First Light

Did the universe start with a bang, or has it existed always? Was there a supernatural being behind it all, or just mindless forces? The beginning of things has forever tested the limits of curiosity, and such questions have both challenged atheists and inspired believers. Ancient cultures resorted to myth and symbolism to tell vibrant stories about human origins. Later civilizations added philosophical and scientific explanations: but these are not definitive. The nature and meaning of existence - the 'why' as much as the 'how' questions - are in the end mysterious. In this lively and wide-ranging book, G R Evans explores the world's myriad creation stories against the background of the biggest question there is: what are we doing here? Discussing Swahili legends that resemble the Book of Genesis, Greek tales about the Titans, Native American, Inca and Mesopotamian mythologies, and Vedic creation cycles that begin with a cosmic egg or seed, the author surveys polytheist, monotheist and dualist ideas about supernatural power.
Tracing the history of humanity as it has struggled, over many millennia, to make sense of itself, The Creation Myth will attract students of religion, history and philosophy and general readers alike.

Autorentext

G.R. Evans is Professor Emeritus of Medieval Theology and Intellectual History at the University of Cambridge, UK.

Inhalt

List of Illustrations
Preface
Introduction

PART I The universe begins

1. Disagreements about first principles

   i. When did the world begin?
   ii. Is the universe 'real' ?
   iii. What is the lay-out of the cosmos?
   iv. In God's image? Was the world made for our benefit?

PART II. Why it is difficult to agree

2. What is the evidence?

3. The great rival religious theories
   i. Polytheisms
   ii. Monotheisms
   iii. Dualisms

4. Choosing an approach
   i. Classical philosophy
   ii. The early Christian theological synthesis
   iii. Just 'saying' the world

5. Going to see
   i. Out of Africa
   ii. Redrawing the world-picture: new continents
   iii. Filling the empty hemisphere
   iv. Fact and fiction
   v. Created unequal?

Part III The main competing explanations

6. The beginning of the world: a one-off event?
   i. One creation complete and perfect
   ii. A single but imperfect creation
   iii. A single event with errors but capable of modification?

7. Creation as a system: initiation followed by a process of planned development?
   i. A process with built-in mechanisms for improvement?
   ii. Creation as a system with Creator as supervisor?
   iii. The 'phoenix' theory of creation

8. The search for a key

i. Is there a single underlying methodology?
ii. Can 'comparative religion' provide a unifying principle?
iii. Looking inward for an answer
Conclusion

Notes
Texts and Abbreviations
Select Bibliography
Index