Een goddelijke droom voor mens en dier: Een ecologisch-kritische en eschatologische lezing van de dierensubjectiviteit in Genesis 1-11

This dissertation offers a comprehensive hermeneutic of the human-animal relationship in Genesis 1-9, applying the Hermeneutical Approach of the Normativity of the Future (HANF)—an interpretive framework that integrates the historical, literary, and reader-oriented dimensions of the text. This attempt is motivated by contemporary ethical concerns regarding animal welfare and the enduring normative influence of Genesis 1-9 in shaping theological and cultural attitudes toward non-human creatures. I have pursued this goal across six chapters. Chapter 1 identifies a gap in the recent ecological readings of Genesis 1-9, which tend to apply ideology critique without fully integrating the relavant historical and literary insights. Posthumanist readings have been helpful in exploring fluid human-animal boundaries but often downplay literary, historical and theological perspectives of the text. This chapter highlights the need for a more integrated hermeneutic—leading to the adoption of HANF. Chapter 2 surveys exegetical interpretations of human dominion in Genesis 1-9, focusing on how the notion of human authority over animals has been understood. It identifies four key issues: the dominance of anthropocentric ideology, fragmented treatments of human dominion, neglect of the text's heterogeneous animal portrayals, and insufficient exploration of themes that challenge the notion of human dominion. These concerns frame the need for HANF-based readings that address these complexities. Chapter 3 introduces HANF as a hermeneutic strategy that engages with ancient texts' ideological content while remaining sensitive to their future orientation. It draws on Gadamer, Ricoeur, and Christian eschatology to address oppressive elements in normative texts. Although grounded in Christian theology, HANF is adaptable for Hebrew Bible interpretation due to its inclusive principles and traditional exegetical grounding. It is particularly suited to Genesis 1-9, a text rich in future-oriented themes and interspecies references. Chapter 4 explores ancient Israelite attitudes toward animals across five domains: taxonomy, domestication, dietary and cultic practices, and supernatural representations. The Israelites expressed concern for animal well-being through legal protections, dietary restrictions, and sacrificial norms that reflected the elevated status of animals. Their positive view of animals is also evident in how they ascribed divine traits to them in response to neighbouring cultural influences. Chapter 5 offers a literary analysis of Genesis 1-9, showing that human dominion is neither absolute nor static. Themes such as creation-uncreation-recreation, the ideal of theocentrism, and initial divine approval of vegetarianism relativize human dominion over animals. The narrative features both human-animal hostility and cooperation, culminating in the Noahic covenant, which affirms divine concern for all creatures and envisions a multi-species world. Chapter 6 applies HANF to develop an animal-friendly reading of Genesis 1-9. It highlights implicit and explicit elements that destabilize anthropocentric paradigms—particularly the covenantal inclusion of animals and the motif of biodiversity. The Noahic covenant underscores the divine vision of an everlasting multi-species world. The divine-human-animal relationship is envisioned within a theocentric framework, in which all creation is dependent on God. This framework carries significant ethical implications for promoting animal welfare and ecological responsibility today.