morebeautifulthananythingtheyhaveheretoforedone。Andthisissayingmuch。MyconvictionisthatScience，thoughithasevidentlyconqueredDogmaticTheologybasedonbiblicaltextsandancientmodesofthought，willgohandinhandwithReligion；andthat，althoughtheologicalcontrolwillcontinuetodiminish，Religion，asseenintherecognitionof“aPowerintheuniverse，notourselves，whichmakesforrighteousness。”andintheloveofGodandofourneighbor，willsteadilygrowstrongerandstronger，notonlyintheAmericaninstitutionsoflearningbutintheworldatlarge。ThusmaythedeclarationofMicahastotherequirementsofJehovah，thedefinitionbySt。Jamesof“purereligionandundefiled。”and，aboveall，thepreceptsandidealsoftheblessedFounderofChristianityhimself，bebroughttobearmoreandmoreeffectivelyonmankind。
Iclosethisprefacesomedaysafteritsfirstlineswerewritten。ThesunofspringhasdoneitsworkontheNeva；thegreatriverflowstranquillyon，ablessingandajoy；themujiksareforgotten。
Amongthosemassesofcathedralsculpturewhichpreservesomuchofmedievaltheology，onefrequentlyrecurringgroupisnoteworthyforitspresentmentofatime-honoureddoctrineregardingtheoriginoftheuniverse。
TheAlmighty，inhumanform，sitsbenignly，makingthesun，moon，andstars，andhangingthemfromthesolidfirmamentwhichsupportsthe“heavenabove“andoverarchesthe“earthbeneath。”
ThefurrowsofthoughtontheCreator’sbrowshowthatinthisworkheisobligedtocontrive；theknottedmusclesuponhisarmsshowthatheisobligedtotoil；naturally，then，thesculptorsandpaintersofthemedievalandearlymodernperiodfrequentlyrepresentedhimasthewriterswhoseconceptionstheyembodiedhaddone——as，ontheseventhday，wearyafterthoughtandtoil，enjoyingwell-earnedreposeandtheplauditsofthehostsofheaven。
Inthesethought-fossilsofthecathedrals，andinotherrevelationsofthesameideathroughsculpture，painting，glass-staining，mosaicwork，andengraving，duringtheMiddleAgesandthetwocenturiesfollowing，culminatedabeliefwhichhadbeendevelopedthroughthousandsofyears，andwhichhasdeterminedtheworld’sthoughtuntilourowntime。
Itsbeginningsliefarbackinhumanhistory；wefindthemamongtheearlyrecordsofnearlyallthegreatcivilizations，andtheyholdamostprominentplaceinthevarioussacredbooksoftheworld。InnearlyallofthemisrevealedtheconceptionofaCreatorofwhommanisanimperfectimage，andwholiterallyanddirectlycreatedthevisibleuniversewithhishandsandfingers。
Amongthesetheories，ofespecialinteresttousarethosewhichcontrolledtheologicalthoughtinChaldea。TheAssyrianinscriptionswhichhavebeenrecentlyrecoveredandgiventotheEnglish-speakingpeoplesbyLayard，GeorgeSmith，Sayce，andothers，showthatintheancientreligionsofChaldeaandBabyloniatherewaselaboratedanarrativeofthecreationwhich，initsmostimportantfeatures，musthavebeenthesourceofthatinourownsacredbooks。IthasnowbecomeperfectlyclearthatfromthesamesourceswhichinspiredtheaccountsofthecreationoftheuniverseamongtheChaldeo-Babylonian，theAssyrian，thePhoenician，andotherancientcivilizationscametheideaswhichholdsoprominentaplaceinthesacredbooksoftheHebrews。InthetwoaccountsimperfectlyfusedtogetherinGenesis，andalsointheaccountofwhichwehaveindicationsinthebookofJobandintheProverbs，there，ispresented，oftenwiththegreatestsublimity，thesameearlyconceptionoftheCreatorandofthecreation——theconception，sonaturalinthechildhoodofcivilization，ofaCreatorwhoisanenlargedhumanbeingworkingliterallywithhisownhands，andofacreationwhichis“theworkofhisfingers。”TosupplementthisviewtherewasdevelopedthebeliefinthisCreatorasonewho，having……”fromhisamplepalmLaunchedforththerollingplanetsintospace。”
sitsonhigh，enthroned“uponthecircleoftheheavens。”
perpetuallycontrollinganddirectingthem。
Fromthisideaofcreationwasevolvedintimeasomewhatnoblerview。Ancientthinkers，andespecially，asisnowfound，inEgypt，suggestedthatthemainagencyincreationwasnotthehandsandfingersoftheCreator，buthisVOICE。Hencewasmingledwiththeearlier，cruderbeliefregardingtheoriginoftheearthandheavenlybodiesbytheAlmightythemoreimpressiveideathat“hespakeandtheyweremade“——thattheywerebroughtintoexistencebyhisWORD。
Amongthemanymediaevalrepresentationsofthecreationoftheuniverse，IespeciallyrecallfrompersonalobservationthosesculpturedabovetheportalsofthecathedralsofFreiburgandUpsala，thepaintingsonthewallsoftheCampoSantoatPisa，andmoststrikingofall，themosaicsoftheCathedralofMonrealeandthoseintheCapellaPalatinaatPalermo。AmongpeculiaritiesshowingthesimplicityoftheearlierconceptiontherepresentationoftheresponseoftheAlmightyontheseventhdayisverystriking。Heisshownasseatedinalmosttheexactattitudeofthe“WearyMercury“ofclassicsculpture——bent，andwithaverymarkedexpressionoffatigueuponhiscountenanceandinthewholedispositionofhisbody。
TheMonrealemosaicsarepicturedinthegreatworkofGravina，andinthePisafrescoesinDidron’sIconographie，Paris，1843，p。598。ForanexactstatementoftheresemblanceswhichhavesettledthequestionamongthemosteminentscholarsinfavourofthederivationoftheHebrewcosmogonyfromthatofAssyria，seeJensen，DieKosmologiederBabylonier，Strassburg，1890，pp。
304，306；alsoFranzLukas，DieGrundbegriffeindenKosmographienderaltenVolker，Leipsic，1893，pp。35-46；alsoGeorgeSmith’sChaldeanGenesis，especiallytheGermantranslationwithadditionsbyDelitzsch，Leipsic，1876，andSchrader，DieKeilinschriftenunddasAlteTestament，Giessen，1883，pp。1-54，etc。SeealsoRenan，Histoiredupeupled’Israel，vol。i，chapi，L’antiqueinfluencebabylonienne。ForEgyptianviewsregardingcreation，andespeciallyforthetransitionfromtheideaofcreationbythehandsandfingersoftheCreatortocreationbyhisVOICEandhis“word。”seeMasperoandSayce，TheDawnofCivilization，pp。
AmongtheearlyfathersoftheChurchthisgeneralviewofcreationbecamefundamental；theyimpresseduponChristendommoreandmorestronglythebeliefthattheuniversewascreatedinaperfectlyliteralsensebythehandsorvoiceofGod。Hereandtheresundrytheologiansoflargermindattemptedtogiveamorespiritualviewregardingsomepartsofthecreativework，andofthesewereSt。GregoryofNyssaandSt。Augustine。ReadyastheyweretoaccepttheliteraltextofScripture，theyrevoltedagainsttheconceptionofanactualcreationoftheuniversebythehandsandfingersofaSupremeBeing，andinthistheywerefollowedbyBedeandafewothers；butthemorematerialconceptionsprevailed，andwefindthesetakingshapenotonlyinthesculpturesandmosaicsandstainedglassofcathedrals，andintheilluminationsofmissalsandpsalters，butlater，atthecloseoftheMiddleAges，inthepicturedBiblesandingeneralliterature。
IntotheAnglo-Saxonmindthisancientmaterialconceptionofthecreationwasrivetedbytwopoetswhoseworksappealedespeciallytothedeeperreligiousfeelings。IntheseventhcenturyCaedmonparaphrasedtheaccountgiveninGenesis，bringingoutthismaterialconceptioninthemostliteralform；andathousandyearslaterMiltondevelopedoutofthevariousstatementsintheOldTestament，mingledwithatheologyregarding“thecreativeWord“whichhadbeendrawnfromtheNew，hisdescriptionofthecreationbythesecondpersonintheTrinity，thanwhichnothingcouldbemoreliteralandmaterial：
“Hetookthegoldencompasses，preparedInGod’seternalstore，tocircumscribeThisuniverseandallcreatedthings。
Onefoothecentred，andtheotherturnedRoundthroughthevastprofundityobscure，Andsaid，`Thusfarextend，thusfarthybounds：
Thisbethyjustcircumference，Oworld！’“[2]
[2]ForGregoryofNyssa，Augustine，andthegeneralsubjectofthedevelopmentofanevolutiontheoryamongtheGreeks，seetheexcellentworkbyDr。Osborn，FromtheGreekstoDarwin，pp。33
andfollowing；forCaedmon，seeanyedition——IhaveusedBouterwek’s，Gutersloh，1854；forMilton，seeParadiseLost，bookvii，lines225-231。
SomuchfortheorthodoxviewoftheMANNERofcreation。
ThenextpointdevelopedinthistheologicevolutionhadreferencetotheMATTERofwhichtheuniversewasmade，anditwasdecidedbyanoverwhelmingmajoritythatnomaterialsubstanceexistedbeforethecreationofthematerialuniverse——that“Godcreatedeverythingoutofnothing。”Someventuresomethinkers，basingtheirreasoninguponthefirstversesofGenesis，hintedatadifferentview——namely，thatthemass，“withoutformandvoid。”existedbeforetheuniverse；butthisdoctrinewassoonsweptoutofsight。Thevastmajorityofthefatherswereexplicitonthispoint。Tertullianespeciallywasverysevereagainstthosewhotookanyotherviewthanthatgenerallyacceptedasorthodox：hedeclaredthat，iftherehadbeenanypre-existingmatteroutofwhichtheworldwasformed，Scripturewouldhavementionedit；thatbynotmentioningitGodhasgivenusaclearproofthattherewasnosuchthing；and，afteramannernotunknowninothertheologicalcontroversies，hethreatensHermogenes，whotakestheoppositeview，withthewoewhichimpendsonallwhoaddtoortakeawayfromthewrittenword。”
St。Augustine，whoshowedsignsofabeliefinapre-existenceofmatter，madehispeacewiththeprevailingbeliefbythesimplereasoningthat，“althoughtheworldhasbeenmadeofsomematerial，thatverysamematerialmusthavebeenmadeoutofnothing。”
InthewakeofthesegreatmentheuniversalChurchsteadilyfollowed。TheFourthLateranCouncildeclaredthatGodcreatedeverythingoutofnothing；andatthepresenthourthevastmajorityofthefaithful——whetherCatholicorProtestant——aretaughtthesamedoctrine；onthispointthesyllabusofPiusIX
andtheWestminsterCatechismfullyagree。[3]ForTertullian，seeTertullianagainstHermogenes，chaps。xxandxxii；forSt。Augustineregarding“creationfromnothing。”
seetheDeGenesicontraManichaeos，lib，i，cap。vi；forSt。
Ambrose，seetheHexameron，lib，i，capiv；forthedecreeoftheFourthLateranCouncil，andtheviewreceivedintheChurchto-
day，seethearticleCreationinAddisandArnold’sCatholicDictionary。
Havingthusdisposedofthemannerandmatterofcreation，thenextsubjecttakenupbytheologianswastheTIMErequiredforthegreatwork。
Herecameadifficulty。ThefirstofthetwoaccountsgiveninGenesisextendedthecreativeoperationthroughsixdays，eachofaneveningandamorning，withmuchexplicitdetailregardingtheprogressmadeineach。Butthesecondaccountspokeof“THE
DAY“inwhich“theLordGodmadetheearthandtheheavens。”
Theexplicitnessofthefirstaccountanditsnaturalnesstothemindsofthegreatmassofearlytheologiansgaveitatfirstadecidedadvantage；butJewishthinkers，likePhilo，andChristianthinkers，likeOrigen，forminghigherconceptionsoftheCreatorandhiswork，werenotcontentwiththis，andbythemwaslauncheduponthetroubledseaofChristiantheologytheideathatthecreationwasinstantaneous，thisideabeingstrengthenednotonlybythesecondoftheGenesislegends，butbythegreattext，“Hespake，anditwasdone；hecommanded，anditstoodfast“——or，asitappearsintheVulgateandinmosttranslations。”Hespake，andtheyweremade；hecommanded，andtheywerecreated。”
Asaresult，itbegantobeheldthatthesafeandpropercoursewastobelieveliterallyBOTHstatements；thatinsomemysteriousmannerGodcreatedtheuniverseinsixdays，andyetbroughtitallintoexistenceinamoment。Inspiteoftheoutcriesofsundrygreattheologians，likeEphremSyrus，thattheuniversewascreatedinexactlysixdaysoftwenty-fourhourseach，thiscompromisewaspromotedbySt。AthanasiusandSt。
BasilintheEast，andbySt。AugustineandSt。HilaryintheWest。
Seriousdifficultieswerefoundinreconcilingthesetwoviews，whichtothenaturalmindseemabsolutelycontradictory；butbyingeniousmanipulationoftexts，bydexterousplayuponphrases，andbytheabundantuseofmetaphysicstodissolveawayfacts，areconciliationwaseffected，andmencameatleasttobelievethattheybelievedinacreationoftheuniverseinstantaneousandatthesametimeextendedthroughsixdays。[4]
[4]ForOrigen，seehisContraCelsum，capxxxvi，xxxvii；alsohisDePrincipibus，cap。v；forSt。Augustine，seehisDeGenesicontaManichaeosandDeGenesiadLitteram，passim；forAthanasius，seehisDiscoursesagainsttheArians，ii，48，49。