Abstract
For all its anthropocentric focus on human agency in history and creation, the Hebrew Bible’s valuing of nonhuman life and its diversity cannot be gainsaid among certain traditions. Such is the case in three major creation texts: Genesis 1, Psalm 104, and Job 38–41. Each in its own way, these biblical accounts affirm the intrinsic worth of biodiversity, the expansiveness of life, and a God who values the flourishing of all creation.
Highlights
Sun, and moon set in the heavens and the various forms of life “of every kind” filling the sky, land, and sea, creation proceeds from emptiness to fullness in the right column, a fullness that is by no means homogenous
Haldane (1892–1964) was asked what biology could say about God
The three creation texts discussed above vividly illustrate, each in its own way, just how immensely “fond” God is of biodiversity
Summary
Not until the end of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first have biblical scholars begun to appreciate the theological value of “nature,” and that of nonhuman life, in the Bible Biblical studies that focus on the place of animals in the Bible and in ancient Israelite society have themselves become legion.2 In this modest exegetical contribution to this growing focus in biblical research, I take up the specific issue of biodiversity and its theological value in the Hebrew Bible.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have