Blue Planet, Blue God: The Bible and the Sea - Dr Rebecca Watson

Café Théologique welcomes Dr Rebecca Watson, Tutor and director of studies at the Eastern Region Ministry Course, Cambridge in conversation about her research on God, the Bible and the sea.

“There is the sea, great and broad,
In which are swarms without number,
Animals both small and great.”
Psalm 104:25 NASV.

The sea covers more than two-thirds of our world’s surface; houses the majority of the planet’s life; directly maintains the livelihoods of many billions of humans; and influences all life on earth – and yet we barely think about it. We certainly rarely think that the Bible may have anything to say about the sea. This is a misconception that Rebecca Watson intends to correct in our latest Café Théologique.

Focusing especially on her book written in collaboration with oceanographer Meric Srokosz, Rebecca helps us explore how the Bible presents the sea as a good part of God’s creation, an image of chaos, a source of prosperity, something that is vulnerable and which is a challenge to our anthropocentrism.

Dr Watson’s book is available here: https://scmpress.hymnsam.co.uk/books/9780334056331/blue-planet-blue-god

(Approx timecodes)
00:00. Welcome and intro/ speaker biography
03:31. Background to chaos, the sea and the Old Testament
07:30. Slide of Babylonian/Syrian God Mardok
08:30. Slide of Baal, god of storms/thunder, fertility and war
09:55. Modern scholarship on chaos - Gunkel
10:23. Contemporary scholarship - John Day
12:50. Rebecca's doctoral work (disputing Day's thesis)
19:20. Modern reference to myths of chaos - Bush after 9/11
21:45. Why was Israelite view of God more nuanced?
24:30. What does it feel like to challenge orthodoxy?
25:48. Working with Faraday Institute and Meric Srokosz
27:13. Cross disciplinary experience
28:06. What does the Bible say about the sea?
29:35. Does a contextual understanding change the way we see humans?
30:38. The Sea as a divine realm
32:22. Humanity relating to sea creatures (fish!)
34:24. Discussion exercise on Job 41
37:40. Questions from the floor

Видео Blue Planet, Blue God: The Bible and the Sea - Dr Rebecca Watson канала University of Reading Chaplaincy