Animals as Religious Subjects

Celia Deane-Drummond is Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame, USA.David L. Clough is Professor of Theological Ethics and Head of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Chester, UK.Rebecca Artinian-Kaiser is a doctoral student in theology, specializing in environmental ethics, at the University of Chester, UK.

• Introduction - Celia Deane-Drummond and David Clough Part One: Animals as Subjects of Religious Thought 1. ‘Ask now the beasts and they shall teach thee’ - Stephen R. L. Clark2. Walking with Dragons: An Anthropological Excursion on the Wild Side - Tim Ingold3. The Study of Religion after the Animal - Aaron GrossPart Two: Animals as Subjects of Religious Symbolism 4. Hedgehog Skin and Golden Calf: Animals as Symbols for Paganism in Medieval German Literature - Sabine Obermaier5. The Daemonic Insect: Mantis religiosa - Adam Dodd6. Benevolent Bulls and Baleful Buffalos: Male Bovines versus the ‘Holy Cow’ in Hinduism - Xenia Zeiler7. From Sacrifices to Symbols: Animals in Late Antiquity and Early Christianity - Ingvild Salid GilhusPart Three: Animals as Subjects of Theological Inquiry 8. Butterflies Dwell Betwixt and Between: Non-Human Animals, Theology, and Dwelling in Place - Forrest Clingerman9. ‘Marvel at the Intelligence of Unthinking Creatures!’: Contemplative Animals in Gregory of Nazianzus and Evagrius of Pontus - Eric Daryl Meyer10. Putting Animals in Their Place: On the Theological Classification of Animals - David CloughPart Four: Animals as Subjects of Religious Ethics 11. ‘Your Wives, Your Children, and Your Livestock’: Domesticated Beings as Religious Objects in the Book of Deuteronomy - Raymond F. Person, Jr.12. Transgenic Animals and Ethics: Recognizing an Appropriate Dignity - Robert Song13. Other Animals as Persons? – A Roman Catholic Inquiry - Charles CamosyBibliography Index of Scriptural References Index of Subjects Index of Names

Animals as Religious Subjects is a timely work ... Divided into four sections, [it] addresses the issue of nonhuman religious subjects from the perspectives of religious thought, symbolism, enquiry, and ethics, thus offering a rich tapestry of scholarly responses from numerous disciplines to the question what role animals might play as religious subjects. Herein lies the strength of the book ... [It] will undoubtedly prove important for all those who consider animals central to any religious enterprise.