These five superb homilles by the newly elected Pope, Benedict XVI, provide a clear and biblically based explanation of the first few chapters of the Bible. Reissued with a new cover and ISBN to celebrate Joseph Ratzinger's election. While the stories of the creation of the world and the fall of humankind have often given rise to conflict - fundamentalists twist them into science and history while rationalists approach them by 'divorcing God from creation' - the Pope presents the Catholic middle ground in explaining the vitality of these early Old Testament writings. Beginning each homily with the selected text from Genesis, the Pope discusses, in turn, God the creator, the meaning of the biblical creation accounts, the creation of human beings, sin and salvation, and the consequences of faith in creation. In the Beginning presents a compelling account of the value of creation for our times.