Early Church Fathers and Creation

Some critics of biblical (‘young-earth’) creation dishonestly claim that it is a novel view. Anti-creationist historian Ronald Numbers claimed that it was invented by Ellen White, the founder of Seventh-day Adventism. This fallacy unfortunately gained traction amongst a lot of old-earth advocates. Old-earth, ‘progressive’ creationist Dr Hugh Ross went even further. He claimed:

A majority of those who wrote on the subject rejected the interpretation of the Genesis creation days as six consecutive 24-hour periods. Many of the early church fathers and other biblical scholars interpreted the creation days of Genesis 1 as long periods of time.¹

First, such claims evade the real issue which is: what does Scripture teach? Second, they rely on the assumption that new = bad. However, this second assumption undermines their case.

In reality, most Christian interpreters in history understood that the Bible taught that the earth was c.6,000 years old. They also accepted a global Flood, and the majority believed in six consecutive 24-hour creation days. Contrary to the anti-creationist attack, long-age views are the novelty.

But from the early 19^th century, long-age views became popular. They included: days = ages, or a long-time gap between Genesis:1:1In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
See All... and 1:2. What happened? There was no new insight from the Hebrew text to change their minds. Rather, this is when long-age geology became ‘scientific’ dogma. From their own words, they were not driven by the Hebrew text but by so-called ‘science’.

As indicated, the second assumption of the attack is reasonable. We are not the first people ever to read the Bible. Great Christians of the past did so as well, and we should be humble enough to learn from them. These Christians include many of the leading theologians and writers of the first few centuries of the Christian era. They are known as the ‘Church Fathers’.

Those promoting ideas never previously held by the church have the burden of proof. For example, if Scripture really taught long ages, how come no one saw them in the Bible until the early 19^th century?

This doesn’t mean that the pendulum should swing the other way. Yes, the church Fathers were closer to the Apostles than we are. Indeed, the earliest Fathers knew some Apostles personally. But then, the Christian churches addressed in Paul’s letters were even closer, yet his letters often had to correct the church’s errors.

The majority of Church Fathers who commented on the issue believed that God created in six 24-hour days. One of the most famous was Basil the Great (AD 329–379)….

Basil was also an effective preacher, and some of his sermons have been recorded. One collection is called the Hexaëmeron (= ‘six days’), nine Lenten sermons on the days of creation in Genesis 1. When he came to Genesis:1:5And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
See All..., “And there was evening and there was morning, one day” (NASB), Basil asked, “Why does Scripture say ‘one day’ not ‘the first day’?” He answers:

"If it, therefore, says “one day”, it is from a wish to determine the measure of day and night and to combine the time that they contain. Now 24 hours fill up the space of one day—we mean of a day and of a night. And if at the time of the solstices, they have not both an equal length, the time marked by Scripture does not the less circumscribe their duration. It is as though it said: 24 hours measure the space of a day …"

https://creation.com/early-church-fathers-and-creation