Genesis - which deals with the 'origins' of the world and mankind - is the first book of the Bible, the first book of the Pentateuch, the Law of Moses, the Hebrew Torah. The author is not attempting to write a scholarly account (which would be based on the primitive scientific notions of his time). To understand this book correctly, the reader must remember that the focus of Genesis is a religious one. The commentary found here takes account of modern scholarship, which it sets in the context of the abiding teaching of the Church and the insights of the Fathers and other revered authors.