Creation out of nothing
- F07.1 God created all things out of nothing; he alone is eternal: consensus from Era I (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 1 questions each rests on). 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
- c. 180 Irenaeus F07.1
- c. 180 Theophilus of Antioch F07.1
- 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. Scripture teaches this (John 1:3; Heb 11:3), and the earliest fathers, from the Shepherd of Hermas on, said so against pagan ideas of eternal matter. 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.
Questions
- F07.1 Creation out of nothing
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 |
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 | — |
| Orthodox | F07.1 | — |
| Oriental Orthodox | F07.1 | — |
| Lutheran | F07.1 | — |
| Anglican | F07.1 | — |
| Presbyterian | F07.1 | — |
| Reformed Baptist | F07.1 | — |
| General Baptist | F07.1 | — |
| Anabaptist | F07.1 | — |
Overall verdict
All nine confess creation out of nothing.
Verification status
Dositheus 4 and the Orthodox Creed’s creation article are to verify.