ABSTRACT
A God-given origin of conservation lies in the rst act of rest. ‘And on the seventh day God rested from all the work he had accomplished’ (Genesis 2). This is not to be understood as complete rest but rather as productive contemplation.1 Augustine’s interpretation is that on the seventh day God rested from creation ex nihilo, but was still active in maintaining what he created, never ceasing his action in conservation.2 Conservation is a natural continuation of a rst act of creation. The process of making is an unending and continual re-making. Creation happens in a rst instant and refers to the making of objects ex nihilo, while conservation happens thereafter and entails perdurance through transformation.
