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Genesis, Creation, and Early Man
Amidst the creation/evolution debate that is now raging, with evidence being offered for both sides, few have made use of what Fr. Seraphim Rose called "the missing evidence": the teaching of the ancient Orthodox Holy Fathers on the events of creation, the first-created world, the natures of created things, and the original nature of man.
Now for the first time in the English language, this teaching has been gathered together and set forth in a thorough, detailed, and above all honest manner. Perhaps more than anyone else in our times, Fr. Seraphim Rose searched, studied, prayed and suffered to understand how the ancients noetically apprehended the creation in the light of the God-inspired book of Genesis. Having acquired their mind, he has presented to the modern world the harmonious Patristic vision of the cosmos.
A vital answer to the contemporary "crisis of meaning," this book sheds startling new light on the mysteries of our origin. The Divine vision of the ancient Fathers opens up unforeseen dimensions of the creation: deeper levels of reality that cannot be reached through rational or scientific means.
1212 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2000
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919 people want to read
About the author
Seraphim Rose
48 books334 followersSeraphim Rose, born Eugene Dennis Rose, was a hieromonk of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia in the United States, whose writings have helped spread Orthodox Christianity throughout modern America and the West. They have also been widely read in Russia. Although not formally canonized as of 2008, he is venerated by some Orthodox Christians as a saint in iconography, liturgy, and prayer.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 2, 2018
Fr. Rose is an interesting person: he started from what was possibly a very bad version of fundamentalist Protestantism (if it resembles the views of this book) to become sort of a perennialist and a reader of Guenon. He later correctly understood some of the problems of this perspective and embraced apostolic Christianity through the Orthodox church.
The problem with this work is the same of the other works of Fr. Rose: an incredibly narrow form of Orthodox exclusivism, to the point of almost considering heretics most of the people inside this same church.
Like in his other works, an exceptional and rigorous clarity in identifying problems and errors in modern ideology is accompanied by a dystopic view of the true church, where only a very small group of absolutely uncompromising old calendarists holds the true faith (in his book "orthodoxy and the religion of the future" he even hinted the ecumenical patriarchs are now in heresy).
On one hand his rejection of perennialism led him to be very clear in separating the Christian way from all other metaphysical and religious system, and in an age of syncretism and ecumenism this is certainly positive and needed, on the other hand he built a wall too high in his own home to the point of excluding many good Christians for minor differences of faith.
This book is a perfect example of this attitude: after a masterful explanation of the assumptions and the ideological effects of Darwinism and modern secular thought, Fr. Rose push himself into the dead end of literalist creationism.
Now while it is certainly possible that God made all things in an instant, even (deceitfully) mountains showing millions of years of gradual formation, believing this or otherwise, as long as faith in God as a creator is preserved, is absolutely irrelevant to personal salvation and should not absolutely be a reason to cause divisions and struggle among Christians.
Fr. Rose is correct in highlighting how certain assumptions of, for example, theistic evolution undermines certain core beliefs of Christianity. For example intelligent design over millions of years imply the existence of death, struggle and violence in nature before Adam, before the fall.
While this is a valid theological concern, his overall fundamentalist literalist creationism can only push away potential converts over things that are not required for their salvation, and this is unacceptable.
There is nothing worse than growing so proud of a particular interpretation to push it as if it was vital to faith, to the point of holding to it even when proven wrong or unlikely, thus exposing faith to the laughter or unbeliever over beliefs unnecessary to salvation.
A final note: the dialectical method he uses is frankly insufferable to me. Excess of literalism, an approach to the Bible and to the writings of the church fathers alike to that of protestants fundamentalists, and the constant interpolation and quoting out of context from the books of authors who supported the thesis he opposes. When he does this against secular or new age authors it is wrong but damages no one; what is incredibly serious is when Fr. Rose did this to "prove" Catholic saints he barely knows are demonic, as it borders a sin against the Spirit. (it happened in other of his books, not here)
In short, you don't have to be a Greek farmer or a monk of the fifth century to be free from modern unbeliefs. You don't need to try too hard not to be modern, to the point of becoming a caricature of your own beliefs.
The problem with this work is the same of the other works of Fr. Rose: an incredibly narrow form of Orthodox exclusivism, to the point of almost considering heretics most of the people inside this same church.
Like in his other works, an exceptional and rigorous clarity in identifying problems and errors in modern ideology is accompanied by a dystopic view of the true church, where only a very small group of absolutely uncompromising old calendarists holds the true faith (in his book "orthodoxy and the religion of the future" he even hinted the ecumenical patriarchs are now in heresy).
On one hand his rejection of perennialism led him to be very clear in separating the Christian way from all other metaphysical and religious system, and in an age of syncretism and ecumenism this is certainly positive and needed, on the other hand he built a wall too high in his own home to the point of excluding many good Christians for minor differences of faith.
This book is a perfect example of this attitude: after a masterful explanation of the assumptions and the ideological effects of Darwinism and modern secular thought, Fr. Rose push himself into the dead end of literalist creationism.
Now while it is certainly possible that God made all things in an instant, even (deceitfully) mountains showing millions of years of gradual formation, believing this or otherwise, as long as faith in God as a creator is preserved, is absolutely irrelevant to personal salvation and should not absolutely be a reason to cause divisions and struggle among Christians.
Fr. Rose is correct in highlighting how certain assumptions of, for example, theistic evolution undermines certain core beliefs of Christianity. For example intelligent design over millions of years imply the existence of death, struggle and violence in nature before Adam, before the fall.
While this is a valid theological concern, his overall fundamentalist literalist creationism can only push away potential converts over things that are not required for their salvation, and this is unacceptable.
There is nothing worse than growing so proud of a particular interpretation to push it as if it was vital to faith, to the point of holding to it even when proven wrong or unlikely, thus exposing faith to the laughter or unbeliever over beliefs unnecessary to salvation.
A final note: the dialectical method he uses is frankly insufferable to me. Excess of literalism, an approach to the Bible and to the writings of the church fathers alike to that of protestants fundamentalists, and the constant interpolation and quoting out of context from the books of authors who supported the thesis he opposes. When he does this against secular or new age authors it is wrong but damages no one; what is incredibly serious is when Fr. Rose did this to "prove" Catholic saints he barely knows are demonic, as it borders a sin against the Spirit. (it happened in other of his books, not here)
In short, you don't have to be a Greek farmer or a monk of the fifth century to be free from modern unbeliefs. You don't need to try too hard not to be modern, to the point of becoming a caricature of your own beliefs.
May 23, 2015
( 2011 edition) Father Seraphim Rose, a polarizing figure in Orthodoxy who reposed in 1982, clearly articulates the position of the Church Fathers regarding Genesis and creation with some material never before translated into English. Rather than making the case from a fundamentalist creationist position or a more purely metaphysical approach, he shows where the Fathers saw Genesis to be interpreted literally and where it should be interpreted figuratively, quoting St. John Chrysostom, that Genesis represents "a prophecy into the past," and thus to be understood as prophecy. He demonstrates evolution to be importantly connected to the philosophy of the Spirit of the Age, while demolishing arguments in favor of theistic evolution as illogical, theologically unsound and at odds with the historic teaching of Orthodoxy.
January 6, 2020
The material from Church Fathers on Genesis is great, and many of his critiques of modernity are brilliant, but the young-earth creationism stuff is just unfortunate.
July 25, 2009
Very odd that Seraphim Rose is accorded the honour of being a "genius" since this work is so off the mark as to be fundamentalist protestant theology at times. Kind of like reading a Southern Baptist in the Bible Belt. Remarkable that such a well respected person could write such strange stuff. Clearly Orthodoxy too has it's fair share of the idolatrous "Bible Literalism" that it should protect from, if one really has thinks with the mind of the Church, through the Church Fathers and one places the Divine Liturgy at the heart of things - that mystical act that actually pre-dates the Bible that the Sola Scriptira brigade seem to conveniently forget...
Not only does Seraphim Rose partake in Scriptural fundamentalism, he also advocates a strange kind of Patristic fundamentalism. The Church Fathers simply were not privy to the kinds of knowledge that has been revealed to us, and therefore to try to claim that for example, the earth is flat because this is what they taught is rather anachronistic. WHat the Holy Fathers taught is far deeper than "mere" science - the created world - and so why not instead focus on these metaphysical aspects?
A despicable book!
Not only does Seraphim Rose partake in Scriptural fundamentalism, he also advocates a strange kind of Patristic fundamentalism. The Church Fathers simply were not privy to the kinds of knowledge that has been revealed to us, and therefore to try to claim that for example, the earth is flat because this is what they taught is rather anachronistic. WHat the Holy Fathers taught is far deeper than "mere" science - the created world - and so why not instead focus on these metaphysical aspects?
A despicable book!
September 9, 2015
The value of this work to Orthodox Christians in clarifying the teaching of the fathers, and therefore of the Church, on this subject is almost impossible to articulate. A library which has the finest prayerbook, the fullest edition of the Philokalia, and the most thorough collection of scriptures would still be far from complete if it lacked this fantastic treatment of patristic teaching on the subject of Creation and the secular dogma of Darwinian Evolution.
September 16, 2025
Color me disappointed. I wish I felt more strongly about this work but I unfortunately can neither recommend it nor dissuade you from reading it. Fr Seraphim Rose, whose reputation precedes him, has here a collection of lectures reformatted to suit an extended discussion of the patristic and Biblical account of creation. The book itself in hardcover, with full color images and over one thousand pages of material, means that when you order the book you certainly get your money's worth in quality. I find it appropriate when a work meant to function like a textbook is treated like one in production. For that, the monks who compiled and prepared Fr Seraphim's writings did an excellent job.
However Fr Seraphim's peculiar understanding of the Orthodox tradition weigh heavily on how he presents the patristic witness as well as the editorial voice. The refusal to acknowledge St Augustine by anything other than the title of 'Blessed' is clearly deliberate, though for the Eastern Orthodox the distinction doesn't mean anything. It comes across as a way to slight Augustine. This dovetails with the insistence on impugning Augustine at every turn, correcting him or ascribing a long list of errors to him. I think it speaks to a lack of love for the Doctor of Grace considering that the half-hearted praise for his Confessions and Against the Manichees only allow him to speak on matters of personal piety and metaphysical dualism, as if these works do not both contain the same views on grace and creation found in his anti-Pelagian works. The disdain for the Latin tradition recurs throughout, and in its stead we receive Fr Seraphim's inchoate approach to personalism and neo-Palamism. The editors and Fr Seraphim together push out a product which cites Dr Vladimir Lossky, a layman and idiosyncratic 20th-century philosopher, fifteen times. For reference they reference St Hilary of Poitiers only ten times in the entire book. The Latin Vulgate is likewise blamed for the Latin "falling away" while the Masoretic text is referenced authoritatively. These speak to a problem which I can only allude to here as not inexorable, but not trivial.
The book can be useful as a florilegium for defending a literal, should I say Biblical view of the creation narrative. There is no shortage of St Basil the Great, St Gregory the Theologian or other characteristic Greek authors to draw upon. I also appreciate that Fr Seraphim does his homework on evolutionary science. However I cannot speak to any excerpt's validity, and his shortcomings with understanding exactly what certain contemporaries believe, or indeed what the Roman Catholic Church teaches generally, makes me hesitant to treat his refutations with deference. The book can be enjoyed, assuredly. I cannot say I'd determine myself to bring over pen and paper while reading it, however, to study it.
However Fr Seraphim's peculiar understanding of the Orthodox tradition weigh heavily on how he presents the patristic witness as well as the editorial voice. The refusal to acknowledge St Augustine by anything other than the title of 'Blessed' is clearly deliberate, though for the Eastern Orthodox the distinction doesn't mean anything. It comes across as a way to slight Augustine. This dovetails with the insistence on impugning Augustine at every turn, correcting him or ascribing a long list of errors to him. I think it speaks to a lack of love for the Doctor of Grace considering that the half-hearted praise for his Confessions and Against the Manichees only allow him to speak on matters of personal piety and metaphysical dualism, as if these works do not both contain the same views on grace and creation found in his anti-Pelagian works. The disdain for the Latin tradition recurs throughout, and in its stead we receive Fr Seraphim's inchoate approach to personalism and neo-Palamism. The editors and Fr Seraphim together push out a product which cites Dr Vladimir Lossky, a layman and idiosyncratic 20th-century philosopher, fifteen times. For reference they reference St Hilary of Poitiers only ten times in the entire book. The Latin Vulgate is likewise blamed for the Latin "falling away" while the Masoretic text is referenced authoritatively. These speak to a problem which I can only allude to here as not inexorable, but not trivial.
The book can be useful as a florilegium for defending a literal, should I say Biblical view of the creation narrative. There is no shortage of St Basil the Great, St Gregory the Theologian or other characteristic Greek authors to draw upon. I also appreciate that Fr Seraphim does his homework on evolutionary science. However I cannot speak to any excerpt's validity, and his shortcomings with understanding exactly what certain contemporaries believe, or indeed what the Roman Catholic Church teaches generally, makes me hesitant to treat his refutations with deference. The book can be enjoyed, assuredly. I cannot say I'd determine myself to bring over pen and paper while reading it, however, to study it.
December 17, 2025
large book, expanded in the 3rd edition, includes sections on:
- philosophy of materialism
- presuppositions of scientific interpretation vs. the raw data
- extensive Scriptural & Patristic commentaries on Genesis
- how theistic evolution doesn't solve any of the logical issues
- look at current state of the sciences of biology and geology - whereby recent advancements in genetic, biomolecular, and commercial geology pose serious irreconcilable issues with 'high school textbook' evolution
- extensive footnotes & resources
& more
- philosophy of materialism
- presuppositions of scientific interpretation vs. the raw data
- extensive Scriptural & Patristic commentaries on Genesis
- how theistic evolution doesn't solve any of the logical issues
- look at current state of the sciences of biology and geology - whereby recent advancements in genetic, biomolecular, and commercial geology pose serious irreconcilable issues with 'high school textbook' evolution
- extensive footnotes & resources
& more
April 22, 2025
Une excellente critique de la "philosophie" de (la théorie de) l'évolution et un exposé précis de la vision chrétienne orthodoxe basé sur les écrits des Pères ainsi que des ouvrages d'autorité en philosophie et science.
March 9, 2023
Ever since I first read Fr. Seraphim, there has been something that felt “exciting” about his writings. They are exciting, I think, because in defending and passing on patristic Truth, one ends up boldly transgressing against the Spirit of the Age, against modernity. That’s the paradox of Orthodoxy, it is both the ancient tradition and also the ultimate rebellion against the modern world.
This is expressed excellently in this book taking on the great zeitgeist of our day; the theory of evolution. I am instinctively skeptical of any narrative which, when spoken against, results in ridicule and castigation. Evolution attempts to explain the origins of all life, and therefore steps outside the bounds of empirical science and into the realms of philosophy and metaphysics. When critiqued from this angle it begins to appear increasingly that the emperor isn’t wearing any clothes, and this book also details how, in actual fact, the “science” isn’t settled and that many scientists are increasingly critical of Darwinism.
Mostly this is a treatise on the Patristic interpretation of Genesis and how modern theories are clearly at odds with what the Holy Fathers taught, and are thus untenable to an orthodox Christian.
This is a good read, but I would strongly recommend this is read alongside his “Orthodox Survival Course” for a thorough examination of how the West became what it is today.
This is expressed excellently in this book taking on the great zeitgeist of our day; the theory of evolution. I am instinctively skeptical of any narrative which, when spoken against, results in ridicule and castigation. Evolution attempts to explain the origins of all life, and therefore steps outside the bounds of empirical science and into the realms of philosophy and metaphysics. When critiqued from this angle it begins to appear increasingly that the emperor isn’t wearing any clothes, and this book also details how, in actual fact, the “science” isn’t settled and that many scientists are increasingly critical of Darwinism.
Mostly this is a treatise on the Patristic interpretation of Genesis and how modern theories are clearly at odds with what the Holy Fathers taught, and are thus untenable to an orthodox Christian.
This is a good read, but I would strongly recommend this is read alongside his “Orthodox Survival Course” for a thorough examination of how the West became what it is today.
March 20, 2022
A modern-day masterpiece and necessary read for all Christians.
September 18, 2024
This book changed my mind on how the earth was created and life developed. It has sent me on a marvelous journey of study on this topic.
September 22, 2023
The theological content comparing evolution to a sort of "reverse Origenism" is very good. Some of the more "scientific" creationist arguments were bad, but it was still a very good read
December 20, 2024
Very good
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews