The doctrine of creatio ex
nihilo arose in the second century as a philosophical-theological response
to the then-current challenges to Christianity—Platonism, Stoicism, and
Gnosticism. While not explicitly stated in Scripture, it is a “biblically
compelled piece of metaphysical theology.” (Soskice, “Creatio Ex Nihilo,”
25) (Melissa Davis, “Creation ex Nihilo, Participation, and Sanctification of
Matter,” in In Spirit and in Truth: Analytic Essays in Pentecostal &
Charismatic Theology, ed. D. T. Everhart, Joanna Leidenhag, and Christopher
Woznicki [Analyzing Theology Series; Eugene, Oreg.: Wipf & Stock, 2026],
178)
