What is humanity? Who is God? The blessing, praise, and failures of human dominion over nature in the Hebrew Bible

Abstract

According to Genesis 1:26-28 humans were created and blessed with dominion over other animals. This blessing seemingly separates humans from the rest of nature, and as such, has been widely interpreted as a justification for humanity’s claim to the use and abuse of the natural world. But why does Genesis 1 speak of dominion in the first place? And, if dominion is such an important and enduring feature of humanity, why is the idea mentioned only in Genesis 1 and in Psalm 8:7 in the Hebrew Bible? Furthermore, why do some other texts, such as the book of Job, seem to present an alternate worldview that challenges the very notion that humans can have dominion? This thesis seeks to explore the concept of dominion by analysing the reasons for its appearances in Genesis 1 and Psalm 8, and its absence from the book of Job. It will be argued that these texts are all somehow aware of each other, and as such, can be understood as examples of inner-biblical exegesis. By examining the differences in how human dominion over animals is described in each of these texts, this thesis will attempt to show how dominion is not a fixed concept, but instead a dynamic and evolving theology within the Hebrew Bible. It will be argued that this evolution is driven by a range of different literary, contextual, and psychological influences on Genesis 1, Psalm 8, and the book of Job. It is hoped that this analysis of the changing nature of dominion will offer insights for future application in the field of Ecological Hermeneutics.