Number DOI: http://doi.org/10.33209/2519-4348-2707-9627-2025-13-169

Volynskyi Blahovisnyk. № 13. 2025. P. 73-88.

Summary

The current ecological crisis emphasizes more than ever in our present day the need to seek the spiritual and cultural foundations of a responsible human attitude towards the natural world. Although the Old Testament texts do not use modern terminology, they contain profound theological ideas that can be interpreted as the basis for the formation of ecological consciousness. In the Book of Genesis, the created world appears as “good” (Gen. 1:31), and man is placed in the Garden of Eden “to till it and to keep it” (Gen. 2:15). Such a biblical imperative shows not so much the dominance of man over nature, as his calling to service, cooperation and responsible care. The prophetic books of the Old Testament emphasize the close connection between the moral life of man and the state of creation: sin and injustice lead to the destruction of the earth (Hos. 4:1-3; Jer. 12:4), while faithfulness to God contributes to blessing, fruitfulness and harmony. The Psalms praise creation as a manifestation of God’s glory (Ps. 18; 103), emphasizing its mystery and dignity. Thus, the theological interpretation of the Old Testament texts forms the image of man as a steward, not a ruler, acting in his responsibility before the Creator. Ecological consciousness in the biblical perspective appears not as an abstract or distant concept, but as a spiritual and moral category that combines anthropology, ethics and cosmology. Ultimately, its importance encompasses the uniqueness of God’s household in the creation that surrounds us and the personification of the world as a living gift and responsibility towards the earth and all living things. It is this understanding that ultimately enables us to form a theological ecology that can become the root cause of a contemporary Christian vision and practice of a conscious attitude towards the environment.

Key words: Holy Scripture, Old Testament, creation, theology, ecological crisis, man, ecological consciousness.

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