The Mourning, Withering, and Dying Earth: An Ecological Reading of Isaiah 24

The aim of this article is twofold: (1) to articulate a specific sort of ecological approach to biblical hermeneutics that is both creative and critical, paying close attention to the realities of the text while allowing the artistry of biblical poetry to address the contemporary ecological crisis, and (2) to provide a reading of Isaiah 24 using this approach, showing how, if permitted to address a new "horizon," the text can illuminate and give affective expression to a wide range of ecological themes. The first section puts the hermeneutical philosophies of Sandra M. Schneiders and Hans-Georg Gadamer in conversation with prominent ecological approaches to biblical studies, crafting a methodology that helps articulate the interconnection between the artistry of biblical poetry and present-day environmental challenges. The second section is a sequential poetic analysis of Isaiah 24, reading the chapter as a lyric sequence. A third and final section demonstrates the payoff of applying the approach to address the contemporary horizon of the ecological crises by outlining four key ecological principles to which this portion of biblical text gives aesthetic expression.