Creation: A Biblical Vision for the Environment

339 Pages·2010·2.101 MB·English

by  Margaret Barker, Patriarch Bartholomew

CREATION
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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
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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
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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
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BARTHOLOMEW
Archbishop of Constantinople,
New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch