believed that non-existence could neither give rise to existence (genesis), nor could something that exists cease to exist (perishing). That which does not exist has no causal powers, and therefore could not give rise to something.

A typical expression of it can be found in the writings of the Middle Platonist Plutarch, which conditions that the structured and formed things that exist now derive from earlier, unformed and unshaped matter. Therefore, the creation act was the process of ordering this unordered matter.

The Roman poet and Epicurean philosopher Lucretius expressed this principle in his first book of ''De rerum natura'' (''On the Nature of Things'') (1.149–214). According to his argument, if something could come from nothing, it would be commonplace to observe something coming from nothing all the time, even to witness any animal emerge fully-made or to see trees at one point bearing an apple but later producing a pear. This is because there is no prerequisite for what would come out of nothing, as prior causes or matter would have no place in limiting what comes into existence. In short, Lucretius believed that ''creatio ex nihilo'' would lead to a lack of regularity in nature.

In their interaction with earlier Greek philosophers who accepted this argument/dictum, Christian authors who accepted ''creatio ex nihilo'', like Origen, simply denied the essential premise that something cannot come from nothing, and viewed it as a presumption of a limitation of God's power; God was seen as in fact able to create something out of nothing.

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* {{Cite journal , last=Young , first=Frances , date=1991 , title='Creatio Ex Nihilo': A Context for the Emergence of the Christian Doctrine of Creation , url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/scottish-journal-of-theology/article/abs/creatio-ex-nihilo-a-context-for-the-emergence-of-the-christian-doctrine-of-creation/6D4D6D164A6B895D0B1B920F069E51EE , journal=Scottish Journal of Theology , volume=44 , issue=2 , pages=139–152, doi=10.1017/S0036930600039089 , url-access=subscription

External links

Lucretius' ''De Rerum Natura'', translated by William Ellery at the Internet Classics Archive

Philosophical arguments
Philosophy of physics
Physical cosmology
Ancient Near Eastern cosmology