The Hebrew Bible and Environmental Ethics

Mari Joerstad is Research Associate at the Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University, North Carolina, where she works on Facing the Anthropocene, a project funded by the Henry Luce Foundation.

'In this groundbreaking study, Mari Joerstad has found a new convergence between biblical studies and ecology. Exploring the 'living landscapes' of the Bible, from the creation texts of Genesis to the Song of Songs, Joerstad has charted a new landscape of research as well as a new pathway for action, one that has a distinctly aesthetic trajectory. In this work, the author proves to be both an artist and an exegete, a welcome combination.' William P. Brown, William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament, Columbia Theological Seminary

• 1. Introduction; 2. Interacting with the world: 'new animism', metaphor theory, and personalistic nature texts; 3. A watchful world: personalistic nature texts in the Torah; 4. A sentient world: personalistic nature texts in the Prophets; 5. An articulate world: personalistic nature texts in the Writings; 6. Conclusion: befriending the world.