Religion, Animals, and Desire in Eden: A Visual Critical Reconsideration of the Naḥash

This paper explores the narrative contribution of visual images of nonhuman animals, particularly their contribution to the biblical themes of desire and relation, by considering the exemplum of the Naḥash, commonly known as a serpent or snake. The Biblical textual depiction of this creature indicat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inReligions (Basel, Switzerland ) Vol. 13; no. 10; p. 923
Main Author Crane, Jonathan K.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.10.2022
Subjects
Animals
Artists
difference
Exegesis & hermeneutics
Garden of Eden
nachash
nonhuman animals
Plot (Narrative)
Religion
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Summary:This paper explores the narrative contribution of visual images of nonhuman animals, particularly their contribution to the biblical themes of desire and relation, by considering the exemplum of the Naḥash, commonly known as a serpent or snake. The Biblical textual depiction of this creature indicates that it is not different in kind from humans but only different by degree. Later artists expand upon these possibilities in creative and provocative ways. By using a visual critical approach, the paper reviews the Garden of Eden story, and then examines an array of images that expand and challenge the text.
ISSN:2077-1444
2077-1444
DOI:10.3390/rel13100923