The word “ palingenesis “ or rather “ palingenesia “ may be traced back to the Stoics, who used the term for the continual re-creation of the universe by the Demiurgus (Creator) after its absorption into himself. Similarly Philo speaks of Noah and his sons as leaders of a “ renovation “ or “ re-birth “ of the earth. Josephus uses the term of the national restoration of the Jews, Plutarch of the transmigration of souls, and Cicero of his own return from exile. In the New Testament the properly theological sense of spiritual regeneration is found, though the word itself occurs only twice; and it is used by the church fathers, e.g. for the rite of baptism or for the state of repentance. In modern biology (e.g. Ilaeckel and Fritz Muller) palingenesis “ has been used for the exact reproduction of ancestral features by inheritance, as opposed to “ kenogenesis “ (Gr. icatvos new), in which the inherited characteristics are modified by environment.
http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Palingenesis
Thank you for the added information. I had not gone any further than the dictionary but I’m sure that I must have studied the term in some of my seminary courses. Of course that was so long ago I didn’t remember it. I don’t remember a lot of things, LOL. There is enough in the definition of the word to make it interesting, especially knowing how important words are to the creator. The Scriptures stress the importance of names. All I know is that our country sure does need a rebirth, and Sarah Palin certainly carries the persona of our ancestors.