Page 83 - Orthodoxy Zizioulas

C R E AT I O N A N D C R E AT I O E X N I H I L O
Creation and creatio ex nihilo
When the Gospel began to spread among the Greeks—
especially among those formed by philosophical educa-
tion—the first serious question that arose concerned the rela-
tionship between God and the world.
In the whole of Greek thought, the world was regarded as
eternal. It was impossible to speak of a true beginning of the
world in an ontological sense—that is, a beginning of its very
being. Nor could one affirm that the world was created ex ni-
hilo, from nothing.
Even in Plato’s Timaeus, where a form of creation is pro-
posed, the god who creates does not bring the world into be-
ing from nothing. Rather, he shapes a pre-existing reality. The
demiurge works upon eternal matter, giving it form, harmony,
and order, transforming it into kosmos. But he does not grant
existence itself. In this sense, the Platonic god is not a creator
in the full ontological sense, but a craftsman.
In order to affirm the absolute character of creation—and
to avoid precisely such interpretations—the Fathers insisted
on the doctrine of creatio ex nihilo in its strictest sense. Patris-
tic language, unlike certain later distinctions, does not differ-
entiate between “non-being” (mē einai) and “not-being” (ouk
einai). Both refer to an absolute absence of being.
This is expressed clearly in the liturgical tradition. In the
Divine Liturgy we pray: “You who out of nothing (ek tōn mē
ontōn) have brought all things into being,” and again, “You
who have brought us from nothing (ex ouk ontōn) into being.”
These expressions are not rhetorical; they are ontological. The
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