Lesson 27 –
What is Creation?

Along with the whole Christian tradition, Aquinas affirms that God creates “from nothing,” or in Latin, “ex nihilo.” This is a view already found in the Church fathers. It means, at its most fundamental level, that creation does not start from some pre-existing material.

Course Reading

Summa Theologiae I, q. 45 | St. Thomas Aquinas

Theology and Sanity, 4-7 | F.J. Sheed

Excerpt from the Summa Theologiae I, q. 45:

[W]e must consider not only the emanation of a particular being from a particular agent, but also the emanation of all being from the universal cause, which is God; and this emanation we designate by the name of creation. Now what proceeds by particular emanation, is not presupposed to that emanation; as when a man is generated, he was not before, but man is made from "not-man," and white from "not-white." Hence if the emanation of the whole universal being from the first principle be considered, it is impossible that any being should be presupposed before this emanation. For nothing is the same as no being. Therefore as the generation of a man is from the "not-being" which is "not-man," so creation, which is the emanation of all being, is from the "not-being" which is "nothing."

Course Listening

What Is Creation Ex Nihilo? | Fr. Mariusz Tabaczek, O.P.

The Relational Account of Creation | Paul Clavier

This episode was made possible through the support of a grant from the John Templeton Foundation. The opinions expressed in this project are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.