Abstract

Biblical Animality after Jacques Derrida engages with the role of animals in the Bible. Recently, questions have been raised about the assumption that humans are superior to animals. In critiquing the boundary between humans and animals, the philosopher Jacques Derrida is at the forefront of this debate. Often, the Bible is seen as an origin-point for the belief in human superiority. According to Genesis, humans are supposedly `made in God's image' while animals are not. In this book I challenge this view. Building on Derrida, I bring to light significant moments where the lines between god, human, and animal are ambiguous. A rich range of biblical texts are covered, from Noah as the first carnivorous man in Genesis 9 to the vision of clean and unclean animals in Acts 10, and from Daniel's political and apocalyptic animals to Revelation's beasts.