TheexplorationsinAustraliaandneighbouringislandsmademattersstillworse，fortherewasfoundinthoseregionsawholerealmofanimalsdifferingwidelyfromthoseofotherpartsoftheearth。
　　Theproblembeforethestricttheologiansbecame，forexample，howtoexplainthefactthatthekangaroocanhavebeeninthearkandbenowonlyfoundinAustralia：hissaltatorypowersareindeedgreat，buthowcouldhebyanyseriesofleapshavesprungacrosstheinterveningmountains，plains，andoceanstothatremotecontinent？and，ifthetheorywereadoptedthatatsomeperiodacausewayextendedacrossthevastchasmseparatingAustraliafromthenearestmainland，whydidnotlions，tigers，camels，andcamelopardsforceorfindtheirwayacrossit？
　　Thetheologicaltheory，therefore，hadbytheendoftheeighteenthcenturygonetopieces。Thewisertheologianswaited；
　　theunwiseindulgedinexhortationsto“rootoutthewickedheartofunbelief。”indenunciationof“sciencefalselysocalled。”andinfranticdeclarationsthat“theBibleistrue“——bywhichtheymeantthatthelimitedunderstandingofitwhichtheyhadhappenedtoinheritistrue。
　　Bythemiddleofthenineteenthcenturythewholetheologicaltheoryofcreation——thoughstillpreachedeverywhereasamatterofform——wasclearlyseenbyallthinkingmentobehopelesslylost：suchstrongmenasCardinalWisemanintheRomanChurch，DeanBucklandintheAnglican，andHughMillerintheScottishChurch，madeheroiceffortstosavesomethingfromit，butalltonopurpose。ThatsturdyTeutonicandAnglo-Saxonhonesty，whichisthebestlegacyoftheMiddleAgestoChristendom，asserteditselfintheoldstrongholdsoftheologicalthought，theuniversities。NeitherthepowerfullogicofBishopButlernorthenimblereasoningofArchdeaconPaleyavailed。JustasthelineofastronomicalthinkersfromCopernicustoNewtonhaddestroyedtheoldastronomy，inwhichtheearthwasthecentre，andtheAlmightysittingabovethefirmamenttheagentinmovingtheheavenlybodiesaboutitwithhisownhands，sonowaraceofbiologicalthinkershaddestroyedtheoldideaofaCreatorminutelycontrivingandfashioningallanimalstosuittheneedsandpurposesofman。Theyhaddevelopedasystemofaverydifferentsort，andthisweshallnextconsider。[18]
　　[18]ForAcosta，seehisHistoriaNaturalymoraldelasIndias，Seville，1590——thequaintEnglishtranslationisofLondon，1604；
　　forAbrahamMilius，seehisDeOrigineAnimaliumetMigrationePopularum，Geneva，1667；alsoKosmos，1877，H。I，S。36；forLinnaeus’sdeclarationregardingspecies，seethePhilosophiaBotanica，99，157；forCalmetandLinnaeus，seeZoeckler，vol。
　　ii，p。237。Astotheenormouslyincreasingnumbersofspeciesinzoologyandbotany，seePresidentD。S。Jordan，ScienceSketches，pp。176，177；alsoforpithystatement，Laing’sProblemsoftheFuture，chap。vi。
　　Wehaveseen，thusfar，howtherecameintothethinkingofmankinduponthevisibleuniverseanditsinhabitantstheideaofacreationvirtuallyinstantaneousandcomplete，andofaCreatorinhumanformwithhumanattributes，whospokematterintoexistenceliterallybytheexerciseofhisthroatandlips，orshapedandplaceditwithhishandsandfingers。
　　Wehaveseenthatthisviewcamefromfar；thatitexistedintheChaldaeo-BabylonianandEgyptiancivilizations，andprobablyinothersoftheearliestdateknowntous；thatitsmainfeaturespassedthenceintothesacredbooksoftheHebrewsandthenintotheearlyChristianChurch，bywhosetheologiansitwasdevelopedthroughtheMiddleAgesandmaintainedduringthemodernperiod。
　　But，whilethisideawasthusdevelopedbyasuccessionofnobleandthoughtfulmenthroughthousandsofyears，anotherconception，toallappearanceequallyancient，wasdeveloped，sometimesinantagonismtoit，sometimesmingledwithit——theconceptionofalllivingbeingsaswhollyorinparttheresultofagrowthprocess——ofanevolution。
　　Thisidea，invariousforms，becameapowerfulfactorinnearlyallthegreaterancienttheologiesandphilosophies。Forverywidespreadamongtheearlypeopleswhoattainedtomuchthinkingpowerwasaconceptionthat，inobediencetothedivinefiat，awaterychaosproducedtheearth，andthattheseaandlandgavebirthtotheirinhabitants。
　　ThisisclearlyseeninthoserecordsofChaldaeo-Babylonianthoughtdecipheredintheselatteryears，towhichreferencehasalreadybeenmade。Inthesewehaveawaterychaoswhich，underdivineaction，bringsforththeearthanditsinhabitants；firsttheseaanimalsandthenthelandanimals——thelatterbeingseparatedintothreekinds，substantiallyasrecordedafterwardintheHebrewaccounts。AtthevariousstagesintheworktheChaldeanCreatorpronouncesit“beautiful。”justastheHebrewCreatorinourownlateraccountpronouncesit“good。”
　　Inbothaccountsthereisplacedoverthewholecreationasolid，concavefirmament；inboth，lightiscreatedfirst，andtheheavenlybodiesareafterwardplaced“forsignsandforseasons“；
　　inboth，thenumbersevenisespeciallysacred，givingrisetoasacreddivisionoftimeandtomuchelse。Itmaybeaddedthat，withmanyotherfeaturesintheHebrewlegendsevidentlydrawnfromtheChaldean，theaccountofthecreationineachisfollowedbyalegendregarding“thefallofman“andadeluge，manydetailsofwhichclearlypassedinslightlymodifiedformfromtheChaldeanintotheHebrewaccounts。
　　Itwouldhavebeenamiracleindeediftheseprimitiveconceptions，wroughtoutwithsomuchpoeticvigourinthatearliercivilizationontheTigrisandEuphrates，hadfailedtoinfluencetheHebrews，whoduringthemostplasticperiodsoftheirdevelopmentwereunderthetutelageoftheirChaldeanneighbours。SincetheresearchesofLayard，GeorgeSmith，Oppert，Schrader，Jensen，Sayce，andtheircompeers，thereisnolongerareasonabledoubtthatthisancientviewoftheworld，elaboratedifnotoriginatedinthatearliercivilization，camethenceasalegacytotheHebrews，whowroughtitinasomewhatdisjointedbutmainlymonotheisticformintothepoeticwholewhichformsoneofthemostprecioustreasuresofancientthoughtpreservedinthebookofGenesis。
　　Thusitwasthat，whiletheideaofasimplematerialcreationliterallybythehandsandfingersorvoiceoftheCreatorbecame，aswehaveseen，thestarting-pointofapowerfulstreamoftheologicalthought，andwhilethisstreamwasswollenfromagetoagebycontributionsfromthefathers，doctors，andlearneddivinesoftheChurch，CatholicandProtestant，therewaspouredintoitthislessercurrent，alwaysdiscernibleandattimesclearlyseparatedfromit——acurrentofbeliefinaprocessofevolution。
　　TheRev。Prof。Sayce，ofOxford，thanwhomnoEnglish-speakingscholarcarriesmoreweightinamatterofthiskind，hasrecentlydeclaredhisbeliefthattheChaldaeo-BabyloniantheorywastheundoubtedsourceofthesimilartheorypropoundedbytheIonicphilosopherAnaximander——theGreekthinkersderivingthisviewfromtheBabyloniansthroughthePhoenicians；healsoallowsthatfromthesamesourceitsmainfeatureswereadoptedintoboththeaccountsgiveninthefirstofoursacredbooks，andinthisgeneralviewthemosteminentChristianAssyriologistsconcur。
　　Itistruethatthesesacredaccountsofourscontradicteachother。InthatpartofthefirstorElohisticaccountgiveninthefirstchapterofGenesistheWATERSbringforthfishes，marineanimals，andbirdsGenesis，i，20；butinthatpartofthesecondorJehovisticaccountgiveninthesecondchapterofGenesisboththelandanimalsandbirdsaredeclaredtohavebeencreatednotoutofthewater，but“OUTOFTHEGROUND“Genesis，ii，19。
　　Thedialecticskillofthefatherswaseasilyequaltoexplainingawaythiscontradiction；buttheoldcurrentofthought，strengthenedbyboththeselegends，arrestedtheirattention，and，passingthroughthemindsofasuccessionofthegreatestmenoftheChurch，influencedtheologicalopiniondeeply，ifnotwidely，forages，infavourofanevolutiontheory。
　　Buttherewasstillanotherancientsourceofevolutionideas。
　　Thoughtfulmenoftheearlycivilizationswhichweredevelopedalongthegreatriversinthewarmerregionsoftheearthnotedhowthesun-godasheroseinhisfullestmightcausedthewaterandtherichsoiltoteemwiththelesserformsoflife。InEgypt，especially，mensawhowunderthisdivinepowertheNileslimebroughtforth“creepingthingsinnumerable。”Hencemainlythisancientbeliefthattheanimalsandmanwereproducedbylifelessmatteratthedivinecommand，“inthebeginning。”wassupplementedbytheideathatsomeofthelesseranimals，especiallytheinsects，wereproducedbyalaterevolution，beingevokedaftertheoriginalcreationfromvarioussources，butchieflyfrommatterinastateofdecay。
　　Thiscrude，earlyviewaideddoubtlessingivinggermsofabetterevolutiontheorytotheearlyGreeks。Anaximander，Empedocles，Anaxagoras，and，greatestofall，Aristotle，aswehaveseen，developedthem，makingtheirwayattimesbyguessestowardtruthssinceestablishedbyobservation。Aristotleespecially，bothbyspeculationandobservation，arrivedatsomeresultswhich，hadGreekfreedomofthoughtcontinued，mighthavebroughttheworldlongsincetoitspresentplaneofbiologicalknowledge；forhereachedsomethinglikethemodernideaofasuccessionofhigherorganizationsfromlower，andmadethefruitfulsuggestionof“aperfectingprinciple“inNature。
　　WiththecominginofChristiantheologythistendencytowardayettruertheoryofevolutionwasmainlystopped，buttheoldcrudeviewremained，andasatypicalexampleofitwemaynotetheopinionofSt。BasiltheGreatinthefourthcentury。
　　Discussingtheworkofcreation，hedeclaresthat，atthecommandofGod，“thewatersweregiftedwithproductivepower“；“fromslimeandmuddyplacesfrogs，flies，andgnatscameintobeing“；
　　andhefinallydeclaresthatthesamevoicewhichgavethisenergyandqualityofproductivenesstoearthandwatershallbesimilarlyefficaciousuntiltheendoftheworld。St。GregoryofNyssaheldasimilarview。
　　ThisideaofthesegreatfathersoftheEasternChurchtookevenstrongerholdonthegreatfatheroftheWesternChurch。ForSt。
　　Augustine，sofetteredusuallybytheletterofthesacredtext，brokefromhisownfamousdoctrineastotheacceptanceofScriptureandspurnedthegenerallyreceivedbeliefofacreativeprocesslikethatbywhichatoymakerbringsintoexistenceaboxofplaythings。InhisgreattreatiseonGenesishesays：“TosupposethatGodformedmanfromthedustwithbodilyhandsisverychildish……Godneitherformedmanwithbodilyhandsnordidhebreatheuponhimwiththroatandlips。”
　　St。Augustinethensuggeststheadoptionoftheoldemanationorevolutiontheory，showsthat“certainverysmallanimalsmaynothavebeencreatedonthefifthandsixthdays，butmayhaveoriginatedlaterfromputrefyingmatter。”arguesthat，evenifthisbeso，Godisstilltheircreator，dwellsuponsuchapotentialcreationasinvolvedintheactualcreation，andspeaksofanimals“whosenumberstheafter-timeunfolded。”
　　InhisgreattreatiseontheTrinity——theworktowhichhedevotedthebestthirtyyearsofhislife——wefindthefullgrowthofthisopinion。Hedevelopsatlengththeviewthatinthecreationoflivingbeingstherewassomethinglikeagrowth——thatGodistheultimateauthor，butworksthroughsecondarycauses；andfinallyarguesthatcertainsubstancesareendowedbyGodwiththepowerofproducingcertainclassesofplantsandanimals。[19]
　　[19]FortheChaldeanviewofcreation，seeGeorgeSmith，ChaldeanAccountofGenesis，NewYork，1876，pp。14，15，and64-
　　86；alsoLukas，asabove；alsoSayce，ReligionoftheAncientBabylonians，HibbertLecturesfor1887，pp。371andelsewhere；astothefallofman，TowerofBabel，sacrednessofthenumberseven，etc。，seealsoDelitzsch，appendixtotheGermantranslationofSmith，pp。305etseq。；astothealmostexactadoptionoftheChaldeanlegendsintotheHebrewsacredaccount，seeallthese，asalsoSchrader，DieKeilinschriftenunddasAlteTestament，Giessen，1883，earlychapters；alsoarticleBabyloniaintheEncyclopediaBritannica；astosimialrapprovalofcreationbytheCreatorinbothaccounts，seeGeorgeSmith，p。
　　73；astothemigrationoftheBabylonianlegendstotheHebrews，seeSchrader，Whitehouse’stranslation，pp。44，45；astotheChaldaeanbeliefinasolidfirmament，whileSchraderin1883
　　thoughtitnotproved，Jensenin1890hasfounditclearlyexpresses——seehisKosmologiederBabylonier，pp。9etseq。，alsopp。304-306，andelsewhere。Dr。Lukasin1893alsofullyacceptsthisviewofaChaldeanrecordofa“firmament“——seeKosmologie，pp。43，etc。；seealsoMasperoandSayce，theDawnofCivilization，andforcrudeearlyideasofevolutioninEgypt，seeibid。，pp。156etseq。
　　Fortheseven-dayweekamongtheChaldeansandrestontheseventhday，andtheproofthateventhename“Sabbath“isofChaldeanorigin，seeDelitzsch，Beiga-benzuSmith’sChald。