@article{ART003335563},
author={Park Zion},
title={Nature as a Relational and Active Subject - Nature in the Old Testament},
journal={The Korean Journal of Chiristian Social Ethics},
issn={1229-8387},
year={2026},
number={64},
pages={375-398}
TY - JOUR
AU - Park Zion
TI - Nature as a Relational and Active Subject - Nature in the Old Testament
JO - The Korean Journal of Chiristian Social Ethics
PY - 2026
VL - null
IS - 64
PB - The Society Of Korean Christian Social Ethics
SP - 375
EP - 398
SN - 1229-8387
AB - This study aims to reconstruct the Old Testament’s understanding of nature not as a traditional passive object but as an active and relational subject. Hebrew possesses no single term corresponding to the modern notion of ‘nature,’ and creation itself appears as a multilayered concept encompassed by various verbs such as עשה, ברא, and יצר. This linguistic and conceptual structure suggests that nature should be understood not as a mere backdrop but within the reciprocal relationship among God, humanity, and the world. Human beings display an ambivalent posture, simultaneously dependent on nature and fearful of it. Nature both supports and threatens human life, while also possessing its own vulnerability. The sabbatical-year regulations in Ex 23 and Lev 25 demonstrate that nature is an acting subject requiring ‘rest,’ and the prophetic books emphasize an ethical correlation in which human sin directly results in the devastation of nature. Furthermore, nature is shown to be more than a created object; it functions as a theological agent endowed with emotion, response, and will. Accordingly, the Old Testament presents the relationship among God, humanity, and nature not as a separated or hierarchical structure but as an ontology woven through mutuality, continuity, and relationality.
KW - Nature;Creation;Relationality;Ambivalence;Being-with
DO -
UR -
ER -
Park Zion. (2026). Nature as a Relational and Active Subject - Nature in the Old Testament. The Korean Journal of Chiristian Social Ethics, 64, 375-398.
Park Zion. 2026, "Nature as a Relational and Active Subject - Nature in the Old Testament", The Korean Journal of Chiristian Social Ethics, no.64, pp.375-398.
Park Zion "Nature as a Relational and Active Subject - Nature in the Old Testament" The Korean Journal of Chiristian Social Ethics 64 pp.375-398 (2026) : 375.
Park Zion. Nature as a Relational and Active Subject - Nature in the Old Testament. 2026; 64 : 375-398.
Park Zion. "Nature as a Relational and Active Subject - Nature in the Old Testament" The Korean Journal of Chiristian Social Ethics no.64(2026) : 375-398.
Park Zion. Nature as a Relational and Active Subject - Nature in the Old Testament. The Korean Journal of Chiristian Social Ethics, 64, 375-398.
Park Zion. Nature as a Relational and Active Subject - Nature in the Old Testament. The Korean Journal of Chiristian Social Ethics. 2026; 64 375-398.
Park Zion. Nature as a Relational and Active Subject - Nature in the Old Testament. 2026; 64 : 375-398.
Park Zion. "Nature as a Relational and Active Subject - Nature in the Old Testament" The Korean Journal of Chiristian Social Ethics no.64(2026) : 375-398.
