Of the seven synonyms Mary Baker Eddy cites in her definition of God (see Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 587), she selected six of them as subjects for the weekly Bible Lesson read by students of Christian Science throughout the world. The one she did not choose as a lesson topic was “Principle.” The word principle isn’t found in the Bible, while many references can be found there for the other six synonyms. Nevertheless, she considered this word significant enough to include in her list of seven synonyms for God.
Why would she do this if there is no biblical reference to the word?
Mrs. Eddy clearly grounds Christian Science theology on the Bible and specifically on Genesis, where we read, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). The word principle comes from the Latin principium meaning “beginning” and is defined as “the cause, source, or origin of any thing” and also, “that from which a thing proceeds” (The Student’s Reference Dictionary, p. 759).
