2

Is there a word, phrase or idiom that means creation, in a Biblical sense of producing material, out of nothing?

Example; In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Is there no concise term for creating something out of nothing pertaining to the universe?

Could the term genesis be used in this context? Merriam-Webster defines it

: the origin or coming into being of something

Improve this question
13
  • 7
    Does the term ex nihilo count?
    – alphabet
    Commented May 5 at 5:53
  • 1
    Why? Because it doesn't happen very often, and the sentence "God created the heavens and the earth" is understood from the wider theological context.
    – Stuart F
    Commented May 5 at 9:38
  • 1
    Fred Hoyle used the term "continuous creation" in his steady-state cosmological model. To allow for the universe to have been expanding forever, he posited that hydrogen atoms would just appear in a vacuum.
    – user888379
    Commented May 5 at 11:39
  • Genesis doesn't necessarily mean creation from nothing, and it's often used today for human creations, e.g. artworks or inventions. Even God didn't create everything from nothing, particularly the version in Genesis 2. You should use "creation from nothing" or "creation ex nihilo" if you want to be clear.
    – Stuart F
    Commented May 5 at 13:04
  • 1
    @Mari-LouA Done! Normally I'm the one complaining about people posting answers as comments.
    – alphabet
    Commented May 5 at 19:10

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
7

The term ex nihilo might work. TFD defines it as "out of or from nothing." It's often used in theological contexts like the one you've described, as Wikipedia explains.

Improve this answer
0

The common expression, at least in American English, is to say something was built from scratch.

Another, slightly less informal one is built out of nothing.

Improve this answer
1
  • 1
    This is used when something is built from obvious starting materials.
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented May 15 at 15:12
0

The word "manifestation" comes pretty close to what you're looking for.

Improve this answer
3
  • 1
    Some of your answers here are not bad, but on this site supporting references are encouraged.
    – fev
    Commented May 15 at 13:48
  • I can see the connection; Vocabulary.com says '... if something spiritual becomes real, it is said to be a manifestation.' The snag is that many believe that the spiritual realm is the true reality, and our space-time-matter universe rather less substantial (despite appearances).
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented May 15 at 15:18
  • @fev If I'm dinged for not including a definition that could very easily be obtained by the reader with just a couple of commands on the same device on which they're already reading my contribution, then a certain quote by a certain prophet concerning the distribution of pearls before a porcine group comes to mind.
    – digimunk
    Commented May 16 at 14:25

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.