The Natural History of the Bible: An Environmental Exploration of the Hebrew Scriptures

371 Pages·2005·4.53 MB·English

by  Daniel Hillel

The Natural History of the Bible
East–west (above) and north–south (below) physiographic transects of Canaan.
DANIEL HILLEL
Th Thee NNaattuurraall HHiissttoorryy
ooff tthhee BBiibbllee
AN ENVIRONMENTAL
EXPLORATION OF THE
HEBREW SCRIPTURES
Columbia University Press New York
Columbia University Press
Publishers Since 893
New York Chichester, West Sussex
Copyright © 2006 Daniel Hillel
All rights reserved
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hillel, Daniel.
The natural history of the Bible : an environmental exploration
of the Hebrew scriptures / Daniel Hillel.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0–23–3362–6 (cloth : alk. paper)
. Bible. O.T.—Criticism, interpretation, etc. 2. Human ecology in the Bible.
3. Human ecology—Biblical teaching. 4. Human ecology—Religious aspects—
Judaism. I. Title.
BS99.N34H55 2005
22.9'—dc22 2005050740
Columbia University Press books are printed
on permanent and durable acid-free paper.
Printed in the United States of America
c 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 
Dedicated to the gentle spirit and enduring legacy of my grandfather,
Haim Mordekhai Fromberg, ‘alaiv hashalom

CONTENTS
Acknowledgments ix
A Note on Translation xi
Chronology xiii
PROLOGUE
A Personal Testament

. ENVIRONMENT AND CULTURE
A Premise and Its Implications

2. THE ECOLOGICAL CONTEXT
A Region of Disparate Domains
26
3. THE FIRST RIVERINE DOMAIN
Influence of Mesopotamia
40
4. THE PASTORAL DOMAIN
Legacy of the Bedouin Patriarchs
54
5. THE SECOND RIVERINE DOMAIN
Sojourn and Slavery in Egypt
87
VIII CONTENTS
6. THE DESERT DOMAIN
Wanderings in Sinai and the Negev
8
7. THE RAINFED DOMAIN
Settlement in the Hill District of Canaan
40
8. THE MARITIME DOMAIN
Interactions with Philistines and Phoenicians
63
9. THE URBAN DOMAIN
Convergence of King and Cult in Jerusalem
77
0. THE EXILE DOMAIN
Expulsion, Survival, Revival, and Return
93
. THE OVERARCHING UNITY
Culmination of Ethical Monotheism
206
EPILOGUE
The Lasting Relevance of Early Ecological Influences
22
APPENDIXES
. On the Historical Validity of the Bible 229
2. Perceptions of Humanity’s Role on God’s Earth 24
3. Selected Passages Regarding the Seven Domains 247
Notes 277
Bibliography 39
Index 339
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
HEN I first chose the title of this book, I was unaware that it had been
W
used before. Only later did I discover that the English naturalist and
explorer Henry B. Tristram had published a book with the same title as long
ago as 873, under the aegis of the London- based Society for Promoting Chris-
tian Knowledge. His is indeed a beautiful book, elegantly written and richly
illustrated, remarkable for its time and still fascinating to read. However, while
describing the geography, climate, fauna, and flora of the Holy Land, as it was
then known, Tristram made no attempt to define and interpret the cultural
evolution of the Israelite people and of their Scriptures as influenced by the
natural environment. Hence I tend to think of Tristram’s book as “the natural
history of the land of the Bible” (as, indeed, he defined it in his preface), rather
than as the natural history of the Bible per se. So while I credit the pioneering
explorer Henry Tristram with originating the title, I feel free to use it some 30
years later.
Several colleagues read parts of the manuscript at various stages of its devel-
opment. Among them were Professor Michal Artzy of Haifa University; Profes-
sor Bill Dalesky of Hebrew University, Jerusalem; Professor Raymond Scheindlin
of Jewish Theological Seminary, New York; Dr. Vivien Gornitz of the Goddard
Institute, New York; Dr. David Arnow of the New Israel Foundation, New York;
Professors Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim of Bucknell University, Lewis-
burg, Pennsylvania; and—last but certainly not least—author Bill McKibben.
Others with whom I discussed different aspects of the subject include Profes-