re: The Edge of Eternity (catchy title, eh?)
There was an article in Scientific American circa 1965 (can't recall the
exact title or author at the moment), where the author actually lamented
in the article the "loss" of the eternal Universe to the one made by the
Big Bang. To him the idea of a Universe that had an actual start was
still a new and unsettling concept.
Of course the idea of a Universe with an actual beginning point can give
one the impression of having been started (Let there be light), especially
with the concept of flashing/exploding into existence. I think that was
another bother/bias to many scientists.