Today, we face a time of climate change, loss of biodiversity and natural spaces, and a call for ecological justice. This environmental crisis forms the backdrop of an interpretive approach to the Bible that we call “ecological hermeneutics.”
What is ecological hermeneutics?
Ecological hermeneutics originated in the 1960s, when environmental issues started to gain public attention. In 1967, Lynn White Jr. published an influential essay called “The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis.” In this article, White named Christianity as one of the culprits for the environmental problems of his day. One of his arguments is that the creation accounts in Gen 1–3 legitimize human dominion over the rest of creation.
While some supported White’s essay, others critiqued its argumentation. Scholars began to explore critically what the biblical authors wrote about environmental issues and how others used these texts. The interpretive approach that emerged is what we call ecological hermeneutics. Today it exists in many variations and on several continents.
There is no consensus on how to define ecological hermeneutics. However, the term ecological refers to relationships among living beings and between living beings and the places in which they live. Hermeneutics is the art of interpretation. So ecological hermeneutics is an umbrella term for interpretations that focus on these relationships. This may include the role of human beings in relation to the rest of creation.
The Bible bursts with texts that concern ecological matters, even if written in times and contexts very different from our own. These texts span from creation poems to agricultural laws to visions of a new heaven and earth and more. The Bible is therefore a fertile ground to conduct ecological hermeneutics.
What are some ways to do ecological hermeneutics?
There is not one way of doing ecological hermeneutics. For this reason, ecological hermeneutics is an approach, not a theory or a method. Scholars who engage ecological hermeneutics use different theories and methods in this approach, but they all share a focus on ecological issues.
Some scholars are concerned with how the biblical authors viewed ecological questions in their ancient contexts. One example is how the author(s) of Gen 1:26–28 understood the role of human beings in relation to the rest of creation. Others focus on the biblical texts as artefacts, looking at how literary devices underscore certain ecological views. For example, a scholar may examine how rhetorical devices in Paul’s letters convey ecological issues. A third possibility is to look at uses of biblical texts in the history of interpretation, from ancient times till today. An example could be how a movie interprets biblical texts in view of ecological disasters.
There are many scholars who work with ecological hermeneutics, and there are also a few larger projects. One example is the Earth Bible Project, an ongoing international project designed to evaluate biblical traditions through an ecological lens. Its adherents identify with the oppressed Earth (the entire ecosystem) and attempt to retrieve its voice in biblical interpretation.
Another example is the Exeter Project (2006–2009), which argued that interpretations either tend to recover ecological wisdom from biblical texts or resist biblical messages that are detrimental to the environment. One of its aims was to propose new ways of reading biblical texts for Christian ecological theology. To do so, it considered the texts’ ancient contexts, theological tradition and ethics, and present-day sciences.
A third example is the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians, which works with many approaches. One is to combine ecological hermeneutics with African biblical hermeneutics. This places African contexts, biblical texts, and ecological concerns in dialogue with each other. In interpreting the Bible, the Circle focuses particularly on how ecology and women’s situations intersect with each other.
Ecological hermeneutics serves various purposes. Many do ecological hermeneutics to advance theoretical knowledge. Some also do it to provide a solid foundation for ministers in their pastoral work. Scholars who use this approach often convey, directly or indirectly, a normative stance: to advance a healthier natural environment. Some also work for ecojustice, which means that they combine the environmental concerns with social justice issues. For example, they may do ecological hermeneutics as a basis for education that advocates social justice, or for community-building projects. What unites them all is the intersection between ecological concerns and biblical texts.
Bibliography
- Berman, Sidney K., Paul L. Leshota, Malebogo Kgalemang, and Ericka S. Dunbar. “Editorial: Mother Earth, Mother Africa and Bible Studies.” Pages 17–36 in Mother Earth, Mother Africa and Biblical Studies: Interpretations in the Context of Climate Change. Edited by Sidney K. Berman, Paul L. Leshota, Ericka S. Dunbar, Musa W. Dube, and Malebogo Kgalemang. BiAS 29. University of Bamberg Press, 2021.
- Habel, Norman C. “Introducing Ecological Hermeneutics.” Pages 1–8 in Exploring Ecological Hermeneutics. Edited by Norman C. Habel and Peter Trudinger. Symposium. Society of Biblical Literature, 2008.
- Horrell, David G. “Introduction.” Pages 1–12 in Ecological Hermeneutics: Biblical, Historical and Theological Perspectives. Edited by David G. Horrell, Cherryl Hunt, Christopher Southgate, and Francesca Stavrakopoulou. T&T Clark, 2010.
- Kavusa, Kivatsi J. “Ecological Hermeneutics and the Interpretation of Biblical Texts Yesterday, Today and Onwards: Critical Reflection and Assessment.” Old Testament Essays 32 (2019): 229–55.
- Marlow, Hilary, and Mark Harris, eds. The Oxford Handbook of the Bible and Ecology. Oxford Handbooks Series. Oxford University Press, 2022.
- White, Lynn Jr. “The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis.” Science 155 (1967): 1203–7.
