The Ontological Chasm: Anaximander's Apeiron and the Biblical Creator-Creature Distinction

This paper examines the fundamental metaphysical divide between Anaximander’s concept of the apeiron and the biblical Creator-creature distinction. It argues that Anaximander’s boundless, indefinite first principle represents an impersonal and continuous ontology in which the cosmos emerges and returns through necessity, whereas the biblical worldview presents a personal, self-existent Creator who is absolutely distinct from creation. By comparing Presocratic cosmology, biblical theology, patristic reflection, medieval scholasticism, and modern Reformed philosophy, the study shows how these rival conceptions of ultimate reality generate radically different understandings of divinity, justice, infinity, moral order, and human existence. The paper ultimately contends that the biblical doctrine of creation ex nihilo and the Creator-creature distinction provide a uniquely robust framework for metaphysics, epistemology, and theological anthropology.