RT Article
T1 Parrēsia beyond Humankind? Exploring the Representation of the Voice of Creation in the Epistle to the Romans
JF Journal of early Christian history
VO 14
IS 1
SP 1
OP 15
A1 Smit, Peter-Ben 1979-
A1 Veerbeek, Iris
A2 Veerbeek, Iris
LA English
YR 2024
UL https://ixtheo.de/Record/1900825813
AB In this article, the notion of parrēsia, freedom of speech, is explored with regard to the voice of (non-human) nature in Paul’s Epistle to the Romans. Instances from chs. 1, 8, and 11 of this letter are discussed in interaction with both the broader discourse on parrēsia and the newer approach of “wild pedagogies” that focuses on allowing nature to speak for itself. The exegetical findings are sobering, as it becomes clear that Paul’s appeals to what can be conceptualised as the “voice of nature” in his letter are to be seen as his representation and rhetorical use of this voice primarily. This result can also serve as a reminder to be careful within the fields of eco-theology and eco-hermeneutics when it comes to appealing to the voice of nature without considering that it is often humans speaking for nature, rather than nature speaking for itself.
K1 wild pedagogies
K1 Paul
K1 parrēsia
K1 Nature
K1 Hermeneutics
K1 Epistle to the Romans
K1 Ecology
DO 10.1080/2222582X.2023.2254022