The role of the Genesis creation in the writings of the Apostolic Fathers

Earliest Christianity, after the closing of the canon, continued to affirm the doctrine of creation as a fundamental tenet in its beliefs. This is evident in those writings that have been traditionally classed as the “Apostolic Fathers” of the late first century and second century. However, 1 a problem exists in the contemporary understanding of the way the “Apostolic Fathers” interpreted the account of the Genesis creation, concerning whether the Fathers interpreted the Genesis creation account literally or fundamentally in some other fashion. Misunderstandings of the hermeneutic method of the Fathers can lead to the perception that they simply “spiritualize away” creation. The purpose of this essay is to seek to help solve this problem by discovering, through a close reading of the texts of the “Apostolic Fathers,” the way in which these Fathers understood the factual and temporal aspects of the Genesis creation account.