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As a beginning we present what is of faith concerning
corporeal creatures according to Sacred Scriptures and
the declarations of the Church.
The biblical narrative. What is the literary character
of the first three chapters of Genesis, in which the
creation of corporeal creatures and of man is described?
This question was considered by the Biblical
Commission, and on June 30, 1909, the
Commission issued a decree on the historical character of
the first chapters of Genesis.[1244]
From this decree we arrive at the following conclusion:
In the first three chapters of Genesis the constitution
of things and the complete order of creation is not
described in a scientific manner;[1245] these
chapters present a historical-popular
narrative[1246] adapted to the understanding of the
people of the time.[1247]
In accordance with the response of the Biblical
Commission, this thesis is explained as follows.
1. The first three chapters of Genesis are historical
since "they contain the narrative of things that actually
happened, and this narrative corresponds to objective
reality and historical truth."[1248]
As the decree says: a) This is clear from the style and
historical form of the Book of Genesis, for if the
events related in Genesis about the sons of Adam, Noah
and his sons, of Abraham, Isaac, Esau, of Jacob and
his sons are historical, as all admit, why should that
part of the book which deals with the first origin of
things be considered a fable? b) It is clear from the
peculiar connection between these three chapters themselves
and between them and the following chapters. In this
narrative the origin of the entire human race is connected
with the origin of the Jewish people, which is explained
in the following chapters. c) It is clear from the
frequent testimony of both the Old Testament and the New
Testament and from the almost unanimous opinion of the
Fathers, in which the events related in the first
chapters of Genesis are cited as historical.[1249]
Moreover, this historical sense was traditional among the
Israelites and was always held by the Church.
2. However, this historical narrative is not scientific
but popular,[1250] "for in writing the first
chapter of Genesis it was not the intention of the
inspired writer to teach the inner constitution of visible
things or to present the complete order of creation in a
scientific manner but to give to the people of his time a
popular presentation, in the language of the time,
adapted to the understanding of the time." St. Thomas
said: "Moses adapted himself to the uneducated people
and spoke of what appeared to the senses."[1251]
The inspired writer, therefore, had no intention of
teaching the sciences of physics, astronomy, geology, or
biology; he was simply teaching truths necessary for
salvation. For example, the nature of the firmament, or
the heavens, is not given in scientific terms; the author
merely affirms that the firmament was created by God. In
order to discover what is properly revealed in this
narrative we must carefully determine what is formally
embraced by the word "is" in the revealed proposition.
What, for instance, is revealed in the following
sentences? "And God said: Let there be a firmament
made amidst the waters: and let it divide the waters from
the waters. And God made a firmament, and divided the
waters that were under the firmament, from those that were
above the firmament, and it was so. And God called the
firmament, Heaven."[1252] Is this a revelation
that the firmament is something solid? No. Because the
verb "is" does not refer to the solid. What is revealed
is that the heavens (which the ancients thought was a
solid firmament) were created by God. The verb "is"
formally refers to what was created by God and not to the
adjective "firm." The proposition, "the heavens are a
solid firmament," is not a revealed proposition.
In the biblical narrative we need to determine what the
author wished to teach and to avoid confusing the phrasing
with the proposition itself. The proposition formally
contains the subject, the verb "is," and the
predicate, for example, the heavens were created by
God. The phrasing frequently contains modifications to
describe the subject as it was conceived by the ancients,
for example, the heavens, which the ancients understood
to be something solid, were created by God. As the
Biblical Commission says: "Not every word and phrase
found in the aforesaid chapters must always and necessarily
be accepted in its proper sense."[1253]
Similarly, these chapters of Genesis do not deal with
the nature of light, geological strata, or biological
laws in a scientific manner. Nor did the author of
Genesis intend to give the complete order of creation; he
merely spoke of things that were better known to the
people. He does not always follow a chronological order,
for example, we cannot infer from Genesis that light
preceded the formation of the sun, although we are told
that light was made on the first day and the "lights in
the firmament of heaven" were made on the fourth
day.[1254]
First doubt. About what facts must the literal
historical sense not be called into doubt?
Reply. "In particular about the facts that refer to the
foundation of the Christian religion, such as, among
others, the creation of all things by God in the
beginning of time; the special creation of man; the
formation of the first woman out of man; the unity of the
human race; the original happiness of our first parents in
the state of justice, integrity, and immortality; the
precept given by God to test man's obedience; the
transgression of the divine commandment prompted by the
devil under the guise of the serpent; the fall of our
first parents from that primal state of innocence; and the
promise of the future Redeemer."[1255]
Second doubt. "Presupposing this literal and historical
sense, can an allegorical and prophetic interpretation be
given wisely and fruitfully to certain passages of these
chapters?" The Biblical Commission answered in the
affirmative.[1256] In this the Commission followed
the precedent of many of the Fathers, especially St.
Augustine, and of the Church itself.
St. Augustine and the Alexandrian school held that the
whole universe had been created in one instant and that
Moses had distinguished between six days merely to give
his narrative a logical plan.[1257] Others have
held that Moses presented in logical order six prophetic
visions in which the creation of the world was revealed.
This latter theory is admissible if these visions are held
to contain a popular historical description of the works of
God. According to St. Thomas, the Mosaic narrative
logically distinguishes between a threefold operation,
namely, that of creation, of distinction, and of
ornamentation. This does not militate against the
popular-historical character of the narrative.
Third doubt. Whether in this distinction of six days the
word "Yom" (day) can be taken in its proper sense, as
a natural day, or in an improper sense, as a period of
time?
Following the reply of the Biblical
Commission,[1258] exegetes are permitted to dispute
freely on this point.
The Concordists hold that the six days represent six
periods of indefinite duration, as philology allows and as
paleontology requires. Thus, according to the
Concordists, the geological phases are in accord with the
Mosaic narrative, at least in broad outline. But many
scholars question whether this agreement can be supported
today. No need exists to establish a positive harmony
between the Mosaic narrative and the natural sciences
since there is no proof that Moses wished to follow a
chronological order.
In the words of St. Thomas: "In questions of this
kind two things must be observed. First, the truth of
Scripture must be maintained inviolate. Secondly, since
Sacred Scripture may be explained in many ways, no one
should hold so tenaciously to a particular interpretation
that if it turned out that what he thought was the true
sense of the Scriptures was certainly wrong he would
nevertheless assert his own interpretation, so that the
Scriptures would not be exposed to ridicule by infidels
and the infidels themselves kept from believing in the
Scriptures."[1259]
We should note the important truths that are defended in
questions 65 to 74: God created all things, visible
and invisible; the divine goodness is the end of all
corporeal things; the corporeal forms which bodies have in
their original production were produced immediately by
God; matter was never without a substantial form,
otherwise being would be in act without act, which is a
contradiction;[1260] time began with movement, of
which it is the measure. The ancients thought that the
heavenly bodies were incorruptible and that they were not
composed of the same matter as sublunary bodies. Spectral
analysis, however, has shown that the same chemical
combinations exist in the stars as in terrestrial bodies.
Modern scientists, however, admit the existence of the
ether, which appears to be incorruptible.
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