What Can Genesis (Still) Teach Us About Nature

     Today, I will discuss my experience of reading Genesis in a nature oriented way. I had, of course, heard and learnt about The Bible, but had never delved into a personal reading of the book. This allowed me to look at the book from a neutral perspective, and to analyse it as any other book with the literary tools I have acquired since I started studying literature. More clearly, it enabled me to start looking at the biblical narrative from an ecocritical perspective. I believe that this approach helps to understand the complex and ambiguous relationship between humans and nature. Indeed, the influence that the Bible had on our world cannot be stressed enough. Additionally, applying an ecocritical reading to the Bible helped me to change my mind about its contemporary relevance especially regarding the current climate crisis. To be as concise as possible, I will only use examples from Genesis as they are the most speaking in relation to my eco-critical approach.

     Genesis can be interpreted as undermining an eco-conscious philosophy. A certain understanding of Genesis depicts a relationship of dominance between humans and nature. The first chapters place mankind as a user of nature. In the very first one, the unnamed narrator of Genesis says: “God said, (…) let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, (…) and over all the earth” (Genesis, 1.26). The relationship to nature that is described here reassures readers of their right to subdue nature, to use it. In other words, human dominion over nature is presented as a divine right. Additionally, the book also opposes Man to nature, and it sometimes tends to show natural forces as an antagonist for mankind. This is the case for example when the serpent entices Eve to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Arguably, this suggests that mankind is not encouraged to cooperate with nature. Nature, represented by the serpent, can be stronger than human beings. Therefore, it must as Genesis already showed, be submitted. It is a dangerous force that eventually led to Man’s fall. Taking into consideration the book’s major influence, this interpretation of The Bible can serve as an argument in favour of the hierarchised relationship that was established between humans and the natural world.

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     However, another reading of the biblical narrative supports a more eco-conscious message. It is hard to find an eco-friendly interpretation to the quote mentioned at the beginning of the previous paragraph, but the second chapter of the book brings a nuance to it: “God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it” (Genesis 2.15). Here, God gives Man the task of being a caretaker of Eden. That is, he might subdue it but must nonetheless take care of it. As of the events surrounding Man’s fall, the serpent, a synecdoche for nature, is stronger than humans. Nature is therefore shown as having agency and not as solely inert and waiting to be used by human beings. Moreover, the eloquence of the serpent presents nature as having a voice and clearly, it is heard as Eve listens to it. There is another speaking example of Nature’s strength in chapter 9 when God says to Noah: “neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth” (Genesis 9.11). Reading this passage in our current context with an eco-conscious understanding of the book opens the door to an almighty Mother Nature, mightier than God. Indeed, the climate crisis makes disastrous floods become more and more common nowadays. Consequently, God’s covenant with Noah seems to be overlooked by Nature. Our relationship with nature can therefore be highlighted by these two ways in which the bible can be interpreted. Some see nature as dangerous and therefore as something to subdue, and some see it as something extremely powerful to look after.

     Evidently, the message delivered by the Bible is topical, complex and not one-sided. Both understandings of the book discussed here are to be considered and if the first one most probably serves as an argument in favour of the development of non-ecological ideologies, the ecofriendly reading of the book can serve as an argument for an eco-conscious ideology. This is the conclusion to which I arrived by experiencing the reading of Genesis. The more nature oriented close reading of it that I did made me realise the possible relevance of the biblical narrative in our modern world. In that way, it differs from my previous experiences related to the book. Unlike what I learnt at school or heard about; the message it conveys is not fixed. What the Bible teaches us is not limited to how one should behave towards other humans. It also brings out different philosophical approaches to other problems of this world, like the ongoing climate crisis.

Bibliography:

Carroll, Robert P., and Stephen Prickett. The Bible: Authorized King James Version with Apocrypha. Oxford University Press, 2008.

© Liam Magin. All Rights Reserved. This work is the intellectual property of the author. Do not copy or redistribute without permission.