Nature or the Universe
Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
(2 Pet. 2:12; Rom. 2:27; 1 Cor. 11:14–15). Scholars divide the objects of nature chiefly into three kingdoms: minerals, plants, and animals. Genesis 1:1–27 sets forth the order of creation: after the heavens and heavenly lights, the sacred writer passes from inanimate matter to plants, then to animal life, and finally to the rational creature, humanity.