Page 89 - STOLEN LEGACY By George G. M. James

But the antiquity of the doctrine of the eternal nature of matter, takes us back to the creation
story of the Memphite Theology of the Egyptians, in which Chaos is represented by the Primeval
Ocean Nun, out of which there arose the Primeval Hill Ta-tjenen. Under these circumstances we
cannot give Aristotle credit for the authorship of this doctrine.

In addition to the false authorship that has been attributed to Aristotle, he contradicts himself in
his physics VIII 1. 25; when he also speaks of the world as caused. A thing cannot be eternal and
infinite, and at the same time finite. (Memphite Theology in Egyptian Religion by Frankfort p.
20). (Intellectual Adventure of Man by Frankfort p. 10, 21, 52).

4. The doctrine of the attributes of nature.

Aristotle defines nature as that which possesses the principle of motion and rest and also adds
that the motion is an effort to move from the less perfect to the more perfect by a definite law:
supposedly what we would today call evolution.

As we examine this definition, we find that Aristotle has only applied the principle of opposites
to explain one of the modes by which nature has revealed herself just as he has done in his
attempt to explain Being in the dual terms of actuality and potentiality.

But change and motion, permanence and rest, were by no means new problems at the time of
Aristotle; since they appear to have been investigated not only by Parmenides, Zeno and
Melissus, but also by Democritus, who stressed the notion of permanence in his famous dictum:
ex nihillo nihil fit (out of nothing, nothing comes) implying thereby that nature is permanent and
eternal.

Similarly, his reference to nature's movement from the less perfect to the more perfect, was by no
means a new discovery of a principle of nature.

The creation account found in the first chapter of Genesis speaks of the gradual development of
life, in which the Demiurge or Logos was engaged at work during six stages and rested on the
seventh. Similarly, the creation account of the Egyptians pound in the Memphite Theology, also
speaks of nature's movement from Chaos to order.

These accounts by many thousand years antedate Aristotle's time for the former is about 2000
B.C. while the latter 4000 B.C., and since the principle of opposites has already been shown to
originate from the Egyptians, as well as that of the gradual development of life, it is clear that
this doctrine on the attributes of nature did not originate from Aristotle. (Zeller's History of
Philosophy, p. 60–65;) (William Turner's History of Philosophy p. 44–52). (Genesis c. 1).
(Roger's History of Philosophy p. 28–32). (Intellectual Adventure of Man by Frankfort, p. 21,
51–60). (Ancient Egyptian Religion by Frankfort, p. 20, 23).

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Stolen Legacy: Greek Philosophy is Stolen Egyptian Philosophy by George G. M. James
The Journal of Pan African Studies 2009 eBook