University of Virginia

St. Thomas Aquinas Parish

A lecture by Fr. Thomas Davenport, O.P., Ph.D.

Co-sponsored by St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, Charlottesville, VA.

Free and open to the public

Lecture Description:

The creation account of Genesis 1 describes a transition from nothing to man in seven days, brought about directly by God. Modern scientific cosmology describes a 13.8 billion year process from the Big Bang to the existence of man, beginning with an inconceivably massive explosion, continuing with long slow chaotic interactions, punctuated periodically by more massive explosions. Why do scientists have confidence in this second account of the history of the universe and what do we make of Genesis 1 in light of it? Can the Catholic tradition help us make sense of this relatively new vision of cosmic history?

Speaker Bio:

Fr. Thomas Davenport, O.P., holds a PhD in theoretical physics from Stanford University.