As we have said, by His almighty power, God created from nothing all that exists. With a word, He created the earth, the oceans, and all that they contain. God spoke, and light burst forth, tearing through the darkness like lightning in the night. At His command, the land emerged from the depths of the waters: the ground took shape, hills rose up, and valleys sank low. Upon this earth, newly drawn from nothingness, God caused tender grass to spring up, meadows to bloom, and trees heavy with fruit to grow.
Then He cast the great heavenly bodies into space: the sun, like a king of fire to rule the day; the moon, a gentle silver light for the night; and all around, a multitude of stars, like a dusting of diamonds scattered across the firmament. After the plants and the stars, He created the animals that run, fly, and swim – each with its own beauty, strength, or grace. Finally – and only then – He created man, as one prepares long in advance a magnificent palace for the king who will come to dwell in it.
For this final work, God bent down with particular care. “Let Us make man in Our image and likeness,” He said, “and let him have dominion over all the animals and over all the things of the earth.” God took dust from the earth, and from this lifeless clay He formed the body of man, like an artist shaping a statue. This body, perfect as it was, did not yet move. God drew near, breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and at that instant, a soul awakened – a soul able to think, to love, and to choose freely. The statue became a living being; man opened his eyes to the light.
Yet in this vast universe, God saw that man remained alone. He judged that it was not good for him to remain so, without someone with whom to share his joy and his thoughts. Then God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and taking one of his ribs, He formed the woman who would be his companion. He endowed her, too, with a body and a soul, equal in dignity, made to walk at his side. The first man and the first woman were called Adam and Eve.
God placed them in a garden of wonders, called the Earthly Paradise, or Eden. There, everything spoke of peace and happiness: flowers perfumed the air, birds sang in the branches, and golden, fragrant fruits hung in abundance. All the trees were at their disposal, and their hands were free to gather whatever their hearts desired.
However, because He destined our first parents for eternal happiness – and because, to attain it, one must love God above all things – the good God first chose to test their obedience. In the midst of the garden stood a mysterious tree, called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God clearly told Adam and Eve that they could enjoy everything except that tree. He forbade them to eat its fruit and warned them that if they dared to disobey, they would be destined to suffer greatly and would one day die. The command was clear, yet the love of God made it light. If they truly loved God, they would prove it by not touching the forbidden fruit.
Days passed, radiant like a long morning without clouds. Adam and Eve lived in happiness, at peace with themselves, with nature, and with God, who often came to visit them like a loving Father. He instructed them and showed them His love with gentle familiarity. In this earthly Paradise, Adam and Eve lived in innocence, sheltered from evil and suffering. They had no inclination toward evil. They were perfectly happy.
But in the shadows, someone was watching them. The devil – the leader of the fallen angels who had once been cast out of Heaven for rebelling against God – burned with jealousy at the sight of the friendship between God and man. Satan had once been especially beloved by God, and he had destroyed that bond of love by rebelling against His will. He had resolved to destroy the bond of love between God and humanity. Having lost Heaven through his pride, he now desired that every creature should be lost with him.