God's Commitment to the Non-Human Creation: The Ecology of Sin and its Eschatological Implication According to Amos, Hosea, and First Isaiah

Abstract

Although there has been a renewed interest in ecological readings of the Hebrew Bible, there is little analysis on the cosmic relationship between sin and the non-human world. Even less reflection has been devoted to how the ecology of sin is related to eschatological thought within the prophetic corpus. Yet, voices within the prophetic corpus speak about both the ecology of sin and God's commitment to the non-human creation eschatologically, including the classical prophets Amos, Hosea, and First Isaiah. These three books speak about these two themes, and while there has been some research concerning their views of the non-human creation ecologically, there has been limited analysis of their views of the non-human creation eschatologically. This study examines salient passages within the books of Amos, Hosea, and First Isaiah in order to understand how human sin affects the interrelatedness of the created order and the ensuing cosmic implications of prophetic eschatology; that is, how God's judgement and redemption involve the whole cosmos. First, this study locates the pertinent passages that consider the themes of the interrelatedness of the cosmic order, the role of the non-human creation in judgement and eschatology, and the overall eschatological implications. Second, employing literary and theological methods, the research examines the relevant passages in their present form of the Masoretic Text in order to discern prominent themes related to the non-human creation and eschatological thought. Finally, after summarising the findings, the research concludes by synthesising the main themes discovered amongst the three voices and noting both their similarities and differences. A close reading of these passages reveals the prominent role the non-human creation plays in both judgement and eschatological acts. YHWH is committed not only to humanity but also to the non-human creation, empowering her and partnering with her to bring renewal to the cosmological order. That Amos, Hosea, and First Isaiah proclaim similar messages emphasises the important eschatological role of the non-human creation.

Date of Award	1 Jan 1824
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	The University of Manchester