istence, which was introduced into Christian theology by Origen. TertuUian was the founder of traducian- ism. The whole question of the origin of the soul was first seriously discussed during the Pdagian contro- versy, in connection with the problem of hereditary sin and guilt. (See Schaff, Church History, iii, 880 sq.) Pelagius, and several Oriental fiithers, held the creation theory, which fell in with his view of the complete innocency of every child that is bom. Je- rome was also a creationist, although he wrote against Pelagius. ** Quotidie," he says, " Deus fiiteicatur animas, cujus velle £Bcisse est, et conditor esse noB cessat." He appeals for this view to the unceasing creative activity of God, and to such passages as John V, 17; Zech. xii; Psa. xxxiii, 15. Augustine fre- quently discussed the question, but never arrived at a satisfactory solution. He wavered between creation- ism and traducianism ; but, on the whole, he was in- clined to the latter, which best agreed with his doc- trine of hereditary sin. *^ Where the Scripture," he says, " renders no certain testimony, human inquiry must beware of deciding one way or the other. If it were necessary to salvation to know anything con- cerning it. Scripture would have said more.'* Among Angustinian divines traducianism has found more ac- ceptance. But creationism has never been without supporters, among whom Leibnitz (in his Theodicy) occupies a prominuBnt position. The great argument in (avor of creationism is that it guards the dignity and spirituality of the rational soul, which differs in Idnd from the ajiimal soul, and is the proper seat of the image of God. Traducianism is liable to the objection of materializing the soul. But creationism makes the union of body and soul accidental and me- chanical, and does not account for the transmission of sin from generation to generation. It must either confine sin to the sensual sphere, which is not true (for unbelief, pride, profimity, blaisphemy, are spirit- ual sins), or assume that each soul becomes sinftil by contact with the naturally generated body; since, from the creative hands of God, it can only proceed free from sin and defect, like the soul of our first par- ents. These difilculties on both sides point to a theory which combines the truths of creationism and of trad n^ cianism, and avoids their errors. Every human being, both as to body and soul, is a child of its parents, and at the same, time a creature of Almighty (>od.
Creature (prop. X^t^i, ne'phesh, animated or spirii- having thing; icriofia [less distinctively icrcVif ; on Rom. viii, 19, see the Baptist Quarterly, Apr. 1867, art. 2] ; but also y^O, the'rets, '* moving creature," else- where ** creeping thing," L e. not merely reptHe [q. v.], but any gliding or short-legged quadruped), a general term in the Scriptures for any animal (q. v.). See also DoLBFUL Creature.
In tiie New Test, this word designates, 1. The whole creation, any or all created objects or beings ; so Rom. viii, 89, " Nor height, nor depth, nor any other crech ture,*^ etc. ; Col. i, 15, ** the first-bom (Master) of every creature ;" Rev. iii, 14, *' the beginning (source) of the creation of God ; comp. also Rev. v, 18 ; Heb. iv, 18. 2. Husnamty, or the whole human race, in the universal sense ; so Mark p^ 6, '* But from the beginning of the creation (Krhftag) God made them male and female." The word here cannot mean the creation in general, since we find abrovg to explain the word KriciQ, or to bring the meaning back to it. Mark xvi, 15, *■ * Preach the Gospel to every creature f CoL i, 28, *'the Gospel which was preached to every creaeture which is under heaven." That mankind alone is here alluded to is self-evident, and the expression *' under heaven" shows that all reasonable beings on earth are to be included in the meaning. Particularly remarkable, though dif- ferent in sense, is the passage Rom. viii, 19-22, *^ For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature
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was made subject to vanity, not willingly, bnt by rea- son of him who hath subjected the same in hope ; be- cause the ereaiurt itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption, into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth, and travaileth in pahi together until now/' in which also the expression creature is used to designate the totality of mankind. This is first indi- cated by the yap in verse 18, which brings forward in behalf of the XoyiZofiat which rests on it, that " all mankind takes part in this aspiration and in the hope of future glorification. ' ' In ver. 28, Christians, as part of humanity, are set over against the whole of it. We cannot here place Christians in contrast with the wmm- imaie creation, and overlook entirely the non-Chris- tian part of mankind, to whom a vague longing after the glorious fk«edoro of the children of God could be better attributed than to inanimate nature. Paul no^ where speaks of a ^* change" or glorification of the earthly abode of men ; this Bo^a is exclusively re- served for man (1 Cor. xi, 85-60).— Krehl, N, T. Hand- fo9rterbuck{ see also EUicott, The Dettimf of the Crea- ture, 2d. ed. 1862 ; Journal of Sacred Literature, Oct. 1862, p. 27. The Livnro Cbeaturbs spoken of in Ezekiel z, 16, 17, 20 C^n, cha^y alive; the ^wov of Rev- elations V, vi, sq., im- properly " beast*'), are imaginary or compo- site beings, symbolical of the divine attributes and operations, such as were common in the