Genesis chapter 1 describes six days in which God made everything. Genesis chapters 2-3 say God made "the man" (Adam), then Eden, then animals then Eve. A serpent tempted them to eat from a forbidden tree. After this, God said the offspring of the woman would be hated by the snake's descendants, but would crush the serpent's head.

The Bible paraphrases (called Targums) used in the times of Jesus were not literalistic, and neither were the great Jewish commentators throughout history: Philo, Rashi, Maimonides, Gersonides, etc, recognised even by orthodox Jews today.

Justin Martyr (c109-165) was a great Christian thinker who died for his faith. He spoke of a view held by some second century Christians that the "days" in Genesis could be 1000 years.

The greatest early Christian writer in Greek was Origen (c185-254).

"What man of intelligence, I ask, will consider a reasonable statement that the first and the second and the third day, in which there are said to be both morning and evening, existed without sun and moon and stars, while the first day was even without a heaven? And who could be found so silly as to believe that God, after the manner of a farmer, 'planted trees in a paradise eastward in Eden.. And... when God is said to 'walk in the paradise in the evening ... I do not think anyone will doubt that these are figurative expressions which indicate certain mysteries through a semblance of history..."

St Augustine (c354-430) is called by Britannica "the greatest Christian thinker in antiquity". Augustine believed that the "days" in Genesis were symbolic, not literal: "of what fashion those days were, it is either very hard or altogether impossible to think." He did not reduce it all to "allegory", but simply showed there is much symbolism in Bible accounts of real events. Groups like eg the seventh century Celtic church Christians, and the great Christian "scholastic" scholars around the thirteenth century all generally took Augustine's non-literal view of the days in Genesis chapter 1.

Many people know the story of those who opposed Galileo over the motion of the earth. These opponents, however, were no more biblical "literalists" than he was. Their primary objection was that he had no proof (which was true). They also objected that he was making theological comment, and in those days for Catholics only theologians should do this, whilst scientists should stick to science.

In the first half of the nineteenth century geologists like the evangelical Christian Cambridge Professor Adam Sedgwick developed the geological column much as it is today. They knew the earth was very old, though none of them believed in evolution. By 1855 there was no serious theologian or scientist in Europe or America who believed the world made in six literal days six thousand years ago. Darwin published his book on evolution The Origin of Species in 1859. Darwin had supporters amongst all the major groups of Christians including evangelicals, and none of the famous figures who opposed him believed that the earth was a recent creation made in six days. Such ideas developed only in 20th century America.