University lecture contemplates end of the world and the Bible’s blurred lines between animals and humans

HOPE in our apocalyptic world and the boundary between humans and animals in the Bible is the subject of a University of Chichester open lecture this month.

Biblical scholar Dr Hannah Strømmen and philosopher Dr Tommy Lynch, from the University’s department of Humanities, will be presenting their newly-published research on Thursday 25 April.

According to Genesis 1:27, humans are made in God’s image, animals, seemingly, are not afforded such privilege. Due to such passages, many see the Bible as responsible for privileging the human over the animal.

In Biblical Animality, Dr Strømmen analyses biblical texts regarding the boundaries between humans and animals in relation to the divine by drawing on the work of French philosopher Jacques Derrida. Building on Derrida’s later work, Dr Strømmen will examine moments where the lines between the divine, human, and animal are ambiguous in a range of biblical texts, from Noah as the first carnivorous man in Genesis 9 to Revelation’s beasts.

Meanwhile, in a world of climate change, inequality, oppressive gender roles and racism, Dr Lynch will ask whether it is possible to maintain hope. In the Apocalyptic Political Theology lecture, he argues that the German writer Hegel’s philosophy of religion contains an implicit political theology.

“When viewed in connection with Hegel’s wider work on subjectivity, history and politics, this political theology is a resource for apocalyptic thinking,” added Dr Lynch. He explores the long tradition of drawing on apocalyptic ideas in moments when it seems like there it is impossible to imagine solutions to looming crises.

The lectures start at 5:30pm on Thursday 25 April in room 2.01 of the University’s academic building, Bishop Otter campus, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 6PE. Tickets are free but should be booked in advance from event organised Heather Ballamy at H.Ballamy@chi.ac.uk.

To find out more about Dr Hannah Strømmen and Dr Tommy Lynch’s research at the University of Chichester go to www.chi.ac.uk/theology.