Creation out of nothing
- F07.1 God created all things out of nothing; he alone is eternal: consensus from Era I (high)
- F07.2 Creation is good; evil is not a created substance but a corruption of good: consensus (high)
- F07.3 The one God created and sustains all things through his Word; there is no lesser demiurge: consensus from Era I–II (high)
Two separate measures, shown side by side; neither is combined with the other (confidence-weighted, out of 4; counts show how many of this doctrine's 3 questions each rests on; ⚠ marks coverage more than 10 points below the median, a less certain rank). This doctrine is first-order (tier weight 3). How scoring works · Scripture and tradition · Glossary · Every score with its citation
Closeness to Scripture
Closeness to the fathers
Charts: closeness to the fathers by question, and timeline
- c. 140 Shepherd of Hermas F07.1, F07.3
- c. 180 Irenaeus F07.1
- c. 180 Irenaeus F07.2
- c. 180 Irenaeus F07.3
- c. 180 Theophilus of Antioch F07.1
- c. 180 Theophilus of Antioch F07.3
- c. 415 Augustine F07.2
- 1646 Westminster Confession Presbyterian
- 1672 Confession of Dositheus Orthodox
F7 · Creation out of nothing
God alone is eternal; all else is created and good.
Tier: First-order (scoring weight 3). How the tiers were set: theological triage. Method: conventions. Traditions’ sources: confessional sources.
In short
God alone is eternal; everything else was made by him from nothing, and is sustained by him through his Word — not by a lesser demiurge. Scripture teaches this (John 1:3; Col 1:16–17; Heb 11:3), and the earliest fathers, from Hermas and Theophilus on, said so against pagan and Gnostic dualism. All nine traditions hold it.
Plan
Question: F07.1: did God create all things out of nothing, so that he alone is eternal? The days of creation are T03. Scripture: Gen 1:1; Ps 33:6, 9; John 1:3; Rom 4:17; Col 1:16; Heb 11:3; Rev 4:11. Fathers: Hermas, Mandate 1; Theophilus, To Autolycus II.4; Irenaeus, Against Heresies II.10.4. F07.2: is creation good (Gen 1:31; Irenaeus; Augustine, City of God XI.9)? F07.3: is the world created and sustained by the one God through the Word, not by a lesser demiurge (John 1:3; Col 1:16–17; Heb 1:2–3; Theophilus II.10; Irenaeus IV.20)?
Questions
- F07.1 Creation out of nothing
- F07.2 Is creation good, and evil not a substance?
- F07.3 Is the world created and sustained by the one God through the Word (not by a lesser demiurge)?
Verdicts and trace
Weighed under the source-proximity principle: Scripture first, then the father eras I–IV.
F07.1 · Creation out of nothing
| Question | Verdict | Confidence | Reasoning | Key sources | Scripture (benchmark) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F07.1 | God created all things out of nothing; he alone is eternal: consensus from Era I | High | F07.1.1 · F07.1.3 weighing | hermas-f07-s1 · theophilus-f07-s1 · irenaeus-f07-s1 | F07.1.4: high |
F07.2 · Is creation good, and evil not a substance?
| Question | Verdict | Confidence | Reasoning | Key sources | Scripture (benchmark) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F07.2 | Creation is good; evil is not a created substance but a corruption of good: consensus | High | F07.2.1 · F07.2.3 weighing | irenaeus-f07-s2 · augustine-f07-s1 | F07.2.4: high |
F07.3 · Is the world created and sustained by the one God through the Word (not by a lesser demiurge)?
| Question | Verdict | Confidence | Reasoning | Key sources | Scripture (benchmark) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F07.3 | The one God created and sustains all things through his Word; there is no lesser demiurge: consensus from Era I–II | High | F07.3.1 · F07.3.3 weighing | theophilus-f07-s2 · irenaeus-f07-s3 · hermas-f07-s1 | F07.3.4: high |
Post-750 development
Which of this doctrine’s questions each tradition stays closest to, or departs from. Each row links to the tradition’s notes; exact scores and bases are in the reasoning.
| Tradition | Closest to the fathers on | Departs or sharpens on |
|---|---|---|
| Catholic | F07.1, F07.2, F07.3 | — |
| Orthodox | F07.1, F07.2, F07.3 | — |
| Oriental Orthodox | F07.1, F07.2, F07.3 | — |
| Lutheran | F07.1, F07.2, F07.3 | — |
| Anglican | F07.1, F07.2, F07.3 | — |
| Presbyterian | F07.1, F07.2, F07.3 | — |
| Reformed Baptist | F07.1, F07.2, F07.3 | — |
| General Baptist | F07.1, F07.2, F07.3 | — |
| Anabaptist | F07.1, F07.2, F07.3 | — |
Overall verdict
All nine confess creation out of nothing. All nine hold creation good (F07.2). All nine hold that the one God creates and sustains through his Word, against any lesser demiurge (F07.3).
Verification status
Dositheus 4, WCF IV.1, 1689 4.1 and Dordrecht I verified; the Orthodox Creed art. 11 is verified by a fresh OCR of the 1679 printing (EEBO scan).