Parrēsia beyond Humankind? Exploring the Representation of the Voice of Creation in the Epistle to the Romans

Bibliographic Data

ID22037682
AuthorsPeter-Ben Smit (0000-0002-7450-571X, University of Pretoria, corresponding author), Iris Veerbeek (0009-0006-3216-9849, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
Year2024
Volume14
Issue1
Pages1-15
Publication date2024-01-02
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Early Christian History (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2222-582X • E-ISSN: 2471-4054
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/2222582x.2023.2254022
OpenAlexW4387956926
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited17

In this article, the notion of parrēsia, freedom of speech, is explored with regard to the voice of (non-human) nature in Paul’s Epistle to the Romans. Instances from chs. 1, 8, and 11 of this letter are discussed in interaction with both the broader discourse on parrēsia and the newer approach of “wild pedagogies” that focuses on allowing nature to speak for itself. The exegetical findings are sobering, as it becomes clear that Paul’s appeals to what can be conceptualised as the “voice of nature” in his letter are to be seen as his representation and rhetorical use of this voice primarily. This result can also serve as a reminder to be careful within the fields of eco-theology and eco-hermeneutics when it comes to appealing to the voice of nature without considering that it is often humans speaking for nature, rather than nature speaking for itself

Epistemology · Hermeneutics · Human voice · Linguistics · Political science · Politics · Rhetorical question · S Voice · Sociology · Speech recognition · Biblical Studies and Interpretation · Communication · Computer Science · Law · Philosophy · Religion, Ecology, and Ethics · Theology and Philosophy of Evil

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