One Ecology , Worldview , and Values Toward Nature

In recent years a new focus has emerged in biblical interpretation: The role played by the natural world in shaping the religion and culture of the ancient Israelites, and their attitudes toward nature. Earlier biblical interpretation precluded this focus. As outlined in the Introduction, scholars interpreted the Bible from an exclusively history-oriented perspective. They focused on the events of human history and God’s activity in human affairs, but not on the relationship between humans and the natural world. They claimed that the natural world did not play a significant role in the development of Israelite religion and culture, and the Israelites attributed no divine qualities or importance to nature. Nature was viewed as physical material created by God for human use. Earlier biblical scholars simply did not deem the natural world to be a significant category of investigation. Consequently, readers of the Bible who are interested in ancient Israel’s relationship with its environment are faced with a two-fold dilemma: How can this subject be investigated, and how can the data resulting from an investigation be organized into a meaningful interpretation?