EVOLUTION AND THE BIBLE 



all the things that grow, all the fish, birds, and animals were 

 made by God. 



As for scientific theories on the origin and evolution of 

 species, the author has not a word to say; there is not the 

 slightest hint that he even thought of such questions. There- 

 fore he made no pronouncement on them. He has nothing to 

 tell us that is either favorable or unfavorable to the hypothesis 

 of evolution. And when he comes to man, he informs us only 

 that the first human beings were made by God. 



If we read the book correctly, if we recognize the different 

 points of view and the limited areas of competence, we perceive 

 that there is no opposition between science and the first 

 account of origins given in Genesis. Our endeavor should be to 

 grasp the religious message and to mount up to its theological 

 heights, instead of focusing our attention on the accessory, 

 circumstantial details which the author utilized simply as apt 

 means for placing his teaching within the reach of his fellow 

 men. 



C. Second Account: Origin o[ the First Man 



A more ample description of human beginnings, indepen- 

 dent of the cosmic narrative of the first chapter, is found in 

 the second chapter. Its interest centers on man and his destiny, 

 not on the formation of the universe. In language full of 

 imagery it traces the drama of human origins and the events 

 which profoundly affect the history of mankind. This account 

 pertains to the Yahwist tradition. The composite name for 

 God, "Yahweh Elohim" (Lord God) occurs only in the second 

 and third chapters of Genesis and occasionally elsewhere. 

 The choice of this name may have been influenced by a desire 

 to harmonize the Yahwist tradition with the Priestly source 

 of the first chapter, which employs only the name "Elohim" 

 (God). 



The key verse is as follows: "The Lord God molded man 

 from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the 

 breath of life, and so man became a living being" (Gen. 2:7). 

 In forming the first man's body, God proceeds in the way 

 men ordinarily act when engaged at work. The earth, which 

 previously had been arid, is watered by a spring that gushes 

 forth, so that it becomes suitable for molding. From the mud 



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