DOMINION UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

SCHOOL OF THEOLOGICAL STUDIES

COURSE: HERMENEUTICS (THY 211)

NAME: MOHAMMED IBRAHIM
(BA/PCC/ LEVEL 200)
INDEX NUMBER: BA/PCC/20222281

DATE: 31ST March 2023

 THE OLD TESTAMENT AND ECOLOGY

ABSTRACT

This report explores the relationship between the Old Testament and ecology, examining the

perspectives and teachings found in the holy book regarding the natural world. The report

includes an introduction that sets the context for the discussion, a literature review that surveys

existing scholarship on the topic, and several main paragraphs that analyze key aspects of the

relationship between the Old Testament and ecology. Throughout the report, relevant scriptural

references are cited to support the analysis.

INTRODUCTION

The natural world is a vital aspect of human existence, providing sustenance, beauty, and

resources essential to life. The Old Testament, a foundational text of the Abrahamic faiths,

presents a complex and multifaceted view of the natural world. Some passages suggest that the

natural world is a resource for human use, while others emphasize the importance of stewardship

and responsible care of the earth. This report explores the relationship between the Old

Testament and ecology, seeking to understand the ways in which this ancient text has shaped

modern views on the natural world.

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 LITERATURE REVIEW

Many scholars have analyzed the passages in the book of Genesis that describe God’s creation of

the world and humanity’s role in caring for it. Others have explored the implications of passages

such as Psalm 104, which describes God’s care for all living creatures. Still, others have

investigated the prophetic passages that warn of the consequences of human greed and

environmental exploitation.

One influential scholar in this field is Ellen F. Davis, who argues that the Old Testament presents

a compelling vision of ecological stewardship. In her book, “Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture:

An Agrarian Reading of the Bible,” Davis examines the biblical view of land and argues that the

Old Testament presents a model of responsible and sustainable land use. Another influential

scholar, Norman Habel, has analyzed the use of animal imagery in the Old Testament, arguing

that it provides a unique perspective on the relationship between humanity and the natural world.

Even though there can be disagreements regarding how to interpret ecological data and how to

make policy choices, at its heart, ecology is the study of the intricate relationships that exist

between living things and their surroundings. Ecological research can, in effect, help Christians

understand more about the wonders and beauty of God's creation.

You might not anticipate the Bible having much to say about the topic because it primarily

addresses metaphysical issues. But the Bible is chock-full of perceptive insights that are in line

with the principles of ecology. These conversations are primarily meant to shed light on God's

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nature and demonstrate that He is a loving and thoughtful Creator. Even though there can be

disagreements regarding how to interpret ecological data and how to make policy choices, at its

heart, ecology is the study of the intricate relationships that exist between living things and their

surroundings.

Ecological research can, in effect, help Christians understand more about the wonders and beauty

of God's creation. You might not anticipate the Bible having much to say about the topic because

it primarily addresses metaphysical issues. However, the Bible is chock-full of perceptive

insights that are in line with the principles of ecology. These conversations are primarily meant

to shed light on God's nature and demonstrate that He is a loving and thoughtful Creator.

Let's think about a few scriptural illustrations.

1. We ought to think about how sustainable our activities are.

6-7 in Deuteronomy 22:"If a bird's nest is in front of you... To ensure your health and the length

of your life, you must not take the mother along with the young. Instead, you must let the mother

go and take the young for yourself. A practice is said to be sustainable if it satisfies immediate

requirements without endangering the ability to do so in the future. Despite being a current

buzzword, the Bible has long stressed this idea.

God gave man the responsibility to “tend and keep" his environment from the very beginning.

(Genesis 2:15). God commanded His people to exercise caution (Deuteronomy 32:29), refrain

from avarice (Proverbs 1:19), and make plans. He instructed them to leave the mature generation

to breed once more if they came across a bird with young—never to capture both, as we can see

in Deuteronomy 22:6–7. There are other sections that discuss sustainability. The Israelite’s were

expected to properly manage their land, allowing it to “rest" in a natural fallow field on a regular

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basis. (Leviticus 25:2-7). The children of Israel were to take the long view even in battle: It was

prohibited for them to chop down their adversaries' fruit trees. (Deuteronomy 20:20). After all,

God created ecosystems to meet the requirements of a wide variety of organisms, and He appears

to take pleasure in all of them. (Job 38:26-27; Job 39). When His handiwork is carelessly

destroyed, He does not laugh. (Revelation 11:18).In conclusion, the Bible both recommends and

mandates ecological practices.

The ecological principles of the Bible are just as applicable in the current search for

sustainability, despite the fact that contemporary life can present different difficulties.

2. The type of meat you consume matters. Speak to the children of Israel and tell them, "These

are the animals that you may eat among all the animals that are in the earth." Leviticus 11:2. (See

also Deuteronomy 14:3-20 and Genesis 7:2).

The Bible both recommends and mandates ecological practices. The ecological principles of the

Bible are just as applicable in the current search for sustainability, despite the fact that

contemporary life can present different difficulties. Meat has benefits as a food option because it

is rich in proteins and nutrients. According to the Bible, God made it possible for people to eat

animals "as the green herbs." (Genesis 9:3). However, not all meats are created equal, just as

many plants are poisonous or inedible to people. In addition to the fact that fish, birds, and other

animals have very different muscular structures from one another (as noted in 1 Corinthians

15:39), even meat from creatures that appear to be similar can vary from being reasonably

healthy to being dangerous depending on a variety of ecological and anatomical variables. This

idea is confirmed when one considers the types of flesh that God deems "clean" (fit for human

consumption) and "unclean."

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God undoubtedly provides regulations for our benefit, both mentally and physically.

(Deuteronomy 10:13). God's greater purpose cannot be discovered by examining the science

behind each law, and obedience cannot be replaced by study of the science. Nevertheless,

comprehending the factual knowledge contained in Leviticus 11 can aid in our understanding

that God's laws are not arbitrary but rather carefully crafted to serve His purposes, even if we do

not completely comprehend them.

In this article, let's concentrate on the ecology surrounding God's instructions, even though other

biological concerns (like digestive differences that make some meats more likely to transmit

disease) are equally instructive. It's important to note that the rules of the Bible only call for

inspection; you don't have to dissect an animal to determine if it's clean.

So what does ecology have to do with biblical dietary laws?

First the Bible disallows top land and airborne predators as a source of sustenance for people.

Animals that consume plants and have divided hooves are all clean because they also chew their

cud. Among the many flying animals Paraphrase: and scavengers are explicitly listed as. (Many

aquatic top predators are eliminated as well, since only fish with fins and scales are clean.)

It's intriguing to think about how environmentally sensible these restrictions are. Approximately

10% of an animal's total energy intake is used to increase its body mass; the remaining 90% is

wasted to its predator. That is, producing a pound of meat can take 10 times more resources at

each level of the food chain (or trophic level, as ecologists would put it).

Because of this sort of effect, environmental toxins may concentrate in predator flesh. (Known as

bio magnification). It also implies that there aren't many people in the world who have access to

the internet. Which then leaves them open to over-hunting. Getting a taste for carnivores is not

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only ineffective, but it can also upset the ecosystem's equilibrium. Predator populations (with

their typically high rates of reproduction) surge beyond equilibrium levels if humans seriously

restrict or eradicate predators, endangering plant species and other animal species through

overconsumption or competition.

There is yet another ethical argument against eating carnivores. Predators are more likely to

consume some infected meat because it is usually easier to catch weak and sick prey. According

to a study cited by the New York Times, mountain lions, for example, consume an abnormally

high percentage of mule deer suffering from chronic wasting disease, "a degenerative

neurological illness similar to mad cow disease." This truth can help the population of prey

animals by decreasing the likelihood that a healthy animal will come into contact with a disease.

But even if an infectious agent doesn't affect the predator that eats it, it doesn't follow that people

won't also be unaffected.

In a similar vein, the Bible demonstrates that people should not eat the animals that act as

nature's "clean-up crew." The maintenance of an ecosystem's nutrient cycle and the preservation

of its cleanliness and viability for other living things depends on scavengers, bottom eaters,

shellfish, and other species. An unclean sea creature that can filter more than 50 hours,

drastically improving water quality as it.

Environmental catastrophe can result from exploitation or pollution that affects population

levels.

Naturally, filter-feeding also concentrates dangerous bacteria, viruses, and algal toxins in oysters'

bodies, which is another excellent reason not to consume them. The interdependence of God's

creation is something He worries about, as evidenced by the biblical food laws. Read our piece

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"Clean and Unclean Animals: Does God Care What Meats We Eat?" for more details on how

and why to abide by God's rules regarding clean and unclean meats.

3. Earth-derived elements make up living creatures, and when they die, the earth is left behind.

Genesis 3:19 states, "You shall eat bread in the sweat of your face until you return to the ground,

for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and unto dust shall you return."

In the Bible, a cyclical connection between dirt and our bodies is described. In reality, research

concurs. After decomposition, the chemical components that make up people (and other

organisms) mix with the earth. Soil contains every component of the human organism, according

to this theory.

But they may not definitely find their final resting place in the soil. Some of these substances

move in cycles between the biosphere, the atmosphere, and the surface of the earth; the water,

carbon, and nitrogen cycles each include pathways for these substances to be absorbed by plants,

possibly eaten by animals in a chain, and then returned to the ground. Since they are obtained by

plants and animals, other important components have an even more direct pathway back into

organisms.

In other words, the Bible speaks of a circle of life in which nutrients are recycled for future

generations. The knowledge of how organisms grow is fundamentally based on this fact. It also

enables us to see how God has a purpose for everything He has created, even the unpleasant and

"messy" portions.

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 REFERENCES

Davis, Ellen F. Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture: An Agrarian Reading of the Bible.
Cambridge University Press, 2009.
Habel, Norman. The Earth Story in the Psalms and the Prophets. Sheffield Academic Press,
2000.
Trible, Phyllis. “Depatriarchalizing in Biblical Interpretation.” Journal of the American
Academy of Religion, vol. 41, no. 1, 1973, pp. 30-47.
Hiebert, Theodore. The Yahwist’s Landscape: Nature and Religion in Early Israel. Oxford
University Press, 1996.
Batchelor, Kathryn L. “The Bible and Ecology: Rediscovering the Community of Creation.”
Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology, vol. 50, no. 4, 1996, pp. 345-358.