Stage 1
Creation and the Fall
The beginnings of Salvation History
This stage introduces the opening chapters of Genesis. In them we discover that God creates out of love, that creation is good, and that the human person has been made in the image of God. It also brings in the drama of sin, which breaks communion with God, with others, and with creation.
The stage shows, too, that God does not abandon humanity after the fall. From the very beginning He opens a promise of salvation, which the Christian tradition recognizes in Genesis 3:15 as the first announcement of the victory over evil.
You will learn to
How this stage is organized
Main narrative
Genesis 1–3
You will come to know the accounts of creation, the making of the human person in the image of God, the vocation of man and woman, the garden of Eden, God's command, the temptation, the fall, and the first promise of salvation.
Doctrinal understanding
Catechism of the Catholic Church
You will grasp the doctrinal meaning of creation, the goodness of the created world, the dignity of the human person, freedom, original sin, its consequences, and the first promise of redemption.
Scripture in depth
Psalms · Wisdom
Other biblical texts help us contemplate creation as the good work of God and recognize the singular dignity of the human person within the created world.
Fulfilled in Christ
Saint Paul · Saint John
The New Testament illumines creation and the fall in the light of Christ. Saint Paul presents Christ as the new Adam, and Saint John shows the Word through whom all things were made.
Before you answer
Main reading
Genesis 1–3
Further readings
Psalm 8 · Wisdom 11:24-26 · Romans 5:12-21 · 1 Corinthians 15:21-22, 45-49 · John 1:1-3
Doctrinal reference
Catechism of the Catholic Church 279-301; 355-421
You can begin even if you have not read all the texts. The stage's explanations will help you place each answer.