(3) Phoenician. The Phoenician cosmogony began, like the Greek, with Chaos as the primitive being, but placed side by side with, or rather with in Chaos.the primitive Spirit. A third factor is also introduced in the form of Desire, but it is impos sible to say definitely whether as primitive or derived from the other two. In any case, from the union of Desire with Spirit was born .1h5t (mire--mud —water). Mat made himself into an egg and developed into the world.
(4) Babylonian. The Babylonian account of the creation, unearthed and deciphered within the last half of the nineteenth century, is worth re citing. It goes back to the time when nothing existed. "There was a time when what is over head was not called heaven, what is beneath was not yet called earth. The abyss. the ancient, their progenitor, the mother Tiamat was the bearer of them all. Their waters were altogether tered. The fields were not prepared, the moor was not seen. At that time none of the gods had appeared: neither was anyone's name implored, nor was any destiny fixed. The gods were created. . Lochmu and Lacharm4 issued forth, and they brought forth. . . . An Say and Ki Sur were created. A long time passed. . . the God Inn (Re!) and Ea were born, An Sar and El Sar tRire them.
These four ancient cosmogonies, which may be regarded as the best out of a large number• illus trate the resemblances and differences existing be tween the extra-biblical and the biblical accounts of the creation 3. Resemblances and Differences. The re semblances are 1 t) They all begin with chaos. (21 The first stage after chaos is in all the crea tion of light. (3) The next stage is the process, with some at least. of the separation of dry land from the sea just as in Genesis i. (4) The sun and other heavenly bodies follow in the next stage in all the cosmogonies that make special mention of them. (5) Animals and mankind appear last in all. The differences between the Biblical and the other cosmogonies are, however, also to be noted : (1) According to the Biblical cosmogony, God precedes the world; according to all the others, the gods are born into existence in the de velopment of the world. Genesis i gives a cos mogony in the strict sense of the word; the mythologies contain a confused theogony in their cosmogonies. (2) According to Genesis, God is dis
tinct from and above the world, forming it by His word; according to the mythologies, the gods are a part of the universe, sharing in the common de velopment. (3) According to Genesis, God is one ; according to the mythologies a multitude of gods emerge into existence. (4) According to Genesis, the universe has a definite plan and goal which it reaches and is pronounced very good; according to the mythologies, the universe reaches its pres ent condition as if haphazard.
4. Modern Science. But we may now inquire into the conclusion of modern science on the sub ject of the beginnings of the world. Until re cently, this question was supposed to be beyond the reach of true science. It is now agreed upon, however, that science must begin with a theory, the primitive condition of all things and their transformation into their present state. While there are still differences of view, there is a grow ing tendency towards the acceptance of the nebular hypothesis as a true cosmogony.
(1) Nebular Hypothesis. What then is the nebular hypothesis? It is the supposition first put forth as a philosophical speculation by Kant and subsequently elaborated as a scientific theory by La Place that in the earliest stage of its exist ence, the universe was an inchoate mass of ex tremely rarified matter. According to the laws of gravitation, this mass assumed the form of an immense sphere and began to revolve on an axis. In consequence of this rotation, it became flattened at the poles and expanded at the equator. This, with the condensation and contraction of the mass, led to the separation of the equatorial portion of it and the formation of the same into a ring like the rings of the planet Saturn. The ring, on account of unequal condensation in different portions of it, broke into a number of fragments, each of which went through a process similar to that of the whole mass, and thus stellar systems, and in particular the solar system, were formed. In each of these systems, the conditions above described being present, through the same process planets and satellites came into existence.