🎧 Yonatan Neril and Leo Dee, Eco Bible: An Ecological Commentary on Genesis and Exodus
In this episode from the New Books Network, host Ari Barbalat discusses Eco Bible: An Ecological Commentary on Genesis and Exodus by Yonatan Neril and Leo Dee, a work published by the Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development. The conversation explores how biblical texts can be read through an ecological lens at a time of escalating environmental crises, including hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and plastic pollution.
The authors present the Bible as a foundational source of environmental ethics, drawing on 3,500 years of Jewish and Christian interpretive traditions to highlight themes of stewardship, care for creation, and spiritual responsibility toward the natural world. Rather than treating ecology as a modern add-on to scripture, the book argues that concern for the Earth is embedded within the core messages of Genesis and Exodus and reinforced by generations of religious scholarship.
The discussion emphasizes how these interpretations can inform both personal spiritual practice and broader ethical engagement with today’s environmental challenges. By linking ancient texts with contemporary ecological crises, Eco Bible positions itself within the fields of eco-theology and spiritual ecology, offering readers both scholarly insight and a call to action.
Overall, the episode frames the book as a contribution to ongoing conversations about how faith traditions can inspire environmental awareness, deepen moral responsibility, and motivate action to protect the natural world.
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