Environment & ecology: animal welfare ethics in the Bible

Many passages in the Bible are typically understood as teaching an explicit ethic of care and concern for animals and the environment. However, Biblical scholar Cyril Rodd challenged such readings of the Bible in his work “Glimpses of a Strange Land: Studies in Old Testament Ethics” (2001). This video subjects Rodd’s arguments to critical scrutiny. 00:07 Introduction 02:54 Animal ethics in the Law of Moses 11:00 Animal ethics in the wisdom literature & prophets 13:18 Animal ethics of Israel’s neighbors 15:50 Does the Bible sanction animal cruelty? 22:00 Is a biblical animal welfare ethic an anachronistic reading? 33:10 Conclusion All Bible quotations from the New English Translation. ______________________ Sources Boersema, J. J. The Torah and the Stoics on Humankind and Nature: Contribution to the Debate on Sustainability and Quality. BRILL, 2001. Bostock, Stephen St. C. Zoos and Animal Rights: The Ethics of Keeping Animals. London; New York: Routledge, 2004. Cohn-Sherbok, Dan. “Hope for the Animal Kingdom: A Jewish Vision.” A Communion of Subjects: Animals in Religion, Science, and Ethics. Edited by Paul Waldau and Kimberley C Patton. New York: Columbia University Press, 2006. Conradie, E. M. Christianity and Ecological Theology: Resources for Further Research. AFRICAN SUN MeDIA, 2006. den Dulk, Matthijs. “Origen of Alexandria and the History of Racism as a Theological Problem.” J Theol Studies 71.1 (2020): 164–95. Gordis, David M. “Ecology.” Etz Hayim Study Companion. Edited by Jacob Blumenthal and Janet L. Liss. Jewish Publication Society, 2005. Gottlieb, Roger S. “Faith, God, and Nature: Judaism and Deep Ecology.” Liberating Faith: Religious Voices for Justice, Peace, and Ecological Wisdom. Edited by Roger S. Gottlieb. Rowman & Littlefield, 2003. Halkes, Catharina J. M. New Creation: Christian Feminism and the Renewal of the Earth. Westminster John Knox Press, 1991. Hallo, William W., and K. Lawson Younger. Context of Scripture. Vol. 2. Leiden ; Boston: Brill, 2000. Halpern, Baruch. David’s Secret Demons: Messiah, Murderer, Traitor, King. Bible in Its World. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 2001. Jacob, Walter, and Moshe Zemer. Environment in Jewish Law: Essays and Responsa, 2003. Moore, Bryan L. Ecological Literature and the Critique of Anthropocentrism. Springer, 2017. Preuss, Horst Dietrich. Old Testament Theology. Vol. 2. Westminster John Knox Press, 1995. Reventlow, Henning Graf. “Creation as a Topic in Biblical Theology.” Creation in Jewish and Christian Tradition. Edited by Henning Graf Reventlow and Yair Hoffman. Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Supplement Series 319. A&C Black, 2002. Rodd, Cyril S. Glimpses of a Strange Land: Studies in Old Testament Ethics. Old Testament Studies. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2001. Santmire, H. Paul. The Travail of Nature: The Ambiguous Ecological Promise of Christian Theology. Fortress Press, 1985. Sarna, Nahum M. Exodus: Shemot. The JPS Torah Commentary. Philadelphia, PA: Jewish Publication Society, 1991. Simon, Uriel. Jonah: Yonah. The JPS Torah Commentary. Philadelphia, PA: Jewish Publication Society, 1999. Taylor, Bron Raymond, Jeffrey Kaplan, Laura Hobgood-Oster, Adrian J Ivakhiv, and Michael York, eds. The Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature. London; New York: Thoemmes Continuum, 2005. http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/1.... Tigay, Jeffrey H. Deuteronomy: Devarim. The JPS Torah Commentary. Philadelphia, PA: Jewish Publication Society, 1996. Tyler, Peter, and Richard Woods. The Bloomsbury Guide to Christian Spirituality. London: Bloomsbury, 2012. Waldau, Paul, and Kimberley Patton. A Communion of Subjects: Animals in Religion, Science, and Ethics. Columbia University Press, 2009. Wright, J. Robert. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon. InterVarsity Press, 2014.