Early Christians and Animals (review)

Robert M. Grant. Early Christians and Animals. London: Routledge, 1999. Pp. ix + 214. $75.00.

Wit and wisdom, anticipated and delivered. Speaking of lions at the Roman arenas, Seneca said (Ep. 41.6) "in the morning they throw men to lions and bears, at noon, to the spectators" (17). The Acts of John 60-61 has the pseudo-apostle ask the bugs in his room to behave themselves by leaving and keeping quiet. When they did all night, he welcomed them back in the morning. "(Obviously John did not worry about future hotel guests.)" (28). Those of us who heard some of this book delivered as an after-dinner speech at a North American Patristics Society (NAPS) meeting are pleased that the humor did not disappear.

Wisdom appears in a number of ways. Grant turned his usual critical eye to the odd collection of texts that he studied for this volume, but he decided not to offer concluding remarks about how to appropriate everything mentioned. Doubtless that would have demanded a rather large interpretive chapter. Prudence displayed. Various comments and quotations suffice. In order to claim that an Indian animal actually existed, one completely different from all those we knew, Justin said we would have to see it ourselves. Or at least we wouldn't have anything to say unless someone who had seen it described it. Lucian, however, warned that an Ethiopian who hadn't traveled outside his country would have trouble disproving that there were neither white nor yellow people elsewhere (35). I suspect that Lucian's point made more sense from a white to other whites, all of whom had traveled.

Not everything about animals was accepted without deliberation. A number of Alexandrian writers seem to have enjoyed the tales of unreal animals and found more morality play in their lives than did most Antiochenes or a Cappadocian like Basil. Yet the more "moderate, non-allegorical" exegesis of Basil still found ethical lessons in animals' daily existence, whether taken from Aristotle, the scientific expert, or Aelian's less scientific stories (78).

The reason to purchase this volume for a library or one's own collection lies not in some intricate, explanatory web woven by this master. Twenty-two well-chosen black and white plates, extensive endnotes, a good bibliography and indices entice one, but Grant's magisterial translations closes the sale. The storied Physiologus is here in its entirety (52-72). Basil's homilies 7, 8, and some chapters from 9 form an interesting contrast with that piece (78-106). Isidore of Seville's Etymologies, parts of Book 11 and all of 12 (117-62), demonstrate how encyclopedists cut and paste with some discretion but primarily with trust in their literary forebears (114-15). Comments from other ancients and background material on these selections introduce the reader to the context necessary for understanding. There is a certain grace in allowing the texts to say so much rather than taking their usual spot in the balcony (footnotes) while the author performs on center stage. Quite a different drama.

Frederick W. Norris
Emmanuel School of Religion,
Johnson City, Tennessee

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