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.authorKavusa, Kivatsi Jonathan
dc.date.accessioned2023-09-29T09:46:59Z
dc.date.available2023-09-29T09:46:59Z
dc.date.issued2022
dc.description.abstractThe 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.departmentOld Testament Studiesen_US
dc.description.librarianam2023en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipAlexander von Humbold Stiftung.en_US
dc.description.urihttp://reference.sabinet.co.za/sa_epublication/oldtesten_US
dc.identifier.citationJonathan 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.issn1010-9919 (print)
dc.identifier.issn2312-3621 (online)
dc.identifier.other10.17159/2312-3621/2022/v35n2a3
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/92607
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherOld Testament Society of South Africaen_US
dc.rights© Old Testament Society of South Africaen_US
dc.subjectNephesh hayyaen_US
dc.subjectAdam/adamahen_US
dc.subjectGenesis 2en_US
dc.subjectAfrican-Bantu indigenous cosmologyen_US
dc.subjectEcological hermeneuticsen_US
dc.subjectLiving being/soul/creatureen_US
dc.subjectHumans and animalsen_US
dc.titleHumans and non-humans as (נֶ֥פֶשׁ חַיָּֽה) and Ntu-beings : ecological appraisal of Gen 2:7 and 19 in dialogue with African-Bantu indigenous cosmologyen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

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