occurred before the original creation.”3 This article examines the theory of a period of chaos after creation (often called the gap theory) and the initial chaos theory, and the second article in the series analyzes the precreation chaos theory, the view endorsed by Waltke and other recent commentators on Genesis.4 The restitution theory, or gap theory, has been held by many and is the view taken by the editors of The New Scofield Reference Bible.5 This view states Genesis 1:1 refers