THE THEORY OF ORGANIC EVOLUTION 157 



ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL IDEAS REGARDING THE UNIVERSE 



The nature of the Hebrew-Chaldean tradition regarding 

 the origin of mankind can be appreciated if we examine the 

 stories concerning creation that are found in the mythology 

 of other primitive peoples. Such stories differ widely in 

 detail, but they almost always ascribe the beginnings of 

 the world and of the particular tribe or people to the direct 

 action of some deity who resembles a glorified human being. 

 The tribe had its origin either directly from this being, as 

 child from parent, or by his act of creation. While there are 

 many variations of the theme, the idea of descent from, or 

 creation by, a god, who is a glorified man, is the common 

 foundation upon which the stories are elaborated. Of course, 

 the fact that the creation mythology of widely separate 

 peoples has features in common does not prove a common 

 origin for the many traditions, and it certainly proves noth- 

 ing as to the truth of these stories. The reasonable explana- 

 tion is that primitive minds arrived at similar conclusions in 

 the absence of pertinent data. When such parallelism exists, 

 it is, presumably, because human minds follow similar chan- 

 nels. As mythology, such stories are a fascinating study 

 for the ethnologist. The tradition of creation inherited by 

 Christendom is interesting for comparison and because it has 

 built itself into the thought of western civilization. 



The account of the origin of man and of the animals and 

 plants, which appears in the first chapter of Genesis as part 

 of the general account of Creation, was probably derived 

 by the Hebrews from their neighbors in Mesopotamia. It 

 is a modification of a common tradition that, in its essentials, 

 was shared by the early peoples around the eastern end of 

 the Mediterranean. The assumed topography of the uni- 

 verse was quite definite, if we may judge from many refer- 

 ences in the Old Testament; and these concepts of the He- 

 brews were not unlike those recorded by the Egyptians. 

 According to this belief, the earth was regarded as a flat 



