by Joe Fitzpatrick

The story of Adam and Eve in chapters 2 and 3 of the Book of Genesis is well known, but it is in conflict with the theory of evolution. Also well known is the interpretation of the story first proposed by St Augustine of Hippo (354 - 430 AD), that the couple sinned against God through an act of disobedience, which was the first or original sin, inherited by every newborn baby.1 This interpretation came to dominate Christian theology in the West, but it is in conflict with the theory of evolution.

Joe Fitzpatrick is the author of ‘The Fall and the Ascent of Man: How Genesis supports Darwin’, (University Press of America, Lanham, 2012), where you can find a more detailed account of his argument.