Matthew 13.1–9 and Soil Degradation: A Subaltern and Ecological Reading

This article contributes to the discussion of soil degradation from the perspective of ecological biblical hermeneutics. It characterizes the interrelationship of human and more-than-human creation, particularly the various kinds of soils, in Mt. 13.1–9 through the lens of subalternity and symbiotic interrelationship. While the original application of subalternity was primarily focused on humans, its use was expanded by including the subordinated (subaltern) pair in traditional binaries: human/animal, culture/nature, and subject/object. This paper holds that the various kinds of soils, regarded as subalterns in this parable, are active characters in warning about soil degradation. They also hint at how they collaborate with more-than-human characters towards the lengthy process of soil regeneration and sustainability amidst the extractive agriculture in Roman-colonized Galilee. This ecological biblical reading of the parable contributes to ecological education to help achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 15: Life on Land amid eco-critical times.