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Amidst the ongoing debate over creation and evolution, with evidence being offered for both sides, few have made use of what Fr. Seraphim Rose called “the missing evidence”: the timeless teaching of the Orthodox Holy Fathers on the events of creation, the first-created world, the natures of created things, the original nature of man, and the cosmic consequences of man’s fall.
In the present volume, this teaching has been gathered 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 struggled to understand how the Holy Fathers noetically apprehended the beginning of the world as revealed in Genesis and other Divinely inspired books of Scripture. Having acquired their mind, he has presented to the modern world the harmonious Patristic vision of the cosmos.
A much-needed answer to today’s “crisis of meaning,” this book sheds unique light on the origin and primordial condition of man and the cosmos, showing how these mysteries are inextricably tied to those of our redemption by Jesus Christ and of creation’s redeemed state beyond the general resurrection. The Divine vision of the Fathers opens up deeper levels of awareness concerning God’s creation and His ultimate intention for it—levels that cannot be reached through merely rational or scientific means.
NEW THIRD EDITION (2024/released 2025). For this new edition, we have updated many of the citations and have expanded the “Suggested Resources” section to include materials published since 2011. In Part I (Fr. Seraphim’s commentary on Genesis) we have noted more differences between the Septuagint and Masoretic texts; in Appendix One (“Created in Incorruption”) we have provided a broader treatment of the Orthodox theology of redemption; and under “Suggested Resources” we have added a subsection on the Septuagint and its Genesis chronologies. This edition also contains many new illustrations.
“A presentation of the traditional, Patristic understanding of Genesis, which at the same time bravely exposes the lie of the modern philosophy of evolution. This is a vital, pathfinding work, which can serve as a true foundation for all sides in future discussions.” —His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph, Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese of the USA, Canada, and Australia
“It is with great joy and tremendous interest that we greet the publication of the second edition—containing much additional theological and scientific material of great value—of this remarkable work by Hieromonk Seraphim of blessed memory. Having myself employed the first edition of this work as a sourcebook in our courses on Apologetics and Comparative Theology, I can testify to the clarity and meticulousness of Fr. Seraphim’s presentation of the traditional Orthodox doctrine of creation. I can moreover witness to the satisfaction with which students, previously instructed in evolutionist theories, encounter the truth about our God-breathed origins in the pages of this book. As an antidote against the fashionable but spiritually and intellectually corrosive ‘dogma’ of evolution, this work is unsurpassed. As such, it belongs everywhere—parishes, monasteries, seminaries, and homes—where Orthodoxy is taught and studied.” —Bishop Luke, Rector, Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary, Jordanville, New York
“This book is a treasure. It not only provides a careful survey of Patristic teaching on creation, it also makes plain the continuing relevance of this teaching by directly challenging the theory of evolution in both its secular and theistic forms. Anyone with a serious interest in Patristic theology or the creation/evolution controversy will find it of great value.” —David Bradshaw, Professor of Philosophy, University of Kentucky, author of Aristotle East and West and Divine Energies and Divine Action: Exploring the Essence-Energies Distinction
1212 pages, hardcover, illustrated in full color. $45. ISBN 978-1-887904-25-4
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