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

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Reading The Natural History of the Bible is like taking a trip to one of the most fascinating regions on the planet with a world class environmental scientist as your guide. Seeing the biblical landscape through Daniel Hillel's eyes allows you to notice aspects of the text that you've probably ignored regardless of how much time you've spent with the Hebrew Scriptures. Far from being unimportant background features, Hillel makes a strong case that that the succession of diverse habitats in which the ancient Israelites found themselves helped shape the development of their commitment to monotheism. In addition to a sharp eye for the details of the biblical landscape, the author has an ear for the language of the Bible that many trained linguists would envy. Hillel presents not only a fresh reading of ancient texts, but a passionate pleading for surrendering the widely held but dangerously simplistic view that blames our present environmental crisis on the Bible--i.e. on God's instruction to Adam and Eve that they, and their descendents "subdue" the earth. Hillel concludes that "using the Bible to justify or even to explain the abuse of the nature is an abuse of the Bible." If you're looking for an eminently readable book that will transform your understanding of the Bible and the natural world this is it.

The more I reflect on this exceptional work, the more I am convinced that it represents a new paradigm for understanding the Bible. Not only does it persuasively link every symbol,linguistic nuance, holiday cycle, calendric change and moments of social evolution to the transit of the Israelites across the successive ecosystems they experienced, but most dramatically, even the central core of Israelite belief, monotheism, becomes an inevitable outcome of this passage. Given the need for an all-powerful force that will guarantee rainfall, prevent drought and the scourge of crop failure and protect as well from the assault of invaders, a utilitarian agreement is struck. Strict adherence to a table of personal and social behavior in exchange for divine protection. Every lapse in the agreement is, ipso facto, the failure of the human partner to fulfill his obligation--a concept that remains the core of orthodox belief. Every page, every footnote is rich in material, all relevant, a great deal surprising in the connections which are elaborated among language, cultures and environment. Indeed, one can already foresee a second edition, more generous in format, which permits a less demanding scrutiny of the wonderful illustrations and diagrams which abound.

In summary, a tour de force without knowlege of which every student of the Bible and the cultural world which derives from it cannot feel complete.

Haim Gunner, Ph.D.

Professor Emeritus, Environmental Sciences

University of Massachusetts

I have been writing to many of my friends urging them to read this very special book. Why? I'm awed by the sheer volume and depth and density of its material. The sidebars and notes are an education in themselves. Daniel Hillel takes his readers on a journey through Jewish history, the Hebrew Bible and across the land of Israel - and what an enlightening tour guide he is!

On a personal level, this book has given me one more way to explore and view Jewish history and my own beliefs. I did a small bit of serious studies ages ago, when I was in my teens, but there was a long lapse until I picked it up a few years back. It's becoming increasingly important to me and I'm grateful for everything that helps me in a search to find some intelligent sense in my Jewish universe.

What else do I like so much about Daniel Hillel's book? That he explores and explains the meaning of words. His appreciation of women. And the beauty of his language. I was especially moved by the passages on the "land of your fathers" and the spirit of the desert.

I hope that this book will generate interest in reading the Bible from an environmental perspective. I think that it deserves to be seen as an important reference in the field of biblical studies.

I just received this book, but already its looking like it will be one of those rare gems of biblical writing where I get to make up my own mind rather than the author polluting the topic with his/her own dogma. It is very hard to find a book that is balanced in the genre of religion. Apparently, this author is Jewish, which will be a nice change since most authors on the Abrahamic linage I come across seem to be Christian. I follow the Teaching of Jesus personally, but really enjoy other perspectives besides the same old fiat that gives no critical eye to any of the Bible's history. Yep, I have high hopes for this book. Not many of these around. Even if you are a dyed in the wool traditionalist, you will enjoy the read. I doubt this man will offend you, you'll just dismiss anything that disagrees with your 'rightness' on the subject and move on.

The previous six reviews make the main points, especially about Daniel Hillel's excellent study of the actual environmental attitudes in the Bible--so different from the "dominion" line unfortunately placed early in Genesis. The one thing worth adding is that this is an introductory book. It retells Biblical history up to the end of the Babylonian Captivity, with descriptions of the natural and agricultural landscapes. If you want to go on and find out about animals and plants, I have some suggestions that are off the beaten path but absolutely not to be missed. Hillel cites two of them, both confusingly called PLANTS OF THE BIBLE. One is by H. and A. Moldenke and came out in 1952; it is best for folklore and uses. The other is by D. Zohary, and came out in 1982; it's best for the botany. The Zohary family has written several newer books too, cited in Hillel.

More obscure but really good is an essay by Eugene Hunn: 1979. "The Abominations of Leviticus Revisited: A Commentary on Anomaly in Symbolic Anthropology." In: Ellen, Roy F., and David Reason (eds.), Classifications in Their Social Context. London: Academic Press. Pp. 103-116.

This is by far the best (indeed, the only thorough and accurate) article on why some animals were banned and some were not. Basically, the ones that shed blood or eat carrion are banned, and a few others that Hunn explains.

Finally, a truly amazing book: A SHEPHERD LOOKS AT PSALM 23, by Phillip Keller. Keller was a sheep farmer, and he brings out the full depth of Psalm 23 ("The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want...") by explaining all the lore about taking care of sheep that is implied in it. The pastoral Israelites knew all this, but modern urban readers don't, and thus miss far too much of the wonderful symbolism in this poem. The book reminds us of how much of the Bible relies on natural symbol and metaphor that the original readers know, but we now tend to miss. For instance, when Isaiah (34:11) is describing future punishments in the land, he says "the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it." This means it will become a salt marsh from overirrigation. Hillel explains the process but does not note that cormorants and bitterns in the Holy Land live in salt marshes. And the Song of Songs is metaphoric on several levels; Moldenke and Moldenke explain a lot of the floral and spice symbolism in it.

I wonder what Biblical literalists do with these passages.

I found this book immensely helpful in gaining a perspective on the circumstances under which the Hebrew Bible came into being. It may not be as comprehensive as possible, but the subject matter is so very large and encompasses such a long time stretching so far back into antiquity that the relative brevity here is appreciated. At times, the generalities seem a bit too broad with, I would say, an occasional overemphasis on one side of the story, but the book maintains a moderate tone. Overall, I greatly appreciated the courage of the author's scientific approach in taking a clear look at what might have actually happened.

What was it like living during Biblical times? The author explains the characteristics of the ecological domains of the Fertile Crescent: the maritime, riverine, rainfed, pastoral, and desert domains. The only reliably stable place was along the Nile River. The Tigris and Euphrates were subject to hazardous floods (such as during the time of Noah) and an uncontrollable rise in the water table that caused waterlogging and soil salination. Every place else, including the rainfed highlands, was subject to either too little rain or too much at one time.

The unpredictability of the land made for hostile conditions and provoked conflict between people competing for scarce resources. Fascinating is the explanation on the Bedouin use of hospitality in the example drawn from a story about Abraham. The kind of expansive hospitality shown by pastoralists such as Abraham was by no means shared by town dwellers. The author explains that above all the pastoralists needed information about safe water holes and uncontested grazing land. The dangers and unknowns of such an environment also encouraged people to bond together and to adopt an exclusivity of customs and laws. This exclusivity promoted a sense of honor which caused blood feuds and revenge between rival groups.

The people of that time did not understand physical processes. For example, they did not understand the hydrologic cycle of evaporation and condensation. They thought that water leaked out of the sky at the whim or discretion of a deity. In fact, they were inclined to think everything occurred at the whim or discretion of a deity. There were many deities at that time including two especially prominent ones: Ba'al the storm god and Asharah (Astarte in Greek) the goddess of fertility. These two were principle competitors to Yahweh for the allegiance of the Isrealites; they were, in fact, generally more closely connected with natural phenomenon than Yahweh. The author relates how Yahweh became the unifying force for the Isrealites and makes a case that their evolving monotheistic religion marked a significant advance in the ethics of humankind.

This is a masterful book about the Landscape that wrote the Bible. As someone who has read passages from it every night for over a decade, I found it illuminating. Who wrote the Old Testament? What were they experiencing? Why is it, no matter where we are - desert, sea, forest, pastor - we can always find passages that continue to connect us with the land?