The Theology of Creation Introduction to Catholicism Fr. Llane Briese

Creation  The study of creation is important because we humans are part of creation as is all that we experience (including Divine Revelation).  Creation is holy because God made it.  NOT Pantheism

Visible and Invisible  “I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.”  “Heaven and Earth”: Biblical language for all that exists.  The invisible includes angels, who are spiritual persons with intellect and will, but are incorporeal.  Archangels and Guardian Angels  Saints and Angels are different!!!

Creation and the Bible  Genesis 1-3 is a privileged passage on creation, but not alone.  bāra’ : Hebrew verb--”to build, construct” (always has God as its subject); designates that God’s work in creating is entirely unlike the human act of building.  Other Significant Passages:  Psalms 8, 104, and 139.  The Wisdom Literature in the OT (cf. esp. Prov 8, Wis 9, various passages in Sirach)  2Macc 7:28 — Creatio ex nihilo (Creation out of Nothing)

Creation and Science  The Catholic Church does not oppose the theory of evolution, and supports the natural sciences in their task of knowing God’s creation better.  2009: The Vatican sponsored a conference at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome on the 150 th anniversary of The Origin of the Species. Your teacher was a student participant at this conference.

Human Beings: “In the Image of God”  Genesis 1:26— “Let us make human beings in our image…”  Psalm 8:5-6 What is man that you are mindful of him, and a son of man that you care for him? 6 Yet you have made him little less than a god, crowned him with glory and honor.  Accents that like God, human beings are free will persons. We are able to transcend our inner desires and urges to be able to reason and love.

Original Sin  Original Justice: The original harmony between:  Humans and God  Humans and the created world  Humans and each other  Original Sin corrupted original justice and is the selfishness that is innate in humanity. It is transmitted “by propagation, and not imitation.” (cf. Council of Trent, Decree on Original Sin, no. 3)

Original Sin and Redemption  The realities of original justice and original sin are narrated in Gen 1-3.  St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans would build on theme of universal sin to point to the need for a universal Savior (that is one who would be a Savior of all nations).  Gen 3:15 ( Protoevangelium ): “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers. He will strike at your head, and you will strike at his heel.”  And so the story continues…