Animal Narratives in Christianity
Animals & Religion is designed for those who believe that sacred writings have moral authority and are the best way to understand how we ought to live. This website is for those who, with fresh eyes, would like to explore core sacred texts to better understand rightful relations between humankind and anymals.
Christianity is a path of grace, a journey that offers new opportunities and new insights with the passing of each day. Visitors to the Animals & Religion Website are invited to engage with the material thoughtfully and prayerfully, to return to Scripture, to recall how certain sacred texts have been read, taught, and lived in your religious community, and to ponder how these ancient, holy writings might speak anew in contemporary times.
2 Timothy 3:16
All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.
This section explores texts that tell us of God speaking through a faithful but misused donkey (Numbers 22), saints sharing discipleship with anymals (Catholic hagiographies), and a snake (Genesis 3) who chats with humankind in the Garden of Eden, inviting readers to travel with wide eyes and softened hearts, renewing our feelings of wonder at the glory of God. Across centuries and cultures, these engaging narratives have served as a focal point for sermons, engaged young readers, and encouraged Christians to revisit their assumptions about anymals. Foundational reflections on Christian ethics and animals appear in Teachings.
Anymals in the Book of Kells, a medieval manuscript of the four Gospels, which record the life of Christ. (Detail from the Book of Kells, Ireland, 800 CE, www.openculture.com)
Sacred Stories That Invite a Closer Look at Animals
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Biblical narratives feature animals as individuals. These stories help us to understand God’s relationship with animals, and our God-given relationship with other living creatures.
The Donkey & Balaam A mistreated donkey perceives what a human cannot—and becomes the voice through which God challenges cruelty and injustice.
The Snake in Genesis 3 A familiar story reconsidered—inviting a new understanding of a misunderstood creature and its place within creation.
Saints & Animals Stories of saints living in close relationship with animals, revealing a vision of shared life shaped by care and responsibility.
Common Questions
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Animal narratives in sacred texts teach Christians about God, animals, and about our responsibilities to God through animals. The Bible shows a donkey and a snake as individuals much like humankind, with personalities, fears, hopes, intention, wisdom, knowledge, and sensitivities. The story of the donkey and Balaam shows Christians that a donkey is able to see clearly and respond faithfully despite very real secular pressures pushing her to do otherwise. She also shows us that animals have a personal relationship with God, who is aware of their needs and who notices human abuse. The story of the snake in Genesis 3 reminds Christians how God intended all of us to live—as a single, neighborly community in a peaceful creation. Sacred writings recording the lives of Christian saints show us how holy people live with animals—responsibly and in kinship. Saints lived with foxes, donkeys, hares, deer, lions, and many other creatures, showing us that kinship, mercy, and kindness ought to shape Christian interactions with animals.
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Traditionally, the snake of Genesis 3 is viewed in this way, but the Bible does not say that the snake is evil. Humankind tends to fear snakes; as a result, many people dislike snakes, which shapes our view of the snake of Genesis 3. Leaving this bias aside, there is much more to this story, and a close read shines a fresh light on this narrative. In this account, the snake and humankind interact as friends and neighbors, and the first humans clearly recognize the snake to be knowledgeable. This narrative never labels the snake as evil, but it recalls the original friendliness between animals and humankind in the Garden of Eden—kinship in the perfect world created by God. The Bible teaches Christians to serve God, to be part of turning this world back to a Peaceable Kingdom where humankind and animals live without bloodshed.
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Sacred animal narratives support core Biblical ethics, teaching respect for God through kindness and care for creation. These sacred narratives invite us to see animals as God intended, as fellow creatures who deserve not only our kindness, but our respect. Animal narratives show us that God cares about and for animals, and that respect for the Creator invites Christians to respect all that God has made. Jesus exemplifies core Christian ethics, showing us how to live in love, through good works, to be kind and give special attention to those who have been overlooked by others. Accounts of the saints show Christians how to obey—how to respect God in creation by living peacefully, in community, with tender attention to all of God’s creatures.
Job 12:7–8
Ask the animals, and they will teach you,
the birds of the air, and they will tell you;
ask the plants of the earth, and they will teach you,
and the fish of the sea will declare to you….
The donkey in Numbers 22 is sensitive and intelligent; God speaks through the laboring donkey to admonish a man who mistreats her. Hagiographies recall anymals who show volition, initiative, sensitivity, and intelligence, and remind readers that exemplary Christians lived in community with anymals just as they would live among humankind. Genesis 3 presents a snake as intelligent, cordial, and neighborly, reminding that God intends all living creatures to live peaceably with one another.
Anymal narratives in sacred texts remind humankind what we already know but often choose to overlook: Anymals are marvelous creatures of God, and as humble servants of God (and as fellow creatures of God), we owe them compassion, kindness, and mercy. Through the Creator, we owe anymals our respect.
St Anthony with anymals, including a pig he cured who became his constant companion. (Allcreatures.org.)
Saint Anthony of the Great of Egypt (“The Father of Monks”) with the pig whom he healed, and who became his constant companion. (“Saint Anthony the Great,” Louis-Victor Gesta, France, 19th century, Wikimedia Commons)