Humans and non-humans as (נֶ֥פֶשׁ חַיָּֽה) and Ntu-beings : ecological appraisal of Gen 2:7 and 19 in dialogue with African-Bantu indigenous cosmology
dc.contributor.author | Kavusa, Kivatsi Jonathan | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2023-09-29T09:46:59Z | |
dc.date.available | 2023-09-29T09:46:59Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2022 | |
dc.description.abstract | The Hebrew text of Gen 2:7, 19 describes both humans and animals as nephesh hayya’ (living being). However, a large number of contemporary influential Bible translations render this expression differently for humans and animals. It is translated living being for humans (v.7), but living thing/creature for animals (v.19). This is however not justified by any clue in the text, which views humans and non-humans as both adamah-beings and nephesh hayyah. Likewise, African-Bantu cosmology depicts humans and non-humans as ntu-beings (muntu: human being; kintu: non-human being; hantu: place and time; kuntu: means or approach).The root ntu in the word kuntu implies that the way muntu (human being) interacts with other beings (kintu, hantu) must be informed by a vision of nature not as a “thing” but a living being. In addition to elements of socio-historical approaches and African-Bantu indigenous cosmology, this study makes uses of a hermeneutics of suspicion and the Earth Bible principle of mutual custodianship to retrieve ecological wisdom of Gen 2 in the African context. | en_US |
dc.description.department | Old Testament Studies | en_US |
dc.description.librarian | am2023 | en_US |
dc.description.sponsorship | Alexander von Humbold Stiftung. | en_US |
dc.description.uri | http://reference.sabinet.co.za/sa_epublication/oldtest | en_US |
dc.identifier.citation | Jonathan K. Kavusa, “Humans and non-humans as (נֶ֥פֶשׁ חַיָּֽה) and Ntu-beings: ecological appraisal of Gen 2:7 and 19 in dialogue with African-Bantu indigenous cosmology,” Old Testament Essays 35 no. 2 (2022): 149 – 169. DOI: https://DOI.org/10.17159/2312-3621/2022/v35n2a3. | en_US |
dc.identifier.issn | 1010-9919 (print) | |
dc.identifier.issn | 2312-3621 (online) | |
dc.identifier.other | 10.17159/2312-3621/2022/v35n2a3 | |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/2263/92607 | |
dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
dc.publisher | Old Testament Society of South Africa | en_US |
dc.rights | © Old Testament Society of South Africa | en_US |
dc.subject | Nephesh hayya | en_US |
dc.subject | Adam/adamah | en_US |
dc.subject | Genesis 2 | en_US |
dc.subject | African-Bantu indigenous cosmology | en_US |
dc.subject | Ecological hermeneutics | en_US |
dc.subject | Living being/soul/creature | en_US |
dc.subject | Humans and animals | en_US |
dc.title | Humans and non-humans as (נֶ֥פֶשׁ חַיָּֽה) and Ntu-beings : ecological appraisal of Gen 2:7 and 19 in dialogue with African-Bantu indigenous cosmology | en_US |
dc.type | Article | en_US |