Creation: A Biblical Vision for the Environment PDF
Preview Creation: A Biblical Vision for the Environment
CREATION This page intentionally left blank CREATION A Biblical Vision for the Environment MARGARET BARKER Published by T&T Clark International A Continuum Imprint The Tower Building, 80 Maiden Lane, 11 York Road, Suite 704, New York, London SE1 7NX NY 10038 www.continuumbooks.com All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any i nformation storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Copyright © Margaret Barker, 2010 Margaret Barker has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identifi ed as the Author of this work. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN: 978–0-567–44103-4 (Hardback) 978–0-567–01547-1 (Paperback) Typeset by Newgen Imaging Systems Pvt Ltd, Chennai, India Printed and bound in Great Britain by CPI Antony Rowe, Chippenham, Wiltshire For Maria Becket This page intentionally left blank CONTENTS Foreword ix Preface xi Introduction 1 Chapter 1 VISION OF CREATION 34 Chapter 2 BEGINNING CREATION 73 Chapter 3 WEAVING CREATION 108 Chapter 4 RESTORING CREATION 149 Chapter 5 HIGH PRIEST OF CREATION 193 Chapter 6 EMBRACING CREATION 237 Bibliography 289 Index of Biblical and Ancient Texts 303 Index of Persons, Places and Subjects 321 This page intentionally left blank FOREWORD by His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew The crisis that we face is - as we all now know and as we all readily admit - not primarily ecological but religious; it has less to do with the environment and more to do with spiritual consciousness. It is a crisis concerning the way we imagine the world; it 4s a crisis, ultimately, over the image that we have of our planet. The starting-point, then, is our worldview, the vision that we have of creation and the environment. We are treating the earth in a senseless, even godless manner because we fail to see it as a divine gift inherited from above and owed to future generations. Unless we radically change the way that we perceive the world, then we will simply be dealing with symptoms, not their causes. We require a new image of the world if we hope for "a new heaven and a new earth." (Rev. 21:1) Yet, far too often, we search for solutions to the environmental crisis without taking the time to explore the roots of our civilization, especially as these are revealed in the sacred texts of our Judaeo-Christian faith. Thus, we should act less hastily and search instead foi fundaiiicfltal cormsctions between our vision and our praxis, between the Scriptural texts and the nature of our mission in the world. This book is precisely about the biblical vision for the environment. For this reason, we are all indebted to Ms. Margaret Barker for her tireless efforts to articulate a Scriptural vision that will affirm the sacred bonds between Creator and creation. Indeed, Ms. Barker has sought over many years to live out and "materialize" this vision through her commitment, contribution and participation in the international, interfaith and interdisciplinary Symposia organized by the Religion, Science and the Environment committee of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Therefore, we extend herewith our blessing also to her research and writing in this critical and growing area with the publication of this important book. At the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the 29th of June 2009 Your fervent supplicant before God, I ^^vZp^V^WS1 -^P)«pU^f ( // ( BARTHOLOMEW Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch
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