Crown of Creation? : Origins of Christian Anthropocentrism and Possibilities of Overcoming.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Rosenberger, Michael.

Series:

Interdisziplinäre Tierethik Interdisciplinary Animal Ethics Series

Interdisziplinäre Tierethik | Interdisciplinary Animal Ethics Band 4

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 Online Resscource

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Baden-Baden Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG 2024

Baden-Baden : Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft, 2024.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Since the 1960s, it has been recognised that Christian anthropocentrism has contributed significantly to current environmental destruction and the exploitation of animals. This study is the first to reconstruct the beginnings of this development. This shows that although many theologians of the early church were very Creation- and animal-friendly, they adopted the anthropocentrism of Greco-Roman mainstream philosophy. Based on this analysis, alternative concepts of Christian Creation theology are developed that transform the entire network of ideas into which anthropocentrism is woven. This facilitates recognition of the dignity of all creatures.

Seit den 1960er Jahren ist anerkannt, dass der christliche Anthropozentrismus wesentlich zur gegenwärtigen Umweltzerstörung und zur Ausbeutung der Tiere beigetragen hat. Erstmals werden die Anfänge dieser Entwicklung rekonstruiert. Dabei zeigt sich, dass viele Theologen der frühen Kirche sehr schöpfungs- und tierfreundlich waren und dennoch den Anthropozentrismus der griechisch-römischen Mainstream-Philosophie übernommen haben. Auf Basis dieser Analyse werden alternative Konzepte christlicher Schöpfungstheologie entwickelt, die das gesamte Netzwerk an Ideen transformieren, in das der Anthropozentrismus eingewoben ist. Damit öffnen sich Türen, um die Würde aller Geschöpfe anzuerkennen.

Contents:

Cover

Preface from the co-editor

Foreword

1 Anthropocentrism as Christian patrimony. About the question of this book

1.1 The current Roman Catholic position on the moral status of animals

1.1.1 The 1991 Catechism of the Catholic Church

1.1.2 The 2015 encyclical Laudato si'

1.2 Clarification of the term "anthropocentrism"

1.3 The central question of this book

1.4 Ten core theses of this study

1.5 The structure of this book

2 Prehistory 1: Animals in the pre-Hellenistic writings of the Bible

2.1 Animals in the older Creation narrative (Gen 2-8): Companions and Fates

2.2 Animals in the younger Creation narrative (Gen 1-9): Co-habitants and covenant partners

2.3 Animals in the instructions of the Torah: addressees of justice

2.4 The vision of the peace of creation

2.5 Contribution: Anthropocentrism in the pre-Hellenistic Bible?

3 Prehistory 2: Animals in Greco-Roman Philosophy

3.1 Setting the course in the pre-Socratic era

3.2 Theological Anthropocentrism in Socrates

3.3 Reason as the driver in Plato's work

3.4 Broad development of the aloga thesis in Aristotle

3.5 Perfecting rationalist anthropocentrism in the Stoa

3.5.1 The oikeiosis doctrine as a framing theory

3.5.2 Animal Behaviour as Natural

3.5.3 Rationality as a proprium of the human being

3.5.4 Teleologically strict anthropocentrism

3.5.5 No legal community between humans and animals

3.5.6 Summary: The Core Aspects of Stoic Anthropocentrism

3.6 Criticism of the Stoic Mainstream by a Minority

3.6.1 Tiberius Iulius Alexander

3.6.2 Plutarch of Chaironeia

3.6.3 Sextus Empiricus

3.6.4 Kelsos

3.6.5 Porphyrios of Tyros

3.6.6 Summary

4 Prehistory 3: Pre-Patristic Traces of the Hellenisation of Biblical Animal Ethics

4.1 The late Old Testament texts

4.2 Philon of Alexandria.

4.3 The testimonies of the New Testament

4.3.1 Jesus of Nazareth

4.3.2 Paul of Tarsos

4.3.3 The Gospels

4.3.4 The late New Testament epistolary literature

4.3.5 The Early Church's Detachment from the Commandment of Ritual Slaughter

4.4 On the threshold from the biblical to the patristic period

5 Traces of animal ethics in early Christian literature

5.1 Tatian

5.2 Theophilos of Antioch

5.3 Irenaeus of Lyons

5.4 Clement of Alexandria

5.5 Tertullian

5.6 Origen

5.6.1 About the beginnings

5.6.2 The Homilies on Genesis

5.6.3 The treatise against Kelsos

5.6.4 Summary

5.7 Lactance

5.8 Aphrahat

5.9 Ephraim the Syrian

5.10 Cyril of Jerusalem

5.11 Basil of Caesarea

5.11.1 Sermons on various topics and occasions

5.11.2 The nine homilies to the Hexaemeron

5.12 Gregory of Nyssa

5.13 Ambrose of Milan

5.14 John Chrysostom

5.15 Nemesios of Emesa

5.16 Pseudo-Athenagoras

5.17 Jerome

5.18 Augustine of Hippo

5.18.1 First approach to determining the differences between humans and animals

5.18.2 Appreciation of animal skills

5.18.3 The specifically human capabilities

5.18.4 Humans' and animals' relationship to God

5.18.5 Ethical consequences for humans and animals

5.18.6 The question of meat consumption

5.18.7 Valuing even the least creatures

5.18.8 Weak anthropocentrism and cautious criticism of anthropocentrism

5.18.9 Summary

5.19 The Animal Ethical Impetuses of Early Christian Theology in the Context of Hellenism. A Summary

5.19.1 The Church Fathers and the Fixed Points of Stoic-Hellenistic Philosophy

5.19.2 The Church Fathers and Biblical Animal Ethics

6 On the (further) development of Christian animal ethics

6.1 You are wanted! The question of God's providence

6.1.1 Historical Philosophy/Theology

6.1.2 Systematic theological.

6.2 Saved as the Body of God. The Question of Man's Endowment with Reason and his Relationship with Christ

6.2.1 Ethological

6.2.2 Christological

6.2.3 Eschatological

6.3 "The ultimate purpose of other creatures is not to be found in us" (LS 83). The question of the teleological interpretation of natural processes

6.3.1 Particular teleonomies and comprehensive teleology

6.3.2 Biocentrism as the most appropriate teleology

6.4 Body signals for the good. The question of the importance of feelings

6.4.1 Greek scepticism towards feelings

6.4.2 Feelings as a Constitutive Component of Reason

6.5 "Come to me, brother wolf!" The question about animals and plants

6.6 Crown of Creation? A conclusion

Source texts of the Church Fathers

Literature

Bible passages register

Register of Magisterial Documents

Register of Persons.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

9783748940289

OCLC:

1429615632

Access Restriction:

Open Access Unrestricted online access