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Good evening, Reverend Father Angelo,

I would ask you for clarification about the creation of man and evolution. I have already consulted the search engine without finding what I was looking for.

In Genesis there are two tales about the creation of man: in the first he is created as last and in the second he is created as first. To read in Genesis some of the evolution theory, I have always thought that man was created as last, precisely because he was the fruit of the evolution from previous organisms, and at a certain point, God infused into him a rational soul, endowing him with intellect and will. However, I read no evolution in the second tale, about man who was created first. How to clear that up?

Thank you infinitely, and I promise you a prayer of mine.

Paolo

The Priest’s answer

Dear Paolo,

1. the book of Genesis has no scientific intent, although it narrates certain events such as the creation of heaven and earth by God, the presence of a pair of human persons, the state of grace they enjoyed, original sin and the situation of that first couple after the fall.

In other words, it is useless to seek support in favor of evolutionism or creationism.

About evolution: it does simply not speak about it and it does not exclude it, under certain conditions.

2. Certainly, the first tale places man at the end of all creation, and it favors a better understanding of the evolutionary hypothesis, as you noted.

3. But, looking closely, as the Jerusalem Bible notes, [tr.] “rather than a second tale about creation, we have here the tale about the formation of man and woman (animals are formed only as an attempt to find a suitable partner for the man) which is combined with another tale about paradise and the fall.

Therefore, there are at least two great traditions in the second chapter: one about the creation of man and woman, the anthropogony (vv. 4b-8 and 18-24) and one about paradise and the fall (2:9.15-16;3)”.

4. Therefore, we have two tales about creation: one in the first chapter of Genesis, and the other in the second chapter.

Rather than narrating again about creation, the second one takes up two traditions and welds them together to connect the creation of man and woman with the event of original sin.

5. It is relevant to note that the Catechism of the Catholic Church does not open the scientific matter about the genesis of the universe.

It only observes that the origins of the world, and of man, are objects of numerous scientific researches, which extraordinarily enrich our knowledge about the age and dimensions of the cosmos, the becoming of living forms, and the appearance of man.

Such discoveries invite us to an ever-greater admiration for the greatness of the Creator, and to thank Him for all His works and for the intelligence and wisdom that He gives to scholars and researchers.

With Solomon, they can say: “It is he who gave me unerring knowledge of what exists, to know the structure of the world and the activity of the elements… for wisdom, the fashioner of all things, taught me” (Wis 7:17-21) (CCC 283).

These words appreciate scientific works which even more exalt the infinite wisdom of the Creator.

6. Then, it is annotated that “The great interest accorded to these studies is strongly stimulated by a question of another order, which goes beyond the proper domain of the natural sciences. It is not only a question of knowing when and how the universe arose physically, or when man appeared, but rather of discovering the meaning of such an origin: is the universe governed by chance, blind fate, anonymous necessity, or by a transcendent, intelligent and good Being called “God”? and if the world does come from God’s wisdom and goodness, why is there evil? Where does it come from? Who is responsible for it? Is there any liberation from it?” (CCC 284).

7. The conclusion affirms that “Man is the summit of the Creator’s work, as the inspired account expresses by clearly distinguishing the creation of man from that of the other creatures” (CCC 343).

And, “Creation was fashioned with a view to the sabbath and therefore for the worship and adoration of God. Worship is inscribed in the order of creation (rf. Gen 1,14). As St. Benedict says in his rule, [Operi Dei nihil praeponatur] nothing should take precedence over “the work of God”, that is, solemn worship. This indicates the right order of human concerns” (CCC 347).

Now: Divine Revelation of Sacred Scripture has this, and not the scientific one, as its own scope.

I bless you

Father Angelo