In the tradition of Karl Rahner and Teilhard de Chardin, this book from renowned New Testament scholar Gerd Theissen daringly probes the innermost sanctuaries of the biblical tradition through the lens of evolutionary theory. Without associating evolution with a naïve optimism about progress, Theissen shows how a thorough examination of the "cultural evolution" of the Christian faith can yield glimmers of a possible goal of history: "complete adaptation to the reality of God."