In the Beginning…': A Catholic Understanding of the Story of Creation and the Fall

Ressourcement

by Pope Benedict XVI

In four superb homilies and a concluding essay, Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, provides a clear and inspiring exploration of the Genesis creation narratives.

While the stories of the world�s creation and the fall of humankind have often been subjected to reductionism of one sort or another � literalists treat the Bible as a science textbook whereas rationalists divorce God from creation � Ratzinger presents a rich, balanced Catholic understanding of these early biblical writings and attests to their enduring vitality.

Beginning each homily with a text selected from the first three chapters of Genesis, Ratzinger discusses, in turn, God the creator, the meaning of the biblical creation accounts, the creation of human beings, and sin and salvation; in the appendix he unpacks the beneficial consequences of faith in creation.

Expertly translated from German, these reflections set out a reasonable and biblical approach to creation. �In the Beginning . . .� also serves as an excellent homiletic resource for priests and pastors.

Genres: Theology, Catholic, Religion, Nonfiction, Christian, Philosophy, Christianity

112 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Originally Joseph Ratzinger , a noted conservative theologian before his election in 2005, Benedict XVI strove against the influence of secularism during his papacy to defend traditional Catholic teachings but since medieval times first resigned in 2013.

After Joseph Ratzinger served a long career as an academic and a professor at the University of Regensburg, Pope Paul VI appointed him as archbishop of Munich and Freising and cardinal in 1977. In 1981, he settled in Rome as prefect of the congregation for the doctrine of the faith, one most important office of the Roman curia. He also served as dean of the college of cardinals.

Benedict XVI reigned 265th in virtue of his office of bishop of Rome, the sovereign of the state of Vatican City and the head of the Church. A conclave named him on 19 April 2005; he celebrated his inaugural Mass on 24 April 2005 and took possession of his Lateran cathedral basilica of Saint John on 7 May 2005.

Benedict XVI succeeded Saint John Paul II, predecessor and his prolific writings on doctrine and values. Benedict XVI advocated a return to fundamental Christian values to counter the increase of many developed countries. Relativism denied objective truth and moral truths in particular; he viewed this central problem of the 21st century. With the importance of the Church, he understood redemptive love of God. He reaffirmed the "importance of prayer in the face of the activism" "of many Christians engaged in charitable work." Benedict also revived a number and elevated the Tridentine Mass to a more prominent position.

Benedict founded and patronized of the Ratzinger foundation, a charitable organization, which from the sale of books and essays makes money to fund scholarships and bursaries for students across the world.

Due to advanced age on 11 February 2013, Benedict announced in a speech in Latin and cited a "lack of strength of mind and body" before the cardinals. He effectively left on 28 February 2013.As emeritus, Benedict retained the style of His Holiness, and the title and continued to dress in the color of white. He moved into the newly renovated monastery of Mater Ecclesiae for his retirement. Pope Francis succeeded him on 13 March 2013.

(more info on Ratzinger Foundation: https://www.ewtn.com/library/Theology...)

Reviews

[Charles Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to reveal a prejudice: Pope Benedict XVI is to me one of the greatest popes. He did not have the kind of flash of a St. John Paul II or the the outward warmth of Pope Francis. But perhaps he did something even more important: he left a treasure of books that will be read for generations. This little book is great in its own right but I would also say it's a good starting point for anyone who has not read Benedict before. The book is a series of clear-eyed homilies on the creation story and how it points toward the New Testament and the life death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I've known for a long time the Church's view of the OT in relation the NT. But this series of homilies brings it alive in a way I have not experienced. There is minimal technical language (Thank God!) and I would say anyone with even a passing interest on understand the Catholic view of Creation would learn a lot from this. I would go so far as to say Protestants as well as non-Christians would come away with a better understanding of how the Church thinks. It will also be a comfort for those who feel the Church pushed the Old Testament aside. Nothing could be further from the truth. To Benedict the integration of the Old and The New and the recognition of the Jewishness of Christianity is the basis from which everything else flows.

[Manuel Alfonseca · Rating 4 out of 5]

ENGLISH: I was incited to read this work by the biography of Benedict XVI published by Joseph Pearce, which quoted this book a lot. The four homilies contained here were delivered when Ratzinger was Archbishop of Munich. Adapted into book form, several years later he added a final part that serves as a conclusion.

ESPAÑOL: La biografía de Benedicto XVI publicada por Joseph Pearce me instigó a leer esta obra, que citaba bastante. Las cuatro homilías que contiene este libro fueron pronunciadas cuando Ratzinger era Arzobispo de Munich. Adaptadas en forma de libro, varios años después les añadió una última parte que sirve de conclusión.

[David Mosley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent collection of Lenten homilies that form a brief catechesis on what Christians should believe about creation and the Fall. Ratzinger, before he was pope, drives home the message that it makes a fundamental difference whether we see the world as created by God or not. Perhaps the most surprising thing for me, not knowing much else by Ratzinger, was his support of the notion that evolution and the doctrine of creation can stand side-by-side. Read this book and be blessed by it.

[Molly Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

kinda good tbh; could’ve been half as many pages

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing to think that the 4 chapters of this book were actually the Advent homilies given by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI). This is hardly your average Sunday sermon - these are masterpieces in homiletics that go through the first chapters of Genesis as a new way to understand the Advent/Christmas season.

You'll want to read this very short book several times, in order to fully digest this scholar-Pope's words. (I still can't believe that this work of such philosophical depth was originally given as a set of sermons as part of the Mass.)

[Hans-Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

"In the Beginning" is an outstanding exegesis of the Creation account in Genesis. Cardinal Ratzinger, who became Pope Benedict XVI, offers his intelligent, historical, non-literalist interpretation of the Hexaemeron, with the clarity characteristic of his theology. Ratzinger asks the exegete to understand Genesis as the religious book it was intended to be by its author, understood at a particular time and within a particular culture, not as a science textbook. This is a wonderful, well-written book.

[Conor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible book on creation.

[Jorge Reyes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Consigue "Revelación y tradición" de JR: https://amzn.to/2UFjhrN
Review:
Con el característico estilo de altos vuelos intelectuales, claridad argumental y profundo entendimiento de lo humano, JR nos refrezca y proporciona en unas cuantas hojas, teología, arte, sociología, filosofía y más.
La presente obra es directa y penetrante, aprovecha el espacio que tiene para abordar temas contemporaneos, en momentos me pareció que el autor desea hacer pensar, más que desbordar la verdad con conocimiento, que definitivamente podría hacer. La belleza, la armonía, la libertad...no son fruto del azar, lo sabemos, lo llevamos impreso en nuestra alma, en la naturaleza de nuestro ser y lo comprobamos cuando somos verdaderamente felices.
Es una verdadera alegría leer a verdaderos rebeldes, que van en contra de la corriente voluntarista, utilitaria, cientifista y relativista de nuestros tiempos.
Hermosa edición de EUNSA, con la calidad que nos tiene acostumbrados.

[Michael Astfalk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was reading this book for a class. I assumed it would be hard to read and incomprehensible, but it’s actually a pretty comprehensible yet informative read.

[Iter Meum · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating quick read that went a different direction than I might have expected. It is the printing of 4 sermons delivered by Joseph Ratzinger in the 1980's. It really could be said to be a book on a Christian worldview founded on dependence & interdependence, love, creation, and environmental stewardship juxtaposed against a modern gnostic worldview that knowledge is the ultimate redemptive power and that this power should in no way be limited even if it is destroying us.

A couple of interesting quotes: "our age is the first to experience that hideous narcissism that cuts itself off from both the past and future and that is preoccupied exclusively with its own present." And, "Hence the moral and the feasible are identical."

[Jose Luis]

This is a beautiful read. I really savored each homily, and the appendix (while a bit over my head at times) really wrapped the book up nicely. It sort of made me want to sit down and just talk with Pope Benedict forever.

Be aware that this is a moderately dense read. Some previous Catholic theology may be helpful before diving into the reading. I also found myself reading these aloud or mouthing along to just keep my thoughts organized, which makes sense since each section is a homily. Totally worth it, though. This little book is a gold mine.

[Zach Brandt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read twice now.

This book was interesting the first time. Incredible the second.

Every paragraph is pregnant with meaning. Ratzinger did an amazing job of distilling so much theology into such a compact and accessible set of homilies. He can’t get into all the weeds, but that’s part of what makes this so refreshing. Probably my favorite work I’ve read so far on Genesis.

I am still not 100% sold on the content/form distinction Ratzinger advocates, but I’m starting to understand it better and am eager to keep considering it.

[Paul Schmitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal theology of Creation and the Fall by Cardinal Ratzinger. Helps to clarify how Christianity's understanding of Creation and ancient scripture was compromised by a re-hellenization in the West, (during the enlightenment) that sought reason divorced from faith, and a de-hellenization in the West (brought on by Luther & the reformers) that sought Faith divorced by reason [and ultimately led to fundamentalism]

[M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good answers by Benedict XVI on why creation is an important concept that should not be set aside by Christians, much less considered contrary to reason. I wish it had expanded more on the creation of man and woman, but it had good anthropological points to make, especially in discussions with atheists such as Monod, Bloch and Marx himself.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first chapters help you to understand the myths behind the book of Genesis, and how they got incorporated into Sacred Scripture. I've used it for my Sacred Scripture classes with teenagers.

[Emerson John Tiu Ng · Rating 5 out of 5]

...if you do not believe God created everything... well this book answers it... Pope Benedict XVI explains the theological aspect of creation...

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great series of homilies on the creation stories in Genesis. Short, to the point, and interesting, if a little non-specific.

[Peter Nguyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continuing with my survey of some of Ratzinger’s theological contributions, I’ve found that ’In the Beginning…’ was much easier to read than Introduction to Christianity. This work is a collection of homilies by Ratzinger relating to the biblical Creation accounts.

I originally added this book to my reading list because I hoped that Ratzinger would be able to coherently unite the days of Creation presented in Genesis with the scientific hypothesis of evolution; namely, I was desiring an account of each day reflecting the progressive nature of God first creating a universe and world inhabitable for His creation; to creating lesser creatures; to man, the pinnacle of Creation; and the conclusion with leisure—all of which could be tied into evolutionary accounts.

I did not get this account, as Ratzinger states in the latter half of his work:

“Thus the awakening and rediscovery of the doctrine of creation opens up a wide field of questions and tasks that can only be touched upon here. I can only try to set before you a few fragments and merely suggest in a sketchy way how they fit together. This Appendix will be concerned more with pointing out a task to be accomplished than with offering solutions or developing a complete synthesis. If we want to reappropriate faith in creation with its basic content and direction, then we must first bring it out of the obscurity that has just been described in the diagnosis of our current theological situation.”

I was not disappointed in the end, however, as instead I received a reflection on reading the Old Testament in light of the New Testament, the necessity of the Sabbath, concern for God’s creation, the impossibility of morality without Creation and faith, and the necessity of repentance. Alongside this, I saw the further development of the Communio school’s idea of God desiring relationship with man.

Some notable excerpts:

“The new historical thinking wanted to read every text in itself, in its bare literalness. Its interest lay only in the exact explanation of particulars, but meanwhile it forgot the Bible as a whole. In a word, it is no longer read the texts forward but backward — that is, with a view not to Christ but to the probable origins of those texts. People were no longer concerned with understanding what a text said or what a thing was from the aspect of its fulfillment, but from that of its beginning, its source. As a result of this isolation from the whole and of this literal-mindedness with respect to particulars, which contradicts the entire inner nature of the Bible but which was now considered to be the truly scientific approach, there arose that conflict between the natural sciences and theology which has been, up to our own day, a burden for the faith.”

“… the biblical creation account is marked by numbers that reproduce not the mathematical structure of the universe but the inner design of its fabric, so to say, or rather the idea according to which it was constructed… The words ‘God said’ appear ten times in the creation account. In this way the creation narrative anticipates the Ten Commandments. This makes us realize that these Ten Commandments are, as it were, an echo of the creation; they are not arbitrary inventions for the purpose of erecting barriers to human freedom but signs pointing to the spirit, the language, and the meaning of creation; they are a translation of the language of the universe, a translation of God’s logic, which constructed the universe.”

“Jesus Christ goes Adam’s route, but in reverse. In contrast to Adam he is really ‘like God.’ But this being like God, this similarity to God, is being a Son, and hence it is totally relational… Therefore the One who is truly like God does not hold graspingly to his autonomy, to the limitlessness of his ability and his willing. He does the contrary: he becomes completely dependent, he becomes a slave. Because he does not go the route of power but that of love, he can descend into the depths of Adam’s lie, into the depths of death, and there raise up truth and life.”

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wisely written and filled with wonderful insights about a world defined by Creator, creation, and creaturliness.

At the same time, if you view, as he does, that the story of Genesis reveal “only images which reveal something deeper and greater,” it’s implicit the deepest and greatest truths must be extrabiblical.

[JD Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating collection of homilies on the open wing chapters of Genesis. Benedict preaches with a keen awareness of the interpretive challenges of the modern world with a firm anchor in the Christian witness.

[Leslie Moellering · Rating 5 out of 5]

These handful of homilies from Pope Benedict XVI are short, but rich in meaningful exegesis of the first few chapters of the Bible.

[Fr. Zachary Brasseur · Rating 5 out of 5]

What’s the point of Genesis? BXVI tells us: God made the universe and everything in it.

[Jason Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful collection of four talks then-Cardinal Ratzinger gave in the 1980s, along with a closing essay on the importance of a proper understanding of the doctrine of creation. As would be expected by all who are familiar with his work, our Pope-Emeritus takes seriously both the text of the Scripture and the challenges that arise when interpreting it in light of the natural sciences. And, of supreme importance, in my opinion, he insists that any interpretation we adopt has to be grounded in the text itself and in the way it was historically understood. We can't just make up new interpretations that suit us but which have no connection to Jewish and Christian tradition.

Highly recommended.

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

FOUR HOMILIES FROM 1986 (BEFORE HE BECAME POPE)

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger wrote in the Preface to this 1986 collection, “The human threat to all living things… has given a new urgency to the theme of creation. Paradoxically, however, the creation account is noticeably and nearly completely absent for catechesis, preaching, and even theology. The creation narratives go unmentioned… I set myself the task, in the early part of 1981, of attempting a creation catechesis for adults in four Lenten homilies… I hope that this little book may be the occasion for others to pursue this theme better than I have, and for the message of the God who is Creator to find its appropriate place once more in the contemporary kerygma.”

In the first homily, he quotes Genesis 1:1-19, and then comments, “these words give rise to a certain conflict. They are beautiful and familiar, but are they also true? Everything seems to speak against it, for science has long since disposed of the concepts [of Genesis]… Today we hear of the Big Bang, which happened billions of years ago and with which the universe began its expansion… it was not in neat succession that the stars were hung and the green of the fields created; it was rather in complex ways and over vast periods of time that the earth and the universe were constructed as we now know them. Do these words, then, count for anything?” (Pg. 3)

He continues, “One answer was already worked out some time ago, as the scientific view of the world was gradually crystallizing… It says that the Bible is not a natural science textbook, nor does it intend to be such. It is a religious book, and consequently one cannot obtain information about the natural sciences from it… Its purpose ultimately would be to say one thing: GOD created the world… all of this comes from one power, from God’s eternal Reason, which became—in the Word---the power of creation… In this Word we come into contact with the real primordial force of the world and with the power that is above all powers. I believe that this view is correct, but it is not enough. For when we are told that we have to distinguish between the images themselves and what those images mean, then we can ask in turn: Why wasn’t that said earlier?... If theologians or even the church can shift the boundaries here between image and intention… why can they not do so elsewhere---as, for instance, with respect to Jesus’ miracles?” (Pg. 4-7)

He continues, “Holy Scripture in its entirety was not written from beginning to end like … a textbook. It is, rather, the echo of God’s history with his people…. God’s struggle with human beings to make himself understandable to them over the course of time; but it is also the story of their struggle to seize hold of God over the course of time… For the Christian the Old Testament represents, in its totality, an advance toward Christ; only when it attains to him does its real meaning … become clear.” (Pg. 8-9)

He states, “Behind these Hebrew words lie the dragon and the demonic powers that are spoken of elsewhere … in the face of any fear of these demonic forces we are told that God alone, who is the ternal Reason that is eternal love, created the world, and that it rests in his hands. Only with this in mind can we appreciate the dramatic confrontation implicit in this biblical text, in which all these confused myths were rejected and the world was given its origins in God’s Reason and in his Word.” (Pg. 13)

In the second Homily, he quotes Genesis 1:20-24 and observes, “two realizations become particularly clear. We can sum up the first in this way: As Christians we read Holy Scripture with Christ… he is freedom from a false slavery to literalism and a guarantee of the solid, realistic truth of the Bible… Our second realization is this: Faith in creation is reasonable. Even if reason itself cannot perhaps give an account of it, it searches in faith and finds there the answer that it had been looking for.” (Pg. 21)

He summarizes, “we go against the Creator when we no longer went to exist as the human beings that he wanted to exist. It is not thus that we heal nature, but rather thus that we destroy both ourselves and creation by removing from it the hope that lies in it and the greatness to which it is called. And so the Christian way remains the one that is truly salvific… we can be really ‘creative’ only if we are in harmony with the Creator of the Universe. We can really serve the earth only if we accept it under the aegis of God’s Word.” (Pg. 38)

In the third homily, he quotes Genesis 2:4-9, and comments, “we are told: You are not God, you did not make yourself, and you do not rule the universe… we are also told: The human being is not a demon or an evil spirit… The human being … has been fashioned from God’s good earth… we are told that ALL human beings are earth… we are, in the last resort, the same… Thus the unity of the whole human race becomes immediately apparent: We are all from only ONE earth.” (Pg. 43)

He states, “To be the image of God implies rationality… it means the capacity for relationship; it is the human capacity for God. Human beings are … most profoundly human when they step out of themselves and become capable of addressing God on familiar terms… to the question as to what distinguishes the human being from an animal… the answer has to be that they are the beings God mad capable of thinking and praying. They are most profoundly themselves when they discover their relation to their Creator… we can say that human persons are the beings who can be Jesus Christ’s brothers or sisters… the creatures that can be one with Christ and thereby be one with God himself..” (Pg. 47-49)

He explains, “We cannot say: creation OR evolution, inasmuch as these two things respond to different realities. The story of the dust of the earth and the breath of God… does not in fact explain how human persons come to be but rather what they are. It explains their inmost origin and casts light on the project that they are. And, vice versa, the theory of evolution seeks to understand and describe biological developments. But in so doing it cannot explain where the ‘project’ of human persons comes from, not their inner origin, not their particular nature. To that extent we are faced here with two complementary—rather than mutually exclusive---realities.” (Pg. 50)

In the fourth and final homily, he quotes Genesis 3:1-24, and states, “two movements are interacting here. One is that of human beings who do not exploit the world and to not want to detach it from the Creator’s governance and make it their own property; rather they recognize it as God’s gift… The second movement involves the image of the serpent, which is taken from Eastern fertility cults. These fertility religions were severe temptations for Isarael for centuries, tempting it to abandon the covenant… there was a great danger that Israel would succumb to the many seductive elements of these religions…” (Pg. 64-65)

He notes, “The serpent does not deny God… The first thing is not the denial of God but rather doubt about his covenant… It is so easy to convince people that this covenant is not a gift but rather… is robbing human beings of their freedom and of the most precious things of life…” (Pg. 66-67) He continues, “at the very heart of sin lies human beings’ denial of their creatureliness, inasmuch as they refuse to accept the standard and the limitations that are implicit in it. They do not want to be creatures… do not want to be dependent… Thus human beings themselves want to be God.” (Pg. 70)

He goes on, “In the Genesis story … Sin is not spoken of … as an abstract possibility but as a deed, as the sin of a particular person, Adam, who stands at the origin of humankind… sin begets sin, and … therefore all the sins of history are interlinked. Theology refers to this state of affairs as ‘original sin.’ … What does original sin mean… when we interpret it correctly?... Sin is a rejection of relationality because it wants to make the human being a god…. it is also clear that human beings alone cannot save themselves… we can only be saved… when we stop wanting to be God and when we renounce the madness of autonomy and self-sufficiency.” (Pg. 71-73) “Thus Christ is the new Adam, with whom humanity begins anew.” (Pg. 76)

This book will be of keen interest to Catholics wanting to know a ‘contemporary’ interpretation of the Creation stories.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

These four homilies gave me a whole new respect for the current pope, so that I can comprehend why he might have been chosen from among many other highly learned and spiritual individuals to be the leader of the Church following the death of John Paul II. From page 1, his speech is deeply poetic, fluent, even lyrical. Yet he also shows a strong grasp of science, including metaphysics, and a deep understanding of the glory and sorrow of being human. Best of all, his explanation of Creation, faith, and resurrection were very satisfying to me -- an educated, science-minded, modern person who just wanted a compelling reason to believe what I've been told for so many years. Definitely a quick read that I'll recommend to other Catholics as well as the intellectually curious.

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A four-part collection of homilies that briefly and brilliantly argue the need for a robust Christian understanding of the Creation narrative and for the principles (and end results, namely, redemption) of creation itself. Card. Ratzinger is, as usual, supremely skilled at unpacking the key images of Genesis while always pushing forward to their Christological fulfillment. This is a must for any Christian thinker.

[A.i.sanchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

The word that kept creeping into my mind while reading this book was Clarity. Pope Benedict has a unique gift to bring some really complex ideas and make them accessible to the average reader with very limited theological and scriptural knowledge. I love this book; I'm not someone who regularly uses highlighters or markings but pretty much left this whole book yellow. Fascinating insight, 5 stars.

[FrDrStel Muksuris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a series of four homilies delivered by Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI on creation and the fall. The Lenten sermons were given as part of an adult Lenten catechesis program in the Cathedral in München, the Liebefrauenkirche, when Ratzinger was still a cardinal in Germany. They express the need to always examine the relevant Scriptural texts from an appropriate Christological perspective, and specifically, from the future backwards. Good (and deep) short reading.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slender but strong explanation of Catholic understanding of Creation. Demonstrates that the Catholic middle way between literalists and those who regard Genesis as mere fable is as Aristotle explained the doctrine of the mean to be: not halfway between one pole and the other, but rather the right way between two flawed interpretations. Written by future Pope.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this book, and found it interesting that the chapters were separate homilies given by Pope Benedict XVI when he was a cardinal. The chapters flow seamlessly, which I see as a testament to the way life constantly comes together neatly. My favourite quote "Give up your abstraction, and you'll give up your question."