God's Presence in Creation: A Conversation with Philo, Paul, and Luke

By Nélida Naveros Córdova, CDP

God’s Presence in Creation: A Conversation with Philo, Paul, and Luke is for anyone who has an interest in understanding how the authors of the New Testament perceived the world as God’s creation, our home from “the beginning” (Gen 1:1).

The book lucidly engages in conversation three 1st century CE authors Philo, Paul, and Luke, to offer a new and fresh understanding of the environmental theme, care for creation. The inclusion of Philo, a Hellenistic Jew and philosopher, adds uniqueness to the distinctive approach of this book and enriches the discussions of the two New Testament authors, Paul and Luke. Four “environmental” Greek terms are carefully analyzed— kosmos (world), ktisis (creation), pronoia (providence), and oikonomos (steward)— to show how these authors viewed the created world within their own Jewish and Greco-Roman contexts. The analysis is enhanced with an impressive exploration of a threefold relationship: creation-and-God, creation-and-mediator, creation-and-humanity.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Oct 13, 2023
• ISBN: 9781638299134

Nélida Naveros Córdova, CDP

Nélida Naveros Córdova, CDP, has a doctorate in New Testament and Early Christianity and is an Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies and Director of Graduate Programs in Theology and Ministry at Spring Hill College, Mobile, Alabama. Nélida is the author of Philo of Alexandria’s Ethical Discourse: Living in the Power of Piety, To Live in the Spirit: Paul and the Spirit of God, and Philo of Alexandria: A Sourcebook. She has published several scholarly articles in noted journals and book reviews. She has presented papers at international and national conventions. She enjoys cooking, dancing, gardening, knitting, sowing, listening to music, and volleyball.

Book preview

About the Author

Nélida Naveros Córdova, CDP, has a doctorate in New Testament and Early Christianity and is an Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies and Director of Graduate Programs in Theology and Ministry at Spring Hill College, Mobile, Alabama. Nélida is the author of Philo of Alexandria’s Ethical Discourse: Living in the Power of Piety, To Live in the Spirit: Paul and the Spirit of God, and Philo of Alexandria: A Sourcebook. She has published several scholarly articles in noted journals and book reviews. She has presented papers at international and national conventions. She enjoys cooking, dancing, gardening, knitting, sowing, listening to music, and volleyball.

Dedication

Dedicated to my dear friend Sister Lydia Steele and all my loving Sisters in Kingston, MA. Gratitude for their unconditional love and support.

Copyright Information ©

Nélida Naveros Córdova, CDP 2023

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher.

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The story, experiences, and words are the author’s alone.

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Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication data

Córdova, CDP, Nélida Naveros

God’s Presence in Creation: A Conversation with Philo, Paul, and Luke

ISBN 9781638299127 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781638299134 (ePub e-book)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023913133

www.austinmacauley.com/us

First Published 2023

Austin Macauley Publishers LLC

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Acknowledgment

Writing this book was certainly a joy, and as a sister of Divine Providence, it was even more rewarding that I have originally thought. But without the help of special people, this project would have not reached its fruition. I want to thank my dear friend and neighbor, Billie Pringle, for proofreading early drafts of the manuscript. I will always remember her intellectual curiosity and the summer evenings when we enjoyed our conversations about Philo, Paul, and Luke with a glass of wine. It was during these wonderful talks that we brainstormed ideas for the title of the book. I am forever indebted to Gregory Sterling, Dean of Yale Divinity School, for reading the manuscript in its final version and for his suggestions to improve the scholarly quality of the book. He has been my mentor since I began my graduate studies at the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN. He taught me discipline, and love and respect for the New Testament, and so much more that has helped me succeed in my professional career. A very special thanks to Neil Elliot, who kindly took the time to offer suggestions in the process of writing the manuscript. To Fr. Thomas H. Tobin, S.J., my professor and Doktorvater, who entered eternal life when I was finishing the last draft of the manuscript. He was the first to introduce me to Philo of Alexandria and his writings. His way of interpreting Paul in light of ancient Greek philosophy captured my attention, and I realized for the first time that the study of the New Testament goes beyond Judaism and early Christianity.

I also want to express my deepest gratitude to my siblings, Angeli, Liliana, Abraham, and Simone. You have been always there cheering me up. Deeply thankful to have you in my life and for the great memories of us with Dad in our home in San Jerónimo-Andahuaylas, Perú. To Sisters Lydia Steele and Leticia Plasencia, my amazing friends, who have been my support in difficult times and have encouraged me to pursue my dreams. To the editorial team of Austin Macauley Publishers. My sincere thankfulness for accepting my manuscript to be published in your prestigious publisher and for being a part of making a reality the publication of this book.

Also, I want to thank Kendall Gaffney for designing the book cover.

Introduction

Driving back home from Stonehill College, after my class Church and Social Justice, I was thinking about the best way to approach the social justice issue of caring for creation. It was during that moment of thinking that the idea of writing a short book on creation and the New Testament came to my mind. However, it was not until my personal reflection and class discussions with my students on the various environmental issues that my book project began to take shape. Since then, I have taken this project with an enthusiasm that soon became my priority among my other research projects. For those who do not know me, I am a religious sister of the order of the Sisters of Divine Providence, which was founded by Bishop Wilhelm Emmanuel von Ketteler in Mainz, Germany, 1851. Ketteler is primarily known for his tireless work on promoting justice for workers, women, and children; indeed, he is called the Bishop of Social Justice and the Great Predecessor of Pope Leo XIII. What is fascinating about Ketteler is that Leo’s Encyclical Rerum novarum (Rights and Duties of Capital and Labor, 1891) touches essential components to protect the rights and dignity of workers that were previously promoted by Ketteler on his Declaration and Advent Sermons in 1848.¹ Both Catholic thinkers, Ketteler and Leo, clearly saw the need to address the social justice issue of workers’ rights in their own times. Ketteler, also, spoke about the intrinsic value of creation; as God continually cares for the world He created, he exhorted the sisters to care for creation by being co-creators of creation.² He believed that God’s divine presence is perceived in the created world. For this reason, he named his new German community, Sisters of Divine Providence. His legacy rooted in our charism is to make God’s providence more visible in our world.

In the last two decades, the environmental issue has been one of the most important social justice topics. This is a Catholic principle that has been widely discussed among scholars, particularly within the religious and political spectrums worldwide. David G. Horrell notes that the so-called global ecological crisis has raised many new critical problems, such as pollution, acid rain, measurable global warming, rain forest destruction, accelerated species extinction, the destruction of ecosystems, ozone depletion, loss of fertile top soils, accessible water supplies, and the list goes on.³ These are but a handful of the most infamous manifestations of this global ecological crisis. As a result, positive environmental phrases such as creation, ecology, eco-friendly, ecojustice, and stewardship have not only become common language in modern societies, but they are often mentioned on the front pages of major newspapers, magazines, and other forms of public media and platforms. Christian promoters of creation care—some of them theologians and biblical scholars—have dealt with the global environmental crisis through the approach of Scripture. As Horrell states, Biblical tradition offers positive and valuable resources for a stance of environmental action and concern.⁴ They have tried to equate these positive environmental phrases and find a solution in God’s message in both the Old and New Testaments.⁵ Sacred Scripture has become the main source for the creation of different organizations as well as pro-environment movements.⁶ Particularly, for Christians, at least in the last two decades, Scripture has become the antidote (or vaccine) to heal our wounded Planet Earth.⁷

It is important to note that embarking on the quest of exploring environmental issues is a complex task. However, it has been acknowledged that the ongoing call to a reflection in light of the New Testament tradition has clearly offered valuable resources for different stances on pro-environmental actions.⁸ Current studies have interpreted key New Testament passages to convincingly argue that Christian environmental teaching should be grounded in Scripture (e.g., Gal 6:15; 1 Cor 8:5–6; 2 Cor 5:17; Rom 8:19–23; 11:36; Col 1:15–20). Mark Bredin analyzed Gospel and Pauline passages in their original literary and social contexts to enlighten the care for creation. Bredin argued that the kingdom of peace human beings hope for is best established by caring for fellow human beings and all creation.⁹ Recently, Sandra L. Richter offered the significance of an environmental theology in light of biblical witnesses. Richter pointed out the various ways creation has suffered and identified what Scripture has to say about each environmental issue. In her analysis, she establishes a sense humanity’s responsibility and invites Christians to action and care for our Eden, the created world.¹⁰ The erudite New Testament scholar, Douglas J. Moo, explored Scriptural passages which speak about the created world. Moo argued that the natural world as creation has a place within God’s purpose to celebrate His love in creation and new creation.¹¹

While these important works have contributed to our understanding of humanity’s responsibility to care for creation, their analyses overlook an important consideration. For example, while Moo focused on the interconnectedness among creation, God, and humanity, his main reason for fostering an environmental ethic is sustainability and care for future generations. In this book, I go beyond Moo’s approach and offer a greater responsibility to care for creation: God Himself and His presence in creation. I present a fresh understanding of the current theme of the care for creation by looking deeper in the first century CE, the world of the New Testament authors. Within this context, I offer to readers, especially Christians, a theocentric approach to empower an ethic of care. In order to accomplish my goal, I bring up in conversation three authors roughly contemporaries—a Hellenistic Jewish and Philosopher, Philo of Alexandria (ca. 20 BCE–50s CE), and two early Christian authors, Paul (ca. 8–69 CE) and Luke (ca. 80s CE). The selection of Philo not only adds uniqueness to the distinctive approach of this book, but it also enriches the discussions of Paul and Luke respectively.

Selected passages from their writings are analyzed to flesh out the question at stake: how do Paul and Luke view the created world (creation) within their Jewish and Greco-Roman traditions? In other words, what are the notions and ideas from these traditions, especially Philo, reflected in the writings of these two New Testament authors? To provide not only clarity and coherence but also realism, this important query is addressed within the first century CE context through threefold-dynamic relationship in the writings of each author: (1) the relationship between creation and God; (2) the relationship between creation and a mediator (logos/Christ/Jesus), and (3) the relationship between creation and human beings.

The Thesis

The main goal of this book is to offer a greater environmental ethic of responsibility to care for creation not based on humanity or/and the world itself, but on God and His existence. To better understand the theme of care for creation today, key passages are explored in the writings of a Hellenistic Jewish and philosopher, Philo, and two early Christian authors, Paul and Luke. The purpose behind this unique selection is primarily to place the New Testament authors (Paul and Luke)—familiar to Christians today—within the larger context of the first century CE Greco-Roman world. The selection of Philo is intended to enrich the conversation by transporting readers into the complex Hellenistic Jewish/Christian world of the first century CE, a milieu with which most of Paul and Luke’s audiences were familiar. Understanding Philo’s writings regarding his view of creation would certainly help readers understand the complexity of his thoughts, particularly the influence of Greek philosophy, especially Middle Platonism. His use of philosophical language and concepts treated in this book will enlighten the message that Paul and Luke are trying to convey to their own audience. While it is true that these first century authors did not engage in writings that deal explicitly with environmental issues or an ethic of care for creation, their own views about the created world would derive from their own agenda: in the case of Philo, interpretation of Genesis; in the case of Paul, letters dealing with various internal and external problems in the early Christian communities; and in the case of Luke, a Gospel (good news) which narrates the events of the life of Jesus. Hence, I will construct their thoughts and argue based on their writings that a greater environmental ethic of responsibility to care for creation is consistent with their thoughts. By understanding the views about the heavenly and earthly worlds in Philo, Paul, and Luke, readers are able to see how each author understood and explained God’s existence present in creation. Readers will know better that the intrinsic value of creation is founded in God Himself, for the created world is the clear reflection of His presence and existence. Having said that, Philo’s treatise On the Creation in particular, Paul’s letters to the Galatians, Corinthians and Romans (also Colossians),¹² and Luke’s Gospel are our primary sources from which their views about creation will be interpreted as they are engaged in discussion.

In order to place Philo, Paul, and Luke within the first century CE larger context, chapter one explores briefly the meanings of four basic environmental Greek terms—kosmos (world, universe), ktisis (creation), pronoia (divine providence), and oikonomos (steward)—within the Jewish and Hellenistic traditions. These concepts are essential to understand the texts engaged in conversation as well as to know the notions and ideas that are reflected in the writings of each author. Chapter two brings up in conversation Philo by examining his view of creation particularly in his famous treatise On the Creation in the light of threefold relationship: creation and the Existent One (God), creation and the logos (reason, Word), and creation and human beings. In the context of Philo’s understanding of creation, chapter three engages in conversation Paul’s perspective of the created world in his letters (and also in Colossians). Key Pauline passages are studied in terms of threefold relationship: creation and God, creation and Christ, and creation and early believers. Chapter four invites Luke to a conversation by examining the passage 12:22–34 in connection with other texts in his Gospel. Following the same methodology employed in Paul and in the context of Philo’s view on creation, this chapter discusses the threefold-relationship—creation and God, creation and Jesus, and creation and Jesus’s disciples. Chapter five summarizes the findings and offers fresh ideas about how human beings, especially Christians, are called to understand the role of creation that empowers a sublime ethic of care.

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See Daniel Eissrich, "An Economist’s View of the Work of Wilhelm Emmanuel von Ketteler and Its Influence on the Encyclical Rerum novarum" in Jürgen Backhaus, Günther Chaloupek, and Hans Frambach, eds., On the Economic Significance of the Catholic Social Doctrine: 125 Years of Rerum Novarum (Cham: Springer International Publishing AG, 2018), 11–25.↩︎

With the expression co-creators of creation, Ketteler meant to love the world and to help God preserve and care for creation.↩︎

See David G. Horrell, The Bible and the Environment: Towards a Critical Ecological Biblical Theology (London: Equinox, 2010), 5; Stephen Bede Scharper, Redeeming the Time: A Political Theology of the Environment (New York: The Continuun Publishing Company, 1997), 12.↩︎

Horrell, The Bible and the Environment, 11.↩︎

For a robust secondary literature, see Colin Bell and Robert S. White, eds., Creation Care and the Gospel: Reconsidering the Mission of the Church (Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers Marketing, LLC, 2016); Andrew M. Davis, Creation: The Gospel Coalition Booklets (Ed. D.A. Carson & Timothy Keller; Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2011); Monica M. Emerich, The Gospel of Sustainability: Media, Market, and LOHAS (Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2011); Horrell, The Bible and the Environment Towards a Critical Ecological Biblical Theology; Mark Bredin, The Ecology of the New Testament: Creation, Re-creation, and the Environment (Colorado Springs: Biblica, 2010); Sam Hamilton-Poore, Earth Gospel: A Guide to Prayer for God’s Creation (Nashville: Upper Room Books, 2008); Scharper, Redeeming the Time: A Political Theology of the Environment; Stephen Bede Scharper and Hilary Cunningham, eds., The Green Bible (New York: Orbis Books, 1993).↩︎

See Bell and White, Creation Care and the Gospel, 249–300; for a list of the different organizations worldwide, see especially pages 306–309.↩︎

See a multilingual E-Text, Healing the Earth at

https://healingearth.ijep.net/welcome; March 3, 2020.↩︎

Cf. Horrell, The Bible and the Environment, 11.↩︎

Bredin, The Ecology of the New Testament, 5.↩︎

Sandra L. Richter, Stewards of Eden: What Scripture Says About the Environment and Why It Matters (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2020).↩︎

Douglas J. Moo and Jonathan A. Moo, Creation Care: A Biblical Theology of the Natural World (ed. Jonathan Lunde; Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2018), 23, 25.↩︎

Colossians is considered by most biblical scholars, including myself, a Pseudo-Pauline letter, together with 2 Thessalonians, Ephesians, and the pastoral epistles 1 and 2 Timothy, and Titus. Colossians is an important letter and will be discussed in this book as part of the larger Pauline corpus.↩︎

Chapter One

Four Environmental

Terms in the Ancient Greek and

Jewish Traditions

When promoting ideas concerning the care for our environment and our Planet Earth in connection to the New Testament, it is crucial to have a brief presentation of the meanings of four environmental Greek words—kosmos (world, universe), ktisis (creation), pronoia (providence), and oikonomos (steward). Despite their prominent place in Greek literature, it is surprising that modern environmental authors have not included these four concepts in their discussions about global ecological crisis today. This chapter does not argue for a novel reading so much as provide a synthesis of what scholars recognize to illumine the various meanings of these important concepts. The study of these terms is, I believe, important because they serve as the backdrop for the analyses of Philo’s writings, Paul’s letters (also Colossians), and Luke’s Gospel. This new approach is fundamental to better understand each word’s meanings in its own context, and for their application in the analyses on Philo, Paul, and Luke. Throughout the presentation of