Animals of the Bible (2022) Movie Script
1
(bell chiming)
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v NarratorAt the heart of many major religious groups/v
are a collection of scriptures.
Revelations from God brought together in a book,
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the Bible.
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(birds chirping)
The famous texts don't just talk about people,
but also animals.
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We've all heard of the ox and the ass,
the donkey that carried Mary.
But did you know gazelles are mentioned in the Bible?
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Or whales?
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Leopards?
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And hyrax?
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A whole menagerie is featured.
Some are creatures of the holy lands
that lived alongside the people of the time.
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But others have been selected
for traits that make them ideal symbols,
like the brave lion,
and abominable owl.
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The Bible reveals which animals were important
at that time and why.
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(birds chirping)
(fire blazing)
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Though it sells 100 million copies a year,
the Bible remains controversial.
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Some see it as precise instruction from God.
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As true now as the day it was written.
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Others, as moral guidance that can be taken
with a pinch of salt to allow for its age.
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Whatever the view,
it's one of the most famous texts on earth.
(woman singing)
It's important to remember where
and when the Bible was written.
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It's a collection of different books.
Some dating back more than 3,000 years,
charting a time of great change
in the shaping and leadership of societies.
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To appeal to the readers of the time,
it drew inspiration and ideals
from familiar subjects.
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(woman shouting)
At the time, people lived off the land
and had a closer relationship to nature.
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And so, perhaps, it's not surprising
that animals often feature.
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Either as a part of everyday life,
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or as symbols to represent human traits.
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However, the Bible was written by priests and prophets,
not naturalists.
So it's not always easy to separate symbolism from fact.
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Historians talk about the Middle East, at that time,
as the Fertile Crescent.
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A boomerang-shaped stretch of land from Egypt
through the Middle East, as far as Turkey,
that was, at that time,
abundant in fresh water and rich soils.
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It's often known as the "cradle of civilization"
as many of the world's first great societies arose here,
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as did many technological advances.
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Like the invention of wheels,
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writing,
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and irrigation.
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(water splashing)
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But it was also the place where most
of the first domestication of animals took place.
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(sizzling noise)
(donkeys braying)
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Though the Bible has many mentions of domestic donkeys,
it also references their wild ancestors,
the wild ass that roamed the region.
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"The range of the mountains is his pasture.
And he searches after every green thing."
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The text paying tribute to their hardy nature.
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From the tough creatures,
equally hardy but more manageable,
donkeys were born.
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(raking noise)
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(ears flapping)
There are more than 80 references to them in the Bible,
which is hardly surprising
as they were central to ancient life
as modes of transport and beasts of burden.
(donkey clopping)
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Everyone rode donkeys
and many Bible characters are described on them,
from Mary to Moses.
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When Jesus rode into Jerusalem, he didn't ride a horse,
a beast of war.
He chose the humble donkey,
symbolizing that he came in peace.
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Horses were around at the time too,
but they were possessions for the elite,
ridden by kings and armies.
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(horse splashing)
This is reflected in nearly 150 biblical references.
(horses splashing)
(horse neighing)
For the Israelites, horses were forbidden.
They were told to put their faith in God, not armies.
(horses clopping)
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The horse, as today, was iconic.
(horses clopping)
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And admired symbol of power and speed.
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In those days, divisions were common
and mixing control of people, but animals too.
(horses clopping)
Deuteronomy prohibits yoking ox and ass
together to pull plows.
Good practical advice with animals of very different builds,
but also symbolic of separatism.
There was a preference to keep everything pure.
(horse snorting)
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Leviticus forbids mating between species.
And so, the mule was less popular,
especially in the earlier books of the Bible.
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The mule is the product
of cross breeding a horse with a donkey,
producing a sterile hybrid.
(horses clopping)
Mules are ideal beasts of burden,
confident on their feet
and with incredible strength and endurance.
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They were ideal for the harsh conditions of the holy lands.
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But the Bible even details that
because cross-breeding was banned,
the mules were imported from Armenia.
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There is one other prominent beast of burden
that was vital to the people at the time,
and which lent itself well
to symbology for many religions.
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Unlike other animals,
cows get a lot of coverage in the Bible.
450 times, in fact,
under various names like "cattle" and "oxen."
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Cattle were often considered
the most valuable form of property.
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The Bible describes many of their roles in agriculture,
such as pulling the plow,
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and bringing in the harvest.
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They were also central to religious events.
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Cattle were so important to society at the time
that laws were made to protect them.
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Sunday, the seventh day,
was, by law, a day of rest and worship.
And that day of rest was extended
to the hardworking ox and ass.
(birds chirping)
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They would've roamed pastures in summer,
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but been stabled and fed in winter.
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Where they were lowing at the time of Jesus' birth.
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(cow mooing)
(animals clopping)
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In the treasured story,
other animals were to visit the manger.
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Camels are often depicted on Christmas cards
bringing the wise men.
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But camels were often mentioned in the Old Testament.
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In fact, one of the first animals mentioned
in the Bible in the possession of Abraham.
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However, recent research has revealed
that the story is set hundreds of years
before domestic camels were brought to the region.
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Providing evidence that the books were written long
after the events and adapted to suit the times.
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Nonetheless, camels later became a vital way of life.
They were ridden, pulled chariots,
and even carried soldiers into war.
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But they were also used in proverb
(camels clopping)
to discourage material greed.
Jesus used the illustration.
"It's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle
than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Heaven."
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The camel fits the story perfectly
because it was the biggest animal known
to the people of the time,
adding to the absurdity of it
going through the needle's eye.
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(sheep baaing)
(sheep clopping)
The most important animal in the Bible,
mentioned more than 500 times,
was also connected to the story
of the Lord's birth in Bethlehem.
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The birth was marked by a bright star.
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Observed by shepherds.
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(sheep baaing)
Sheep were the main possession
a man could have in biblical times.
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They were a source of meat, milk,
wool, and leather.
And their flock could be easily herded
and moved between pastures.
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There was no easier way
to portray God's nurturing of his followers
than to imagine a kind shepherd tending to his flock.
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Jesus himself was described
as the good shepherd and the lamb of God.
(lamb baaing)
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Goats were just as important in the holy lands
perhaps more so because of their ability to eat anything,
surviving in the most hostile terrain.
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(sheep baaing)
Though, in his teachings,
Jesus favored sheep, the loyal followers.
Goats were headstrong and harder to herd.
They represented people straying
from the teachings of their faith.
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(sheep baaing)
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(sheep baaing)
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Another domestic species that we all know well
is the chicken, which gets the odd mention in the holy text.
(birds chirping)
(rooster crowing)
In the Bible, they are mentioned as proclaimers of the dawn.
Jesus says, "Look for his return
at the sound of the rooster."
(birds chirping)
And the cockerel crowed twice at Peter's portrayal of Jesus.
(woman speaking gibberish)
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And there is one touching observation
of the bird's parenting skills
when Jesus cries over Jerusalem.
"O Jerusalem.
How often would I have gathered thy children together,
even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings."
(gentle music)
(rooster crowing)
(food crashing)
(footsteps pattering)
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Not all of the farmyard animals we know today
were so celebrated in the Bible.
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(sheep baaing)
With cloven hoofed feet, but not during the cut,
as cows and sheep do,
pigs were regarded with suspicion.
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(pig grunting)
(birds chirping)
They were forbidden by several religions
including Judaism and Islam.
They were seen as an abomination.
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The Old Testament is pretty damning of these lovable swine,
which were considered unclean.
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Nonetheless, the adaptable animals were kept
in the holy lands and feature in the Bible.
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The prodigal son tended a sounder of pigs.
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Why pigs turned up on the naughty list is unclear.
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It's possibly because their bodies could harbor parasites,
especially with their ability to eat anything
including human waste.
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Opinions did change though.
And today, most Christians eat pork.
(meat carving)
Though, the Old Testament ruled them out,
in the New Testament,
Jesus explained that it is not what goes
into the body that's unclean,
it's what comes out.
(silverware clanging)
Evil doesn't come from the food,
but the heart of the person who eats it.
So to good people,
no foods are unclean.
(dishes clanging)
(pig snorting)
But in the olden days,
pigs were not the only despised animals.
The people of the Fertile Crescent had a long list
of abominations in nature.
(grass rustling)
The decisions on which animals were clean or unclean
is often related to whether they chewed the cud,
and the arrangement of their feet.
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Hares were said to be unclean.
Moses ruled them out
because they chewed the cud, but lacked hooves.
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Hares don't actually chew the cud.
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(animals chirping)
But they do consume their own droppings
to give them a second digestion,
and also grind their teeth together to wear them down.
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(birds chirping)
Either of these might have been seen and interpreted
as chewing the cud.
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(birds chirping)
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In Hebrew mythology,
it was thought only one hare survived
the Great Flood on Noah's Ark.
And yet, was able to bear offspring without a mate.
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So the lining
of the mythologically hermaphrodite hare stomach
became a treatment
for sterility recommended to Samson's mother
in the Book of Judges.
(birds chirping)
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(animals chirping)
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The Bible also lays out a long list of forbidden birds,
which basically just means birds that should not be eaten.
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(swan squawking)
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Some seem a bit arbitrary, like swans,
hoopoes,
perhaps because they were sacred to the Egyptians,
or because they foul around their nests.
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And, probably, pelicans because of the way
they regurgitated food for their young.
(waves splashing)
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The list also includes bats
which, of course, are not birds at all.
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(crickets chirping)
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(birds chirping)
One theory suggests that clean birds,
like quail, partridge, and pheasant,
are defined by having crops,
the throat sacks in which food collects,
and double-layered gizzards,
the muscular part of the stomach
that holds little stones to help grind their food.
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(birds chirping)
They are not meat eaters
and they do not eat while flying.
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As meat eaters and birds that nibble while on the wing,
birds of prey, like hawks,
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buzzards, and kites,
were abominations.
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As were owls and vultures.
(vultures squawking)
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The lapwing was on the list of unclean birds too.
According to legend, it marked Christ on the cross.
And so, was condemned to wondering the wilderness
where its mournful cries can still be heard.
(lapwing singing)
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The ostrich gets a hard deal in the Bible.
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The biggest of birds,
which was common in the area in biblical times,
was said to abandon its young.
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In fact, ostrich are very diligent parents,
though many females can lay eggs in a single male's nest,
and only he and his chosen mate will raise them.
So, to some extent, there is truth in the observations.
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According to Job, "She is not hardened
against her young ones as though they were not hers
because God hath deprived her of wisdom."
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The lack of brain's notion was furthered by the myth
that the ostrich buries its head in the sand,
though, probably, just based on distant observations
where the bird's heads were hidden
in low vegetation while they fed.
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Though storks and herons are listed
as abomination not to be eaten,
the two birds are portrayed differently.
The Bible describes herons as cruel and cowardly.
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While storks were celebrated as model parents,
symbols of kindness and loyalty.
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Maybe this portrayal was based
on observations of nesting storks.
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The parents will use their bodies
to shade chicks from the sun,
and will bring water to quench their thirst.
(stork squawking)
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The elegant birds are welcome to roofs
in many societies around the world.
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The heron's cousin, the bittern,
gets special mention as an icon of lonely desolation.
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(bird chirping)
(bird chirping)
For example, Zephaniah cries out,
"He will make Nineveh a desolation,
both the cormorant and the bittern shall lodge
in the upper limits of it.
Their voices shall sing in the windows.
Desolation shall be in the threshold."
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(birds chirping)
Perhaps this was inspired,
not only by the bittern's secretive and solitary lifestyle,
but by its lonely evocative call,
soulful booms deep to carry further
across its marshland home.
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In Exodus, plagues were sent upon Egypt
to force the Pharaoh to free the Israelites from slavery.
One of the plagues was frogs.
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Intended as terrifying proof of God's power,
frogs emerged from the Nile
and hopped their way into houses and even beds.
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Some believe the crocodiles in the Nile are descended
from the frogs of that biblical plague.
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(cup falling)
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Creatures that crawl along the ground were listed
as unclean, like lizards.
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And snails.
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(rustling noise)
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The mole is mentioned.
(playful music)
Though is probably a reference to mole rats
as there are no moles in the area
but the rodents do live underground and, like moles,
have all but given up their eyes and ears
for their lives in the dark.
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They might have damaged crops
through their underground raids,
making them unpopular.
(playful music)
(birds chirping)
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(birds chirping)
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(birds chirping)
Rats and mice were on the naughty list too.
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(rats squeaking)
In the Book of Samuel,
they plagued cities and brought death,
perhaps through helping the spread
of bubonic plague or other diseases.
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(calming music)
(birds chirping)
The list of abominations goes on.
(calming music)
(dog barking)
The word, "dog," was an insult,
suggesting a lazy, filthy coward.
(calming music)
Dogs were common in biblical times
and had their uses guarding sheep, flocks, and homes.
(calming music)
(dogs barking)
But they'd also scavenge waste and were feral around towns.
(ominous music)
People didn't like the fact dogs ate waste,
especially as this included the dead.
(ominous music)
Feral dogs, as they are today,
were more aggressive and more prone to bite.
(ominous music)
Some of the street dogs might have been hybrids.
(ominous music)
Mixing with wild wolves or jackals
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adding to their ferocity.
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Jackals were used in biblical text
to symbolize desolation and destruction,
colonizing ruined cities.
(dramatic music)
For example, in Jeremiah,
"I will make the towns of Judah desolate,
a haunt of jackals."
(jackals snorting)
(calming music)
It was a way to illustrate the severity of threats
to doomed cities.
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Jackals, of course, are wild spirits,
was also adaptable and opportunistic.
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They would've been common and easy to observe,
looking for food around human settlements
throughout the region.
(light dramatic music)
(playful music)
Familiar sites for Bible authors to draw on.
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(water splashing)
(water splashing)
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Sheep and goats were the main form
of wealth in biblical times.
So it's hardly surprising that the wolf,
the main predator in the land,
was to become enemy number one
and used in the Bible to symbolize destruction.
(dramatic music)
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Christ uses them as an analogy
to warn his disciples of dangers that lie ahead.
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"Behold, I send you forth the sheep in the midst of wolves."
And, "Beware of false prophets which come to you
in sheep's clothing,
but inwardly, they are ravening wolves."
(dramatic music)
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That Jesus was often considered a lamb of God,
and the wolf was the main threat to sheep,
made for powerful storytelling,
but didn't do a lot
for the human relationship to wolves.
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They have been persecuted all over the world,
despite the fact they are a vital part
of healthy ecosystems.
(dramatic music)
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(nature noises)
(cars rustling)
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Food, threats to it,
and menu items were, as they are today,
a major part of life.
(light dramatic music)
(people chattering)
And so, it's no surprise that
just as the Bible lays out laws on what not to eat,
it also lists which species are suitable for consumption.
(light dramatic music)
(people chattering)
(grasshopper chirping)
Grasshoppers were green litter snacks,
cheap protein that was abundant.
(light dramatic music)
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The Bible also uses them a few times
to describe gatherings of children.
Like the grasshoppers,
they were small in stature, but numerous.
(light dramatic music)
In the Book of Ecclesiastes,
grasshoppers are also used
to represent the frailty of old age.
Another insect is met with mixed reviews.
(light dramatic music)
Though bees are treasured by ourselves,
valuable pollinators and semi-domestic animals
that provide honey,
the Bible references their wild
and more aggressive ancestors.
(bees buzzing)
(light dramatic music)
(bees buzzing)
(light dramatic music)
People trying to collect honey from wild beehives
could stir up the nest and start an aggressive swarm.
(light dramatic music)
And so, the fear of bees was used
to describe aggressive, swarming armies.
(light dramatic music)
But the product of bees,
their sticky sweet honey,
has always been treasured.
(light dramatic music)
After Samson killed a lion,
he was rewarded with bees and honey.
(machine whirring)
(light dramatic music)
A good and rich land was described
as flowing with milk and honey.
(light dramatic music)
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Wild fowl and game birds were, not surprisingly,
fair game.
(playful music)
(quail chirping)
Quail getting honorable mention on the menu.
(playful music)
It's written that God sent flocks of them
to feed the starving Israelites in the desert.
(playful music)
Among animals,
deer were popular game.
(hopeful music)
But also respected for their speed,
(hopeful music)
agility,
(hopeful music)
and huge leaps.
(hopeful music)
(water splashing)
(hopeful music)
(water splashing)
(hopeful music)
(water splashing)
(insects buzzing)
Three kinds lived in the area,
and all are mentioned individually in the Bible.
(insects buzzing)
The roe.
(birds chirping)
(insects buzzing)
Fallow.
(birds chirping)
(insects buzzing)
And red.
(insects buzzing)
(deer snorting)
(grass trampling)
(deer snorting)
(light dramatic music)
As well as deer,
the holy lands are graced by gazelles.
(light dramatic music)
Elegant antelope that,
despite their delicate appearance,
are masters of desert survival.
(light dramatic music)
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Gazelles were food, for example,
served to Solomon.
(light dramatic music)
(light dramatic music)
(water splashing)
But their characteristics were also used to praise a person
for their agility and swift-footedness.
(light dramatic music)
(gazelles clopping)
(light dramatic music)
(gazelles clopping)
(light dramatic music)
Not all of the inhabitants
of the Fertile Crescent
were as benign as dainty gazelles.
There were many dangerous animals, too,
useful to add familiarity and impact
to the stories of the time.
(light dramatic music)
(birds chirping)
(light dramatic music)
(birds chirping)
Snakes are featured in the Bible by various names.
Adder, asp, and viper
are all names to describe dangerous, poisonous snakes.
(light dramatic music)
"The viper's tongue shall slay him."
(light dramatic music)
The Bible references the fact that snakes are deaf,
something long believed by biologists
because they lack outer ears.
(light dramatic music)
Science now suggests snakes can hear.
Their jaws, and possibly even skin,
can pick up the vibrations from sound,
which are received and interpreted by an inner ear.
(light dramatic music)
The Bible also uses the sharp bite of the snake
in damning the sting of wine.
"Their wine is the poison of dragons
and the cruel venom of asps."
And, "Look thou not upon the wine when it is red,
at the last biteth like a serpent
and stingeth like an adder."
(birds chirping)
(birds chirping)
When God is threatening wroth in the Bible,
it sometimes described using the dangerous animals
such as sending hornets upon a city.
(dramatic music)
(hornets buzzing)
In Hebrew law, hornets were thought to bring down soldiers.
(dramatic music)
(hornet buzzing)
Hornets are aggressive, swarming social insects
that carry painful stings.
(dramatic music)
(hornet buzzing)
(dramatic music)
(hornet buzzing)
(dramatic music)
Good tools to help readers of the Bible to get the point.
(dramatic music)
(birds chirping)
There were bigger threats too.
(birds chirping)
In Jeremiah, the question is asked,
"Can the leopard change its spots?"
(light dramatic music)
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And in Isaiah, it is predicted
that a time of peace will come
where, "The leopard will lie down with a kid."
(light dramatic music)
(light dramatic music)
(light dramatic music)
(light dramatic music)
(grass rustling)
But in most Bible quotations,
the leopard symbolizes wilderness.
(light dramatic music)
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Remote places from which it can watch over towns and cities.
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The big cats were found throughout the region,
but are now rare.
(light dramatic music)
Many iconic and sometimes surprising species
from the Middle East
have been adopted by the Bible's authors as symbols.
(insects buzzing)
(light dramatic music)
(insects buzzing)
(light dramatic music)
The eagle is admired in scripture
for its incredible flight, high soaring,
amazing eyesight, and remote nests in the mountain.
(insects buzzing)
(light dramatic music)
(insects buzzing)
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(insects buzzing)
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(insects buzzing)
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There's a particularly detailed observation in Deuteronomy
of the way a mother eagle pushes her chicks
from the nest to encourage them to stand
on their own two feet.
(insects buzzing)
(light dramatic music)
(insects buzzing)
(light dramatic music)
(insects buzzing)
(light dramatic music)
It was used to illustrate God's caring ways.
Sometimes, pushing people to stand up for themselves.
(insects buzzing)
(light dramatic music)
But always ready to catch them if they fall.
(insects buzzing)
(light dramatic music)
(insects buzzing)
(light dramatic music)
(eagle crowing)
(winds blowing)
The noble eagle was also sometimes used
as a symbol of resurrection,
but outshone by another dramatic predator.
(light dramatic music)
(birds chirping)
There are more than 150 references
to lions in the Bible.
(light dramatic music)
(plants rustling)
(light dramatic music)
(plants rustling)
(light dramatic music)
(plants rustling)
The animals were iconic and embroiled in local mythology.
(light dramatic music)
(plants rustling)
They provided ideal metaphors
to celebrate a human's bravery and strength.
(light dramatic music)
(plants rustling)
(light dramatic music)
The king of beasts could be used
to symbolize the powerful forces of evil,
but also, God's might in retribution.
(light dramatic music)
(light dramatic music)
(light dramatic music)
To defeat a lion was a sign of great strength.
(light dramatic music)
Samson tore apart a young lion with his bare hands.
And David was well prepared to tackle Goliath,
having already brought down a lion and a bear.
(light dramatic music)
(lion shaking mane)
(light dramatic music)
The pharaoh's palace was guarded by lions,
and the beasts roamed the hills
and might have hunted livestock.
(light dramatic music)
(animals clopping)
(light dramatic music)
(grass rustling)
(light dramatic music)
(lion roaring)
Fueling people's fear and awe.
(lion roaring)
(light dramatic music)
(light dramatic music)
Lions have long since gone from the region,
having been hunted out.
(light dramatic music)
(insects buzzing)
(light dramatic music)
Much of the Bible menagerie was inspired
simply by the characters in the neighborhood,
(playful music)
Like bears that roamed the hills.
(playful music)
(playful music)
And were a regular threat to livestock.
(playful music)
(birds chirping)
The Bible mentions conies,
little creatures it portrays as wise and tough.
(playful music)
(birds chirping)
The animals in question are hyrax,
distant cousins to elephants
that look more like guinea pigs.
(playful music)
With little rubber padded toes,
they are at home on the most rugged, rocky peaks.
(birds chirping)
Small songbirds are mentioned a lot in the Bible,
particularly sparrows.
(playful music)
(sparrows chirping)
The much large cheeky chirpers
would've been familiar for then, as now.
They liked to nest in old buildings,
seeking cracks and crevices
where they can raise their young.
(playful music)
(birds chirping)
(playful music)
(birds chirping)
They were lowly, annoying birds to many,
flying pests.
And so, Jesus used them in his teachings.
(playful music)
(birds chirping)
He said that sparrows wouldn't survive
if God wasn't providing for them,
to indicate that everyone,
no matter their status or wealth,
was cared for by God.
(playful music)
(birds chirping)
To care for little sparrows is
to show kindness and compassion.
(car driving)
(waves crashing)
(birds chirping)
While some animals were so humble,
every day and ordinary,
others are anything but.
(dramatic music)
The Bible speaks of Leviathan,
a giant sea creature,
(dramatic music)
used in text to thank God for the riches of the world
including the Leviathan that plays in the sea.
(dramatic music)
(dramatic music)
It was a huge beast,
terrifying and invincible,
beyond the reach of fishermen.
(dramatic music)
Was it a mystical creature?
Perhaps.
It was written
that its thirst could drain the waters of Jordan
and that its hot breath could make the sea boil.
(water splashing)
(dramatic music)
Some interpret the biblical stories of Leviathan
as illustrating the fear and respect people had
for huge Nile crocodiles
that would've stalked the rivers.
(dramatic music)
But others consider it a depiction of whales.
(dramatic music)
The great beasts are described directly in other verses.
(dramatic music)
In Genesis, "God created great whales
and every living creature that moveth."
(dramatic music)
The prophet, Ezekiel, is called to say to the pharaoh,
"Thou art like a young lion of the nations,
thou art is a whale in the seas,"
(dramatic music)
to appeal to the king's ego.
(dramatic music)
(dramatic music)
The Book of Jonah tells of a great fish
that famously swallowed Jonah.
Though, when Jesus recounts that tale in Matthew,
he states,
"Jonah's three days and three nights
in the belly of the whale."
(dramatic music)
(dramatic music)
It seems even these mind-blowing giants of the sea
had a role to play
in illustrating the teachings of the Bible.
(light dramatic music)
(light dramatic music)
Drawing on nature helped the authors
to anchor the huge hard-to-grasp and awe-inspiring concepts
in something true and familiar
to reassure their readers.
(light dramatic music)
(birds chirping)
In doing so,
the Bible provides insight
into the animals of that ancient land.
(hopeful music)
But it's far from an encyclopedia of animals.
(hopeful music)
Sometimes, it blurred the lines between fact and folklore.
(horse clopping)
(light dramatic music)
The unicorn is mentioned nine times in the Bible.
(hopeful music)
We may never know if there was any influence from nature,
or if it was pure mythology.
(hopeful music)
A fantasy creature to conjure images
in the minds of the readers.
(mystical dramatic music)
(mystical dramatic music)
The Bible combined the seemingly ordinary,
like Jesus, a carpenter's son,
(mystical dramatic music)
With fantastical, extraordinary concepts
to describe the power of God.
(mystical dramatic music)
It was symbolic and influential,
and enriched, like the world today,
with the glorious diversity of animals.
(hopeful music)
(fireworks popping)
(hopeful music)
(hopeful music)
(hopeful music)
(hopeful music)
(birds chirping)
(hopeful music)
(hopeful music)
(birds chirping)
(bell chiming)
(violin music)
v NarratorAt the heart of many major religious groups/v
are a collection of scriptures.
Revelations from God brought together in a book,
(orchestra music)
the Bible.
(orchestra music)
(birds chirping)
The famous texts don't just talk about people,
but also animals.
(orchestra music)
We've all heard of the ox and the ass,
the donkey that carried Mary.
But did you know gazelles are mentioned in the Bible?
(orchestra music)
Or whales?
(orchestra music)
Leopards?
(orchestra music)
And hyrax?
(orchestra music)
A whole menagerie is featured.
Some are creatures of the holy lands
that lived alongside the people of the time.
(orchestra music)
(nature noises)
But others have been selected
for traits that make them ideal symbols,
like the brave lion,
and abominable owl.
(orchestra music)
The Bible reveals which animals were important
at that time and why.
(orchestra music)
(birds chirping)
(fire blazing)
(dramatic music)
(dramatic music)
(dramatic music)
Though it sells 100 million copies a year,
the Bible remains controversial.
(playful piano music)
Some see it as precise instruction from God.
(playful piano music)
As true now as the day it was written.
(playful piano music)
Others, as moral guidance that can be taken
with a pinch of salt to allow for its age.
(playful piano music)
Whatever the view,
it's one of the most famous texts on earth.
(woman singing)
It's important to remember where
and when the Bible was written.
(woman singing)
It's a collection of different books.
Some dating back more than 3,000 years,
charting a time of great change
in the shaping and leadership of societies.
(piano music)
To appeal to the readers of the time,
it drew inspiration and ideals
from familiar subjects.
(piano music)
(woman shouting)
At the time, people lived off the land
and had a closer relationship to nature.
(calming music)
And so, perhaps, it's not surprising
that animals often feature.
(calming music)
Either as a part of everyday life,
(calming music)
or as symbols to represent human traits.
(calming music)
(calming music)
However, the Bible was written by priests and prophets,
not naturalists.
So it's not always easy to separate symbolism from fact.
(nature noises)
(calming music)
Historians talk about the Middle East, at that time,
as the Fertile Crescent.
(calming music)
A boomerang-shaped stretch of land from Egypt
through the Middle East, as far as Turkey,
that was, at that time,
abundant in fresh water and rich soils.
(calming music)
It's often known as the "cradle of civilization"
as many of the world's first great societies arose here,
(calming music)
as did many technological advances.
(playful music)
Like the invention of wheels,
(playful music)
writing,
(playful music)
and irrigation.
(playful music)
(water splashing)
(playful music)
(water splashing)
But it was also the place where most
of the first domestication of animals took place.
(playful music)
(playful music)
(sizzling noise)
(donkeys braying)
(sizzling noise)
Though the Bible has many mentions of domestic donkeys,
it also references their wild ancestors,
the wild ass that roamed the region.
(orchestra music)
(orchestra music)
"The range of the mountains is his pasture.
And he searches after every green thing."
(orchestra music)
The text paying tribute to their hardy nature.
(orchestra music)
From the tough creatures,
equally hardy but more manageable,
donkeys were born.
(orchestra music)
(raking noise)
(orchestra music)
(ears flapping)
There are more than 80 references to them in the Bible,
which is hardly surprising
as they were central to ancient life
as modes of transport and beasts of burden.
(donkey clopping)
(orchestra music)
Everyone rode donkeys
and many Bible characters are described on them,
from Mary to Moses.
(orchestra music)
When Jesus rode into Jerusalem, he didn't ride a horse,
a beast of war.
He chose the humble donkey,
symbolizing that he came in peace.
(calming music)
(calming music)
Horses were around at the time too,
but they were possessions for the elite,
ridden by kings and armies.
(ominous music)
(horse splashing)
This is reflected in nearly 150 biblical references.
(horses splashing)
(horse neighing)
For the Israelites, horses were forbidden.
They were told to put their faith in God, not armies.
(horses clopping)
(dramatic music)
The horse, as today, was iconic.
(horses clopping)
(dramatic music)
And admired symbol of power and speed.
(horses clopping)
(dramatic music)
(horses clopping)
(dramatic music)
In those days, divisions were common
and mixing control of people, but animals too.
(horses clopping)
Deuteronomy prohibits yoking ox and ass
together to pull plows.
Good practical advice with animals of very different builds,
but also symbolic of separatism.
There was a preference to keep everything pure.
(horse snorting)
(playful music)
Leviticus forbids mating between species.
And so, the mule was less popular,
especially in the earlier books of the Bible.
(playful music)
(indistinct chatter)
The mule is the product
of cross breeding a horse with a donkey,
producing a sterile hybrid.
(horses clopping)
Mules are ideal beasts of burden,
confident on their feet
and with incredible strength and endurance.
(playful music)
They were ideal for the harsh conditions of the holy lands.
(playful music)
But the Bible even details that
because cross-breeding was banned,
the mules were imported from Armenia.
(playful music)
(playful music)
There is one other prominent beast of burden
that was vital to the people at the time,
and which lent itself well
to symbology for many religions.
(playful music)
(somber music)
(somber music)
Unlike other animals,
cows get a lot of coverage in the Bible.
450 times, in fact,
under various names like "cattle" and "oxen."
(somber music)
(somber music)
Cattle were often considered
the most valuable form of property.
(somber music)
The Bible describes many of their roles in agriculture,
such as pulling the plow,
(somber music)
and bringing in the harvest.
(somber music)
(somber music)
(somber music)
(somber music)
(somber music)
(somber music)
They were also central to religious events.
(somber music)
Cattle were so important to society at the time
that laws were made to protect them.
(somber music)
Sunday, the seventh day,
was, by law, a day of rest and worship.
And that day of rest was extended
to the hardworking ox and ass.
(birds chirping)
(hopeful music)
(hopeful music)
(hopeful music)
They would've roamed pastures in summer,
(hopeful music)
but been stabled and fed in winter.
(hopeful music)
Where they were lowing at the time of Jesus' birth.
(hopeful music)
(hopeful music)
(cow mooing)
(animals clopping)
(playful music)
In the treasured story,
other animals were to visit the manger.
(playful music)
Camels are often depicted on Christmas cards
bringing the wise men.
(playful music)
But camels were often mentioned in the Old Testament.
(playful music)
In fact, one of the first animals mentioned
in the Bible in the possession of Abraham.
(dramatic music)
However, recent research has revealed
that the story is set hundreds of years
before domestic camels were brought to the region.
(metal clanking)
Providing evidence that the books were written long
after the events and adapted to suit the times.
(dramatic music)
(indistinct chatter)
(dramatic music)
(indistinct chatter)
Nonetheless, camels later became a vital way of life.
They were ridden, pulled chariots,
and even carried soldiers into war.
(crowd cheering)
(drums beating)
(crowd cheering)
(drums beating)
(crowd cheering)
(drums beating)
But they were also used in proverb
(camels clopping)
to discourage material greed.
Jesus used the illustration.
"It's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle
than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Heaven."
(dramatic music)
The camel fits the story perfectly
because it was the biggest animal known
to the people of the time,
adding to the absurdity of it
going through the needle's eye.
(calming music)
(sheep baaing)
(sheep clopping)
The most important animal in the Bible,
mentioned more than 500 times,
was also connected to the story
of the Lord's birth in Bethlehem.
(calming music)
(calming music)
The birth was marked by a bright star.
(calming music)
Observed by shepherds.
(calming music)
(sheep baaing)
Sheep were the main possession
a man could have in biblical times.
(calming music)
They were a source of meat, milk,
wool, and leather.
And their flock could be easily herded
and moved between pastures.
(calming music)
There was no easier way
to portray God's nurturing of his followers
than to imagine a kind shepherd tending to his flock.
(dramatic music)
Jesus himself was described
as the good shepherd and the lamb of God.
(lamb baaing)
(dramatic music)
Goats were just as important in the holy lands
perhaps more so because of their ability to eat anything,
surviving in the most hostile terrain.
(dramatic music)
(sheep baaing)
Though, in his teachings,
Jesus favored sheep, the loyal followers.
Goats were headstrong and harder to herd.
They represented people straying
from the teachings of their faith.
(dramatic music)
(sheep baaing)
(dramatic music)
(sheep baaing)
(metal clanking)
(nature noises)
Another domestic species that we all know well
is the chicken, which gets the odd mention in the holy text.
(birds chirping)
(rooster crowing)
In the Bible, they are mentioned as proclaimers of the dawn.
Jesus says, "Look for his return
at the sound of the rooster."
(birds chirping)
And the cockerel crowed twice at Peter's portrayal of Jesus.
(woman speaking gibberish)
(playful music)
And there is one touching observation
of the bird's parenting skills
when Jesus cries over Jerusalem.
"O Jerusalem.
How often would I have gathered thy children together,
even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings."
(gentle music)
(rooster crowing)
(food crashing)
(footsteps pattering)
(playful music)
Not all of the farmyard animals we know today
were so celebrated in the Bible.
(playful music)
(sheep baaing)
With cloven hoofed feet, but not during the cut,
as cows and sheep do,
pigs were regarded with suspicion.
(playful music)
(pig grunting)
(birds chirping)
They were forbidden by several religions
including Judaism and Islam.
They were seen as an abomination.
(playful music)
The Old Testament is pretty damning of these lovable swine,
which were considered unclean.
(playful music)
Nonetheless, the adaptable animals were kept
in the holy lands and feature in the Bible.
(playful music)
The prodigal son tended a sounder of pigs.
(playful music)
(playful music)
Why pigs turned up on the naughty list is unclear.
(playful music)
It's possibly because their bodies could harbor parasites,
especially with their ability to eat anything
including human waste.
(playful music)
Opinions did change though.
And today, most Christians eat pork.
(meat carving)
Though, the Old Testament ruled them out,
in the New Testament,
Jesus explained that it is not what goes
into the body that's unclean,
it's what comes out.
(silverware clanging)
Evil doesn't come from the food,
but the heart of the person who eats it.
So to good people,
no foods are unclean.
(dishes clanging)
(pig snorting)
But in the olden days,
pigs were not the only despised animals.
The people of the Fertile Crescent had a long list
of abominations in nature.
(grass rustling)
The decisions on which animals were clean or unclean
is often related to whether they chewed the cud,
and the arrangement of their feet.
(rustling noise)
(playful music)
(playful music)
(birds chirping)
Hares were said to be unclean.
Moses ruled them out
because they chewed the cud, but lacked hooves.
(playful music)
(playful music)
Hares don't actually chew the cud.
(playful music)
(animals chirping)
But they do consume their own droppings
to give them a second digestion,
and also grind their teeth together to wear them down.
(dramatic music)
(birds chirping)
Either of these might have been seen and interpreted
as chewing the cud.
(dramatic music)
(birds chirping)
(dramatic music)
(birds chirping)
In Hebrew mythology,
it was thought only one hare survived
the Great Flood on Noah's Ark.
And yet, was able to bear offspring without a mate.
(nature noises)
So the lining
of the mythologically hermaphrodite hare stomach
became a treatment
for sterility recommended to Samson's mother
in the Book of Judges.
(birds chirping)
(calming music)
(animals chirping)
(calming music)
The Bible also lays out a long list of forbidden birds,
which basically just means birds that should not be eaten.
(playful music)
(playful music)
(swan squawking)
(playful music)
Some seem a bit arbitrary, like swans,
hoopoes,
perhaps because they were sacred to the Egyptians,
or because they foul around their nests.
(playful music)
(playful music)
And, probably, pelicans because of the way
they regurgitated food for their young.
(waves splashing)
(playful music)
(calming music)
The list also includes bats
which, of course, are not birds at all.
(playful music)
(crickets chirping)
(playful music)
(birds chirping)
One theory suggests that clean birds,
like quail, partridge, and pheasant,
are defined by having crops,
the throat sacks in which food collects,
and double-layered gizzards,
the muscular part of the stomach
that holds little stones to help grind their food.
(calming music)
(birds chirping)
They are not meat eaters
and they do not eat while flying.
(dramatic music)
(dramatic music)
As meat eaters and birds that nibble while on the wing,
birds of prey, like hawks,
(dramatic music)
buzzards, and kites,
were abominations.
(dramatic music)
As were owls and vultures.
(vultures squawking)
(dramatic music)
The lapwing was on the list of unclean birds too.
According to legend, it marked Christ on the cross.
And so, was condemned to wondering the wilderness
where its mournful cries can still be heard.
(lapwing singing)
(gentle music)
The ostrich gets a hard deal in the Bible.
(dramatic music)
The biggest of birds,
which was common in the area in biblical times,
was said to abandon its young.
(dramatic music)
In fact, ostrich are very diligent parents,
though many females can lay eggs in a single male's nest,
and only he and his chosen mate will raise them.
So, to some extent, there is truth in the observations.
(dramatic music)
According to Job, "She is not hardened
against her young ones as though they were not hers
because God hath deprived her of wisdom."
(dramatic music)
(dramatic music)
The lack of brain's notion was furthered by the myth
that the ostrich buries its head in the sand,
though, probably, just based on distant observations
where the bird's heads were hidden
in low vegetation while they fed.
(dramatic music)
(dramatic music)
(playful music)
Though storks and herons are listed
as abomination not to be eaten,
the two birds are portrayed differently.
The Bible describes herons as cruel and cowardly.
(playful music)
(playful music)
While storks were celebrated as model parents,
symbols of kindness and loyalty.
(playful music)
(playful music)
Maybe this portrayal was based
on observations of nesting storks.
(playful music)
(playful music)
(playful music)
The parents will use their bodies
to shade chicks from the sun,
and will bring water to quench their thirst.
(stork squawking)
(playful music)
The elegant birds are welcome to roofs
in many societies around the world.
(dramatic music)
(dramatic music)
(dramatic music)
The heron's cousin, the bittern,
gets special mention as an icon of lonely desolation.
(dramatic music)
(bird chirping)
(bird chirping)
For example, Zephaniah cries out,
"He will make Nineveh a desolation,
both the cormorant and the bittern shall lodge
in the upper limits of it.
Their voices shall sing in the windows.
Desolation shall be in the threshold."
(dramatic music)
(dramatic music)
(dramatic music)
(birds chirping)
Perhaps this was inspired,
not only by the bittern's secretive and solitary lifestyle,
but by its lonely evocative call,
soulful booms deep to carry further
across its marshland home.
(dramatic music)
(playful music)
In Exodus, plagues were sent upon Egypt
to force the Pharaoh to free the Israelites from slavery.
One of the plagues was frogs.
(playful music)
Intended as terrifying proof of God's power,
frogs emerged from the Nile
and hopped their way into houses and even beds.
(dramatic music)
Some believe the crocodiles in the Nile are descended
from the frogs of that biblical plague.
(dramatic music)
(cup falling)
(dramatic music)
(dramatic music)
(dramatic music)
(dramatic music)
(dramatic music)
(playful music)
Creatures that crawl along the ground were listed
as unclean, like lizards.
(playful music)
(playful music)
And snails.
(playful music)
(rustling noise)
(playful music)
The mole is mentioned.
(playful music)
Though is probably a reference to mole rats
as there are no moles in the area
but the rodents do live underground and, like moles,
have all but given up their eyes and ears
for their lives in the dark.
(playful music)
(playful music)
They might have damaged crops
through their underground raids,
making them unpopular.
(playful music)
(birds chirping)
(playful music)
(birds chirping)
(playful music)
(birds chirping)
Rats and mice were on the naughty list too.
(playful music)
(rats squeaking)
In the Book of Samuel,
they plagued cities and brought death,
perhaps through helping the spread
of bubonic plague or other diseases.
(playful music)
(playful music)
(calming music)
(birds chirping)
The list of abominations goes on.
(calming music)
(dog barking)
The word, "dog," was an insult,
suggesting a lazy, filthy coward.
(calming music)
Dogs were common in biblical times
and had their uses guarding sheep, flocks, and homes.
(calming music)
(dogs barking)
But they'd also scavenge waste and were feral around towns.
(ominous music)
People didn't like the fact dogs ate waste,
especially as this included the dead.
(ominous music)
Feral dogs, as they are today,
were more aggressive and more prone to bite.
(ominous music)
Some of the street dogs might have been hybrids.
(ominous music)
Mixing with wild wolves or jackals
(dramatic music)
adding to their ferocity.
(dramatic music)
(dramatic music)
Jackals were used in biblical text
to symbolize desolation and destruction,
colonizing ruined cities.
(dramatic music)
For example, in Jeremiah,
"I will make the towns of Judah desolate,
a haunt of jackals."
(jackals snorting)
(calming music)
It was a way to illustrate the severity of threats
to doomed cities.
(light dramatic music)
(light dramatic music)
Jackals, of course, are wild spirits,
was also adaptable and opportunistic.
(light dramatic music)
(light dramatic music)
(light dramatic music)
They would've been common and easy to observe,
looking for food around human settlements
throughout the region.
(light dramatic music)
(playful music)
Familiar sites for Bible authors to draw on.
(light dramatic music)
(light dramatic music)
(water splashing)
(water splashing)
(dramatic music)
Sheep and goats were the main form
of wealth in biblical times.
So it's hardly surprising that the wolf,
the main predator in the land,
was to become enemy number one
and used in the Bible to symbolize destruction.
(dramatic music)
(dramatic music)
Christ uses them as an analogy
to warn his disciples of dangers that lie ahead.
(dramatic music)
"Behold, I send you forth the sheep in the midst of wolves."
And, "Beware of false prophets which come to you
in sheep's clothing,
but inwardly, they are ravening wolves."
(dramatic music)
(dramatic music)
That Jesus was often considered a lamb of God,
and the wolf was the main threat to sheep,
made for powerful storytelling,
but didn't do a lot
for the human relationship to wolves.
(dramatic music)
(dramatic music)
They have been persecuted all over the world,
despite the fact they are a vital part
of healthy ecosystems.
(dramatic music)
(dramatic music)
(nature noises)
(cars rustling)
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Food, threats to it,
and menu items were, as they are today,
a major part of life.
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(people chattering)
And so, it's no surprise that
just as the Bible lays out laws on what not to eat,
it also lists which species are suitable for consumption.
(light dramatic music)
(people chattering)
(grasshopper chirping)
Grasshoppers were green litter snacks,
cheap protein that was abundant.
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The Bible also uses them a few times
to describe gatherings of children.
Like the grasshoppers,
they were small in stature, but numerous.
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In the Book of Ecclesiastes,
grasshoppers are also used
to represent the frailty of old age.
Another insect is met with mixed reviews.
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Though bees are treasured by ourselves,
valuable pollinators and semi-domestic animals
that provide honey,
the Bible references their wild
and more aggressive ancestors.
(bees buzzing)
(light dramatic music)
(bees buzzing)
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People trying to collect honey from wild beehives
could stir up the nest and start an aggressive swarm.
(light dramatic music)
And so, the fear of bees was used
to describe aggressive, swarming armies.
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But the product of bees,
their sticky sweet honey,
has always been treasured.
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After Samson killed a lion,
he was rewarded with bees and honey.
(machine whirring)
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A good and rich land was described
as flowing with milk and honey.
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Wild fowl and game birds were, not surprisingly,
fair game.
(playful music)
(quail chirping)
Quail getting honorable mention on the menu.
(playful music)
It's written that God sent flocks of them
to feed the starving Israelites in the desert.
(playful music)
Among animals,
deer were popular game.
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But also respected for their speed,
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agility,
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and huge leaps.
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(water splashing)
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(water splashing)
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(water splashing)
(insects buzzing)
Three kinds lived in the area,
and all are mentioned individually in the Bible.
(insects buzzing)
The roe.
(birds chirping)
(insects buzzing)
Fallow.
(birds chirping)
(insects buzzing)
And red.
(insects buzzing)
(deer snorting)
(grass trampling)
(deer snorting)
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As well as deer,
the holy lands are graced by gazelles.
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Elegant antelope that,
despite their delicate appearance,
are masters of desert survival.
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Gazelles were food, for example,
served to Solomon.
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(water splashing)
But their characteristics were also used to praise a person
for their agility and swift-footedness.
(light dramatic music)
(gazelles clopping)
(light dramatic music)
(gazelles clopping)
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Not all of the inhabitants
of the Fertile Crescent
were as benign as dainty gazelles.
There were many dangerous animals, too,
useful to add familiarity and impact
to the stories of the time.
(light dramatic music)
(birds chirping)
(light dramatic music)
(birds chirping)
Snakes are featured in the Bible by various names.
Adder, asp, and viper
are all names to describe dangerous, poisonous snakes.
(light dramatic music)
"The viper's tongue shall slay him."
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The Bible references the fact that snakes are deaf,
something long believed by biologists
because they lack outer ears.
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Science now suggests snakes can hear.
Their jaws, and possibly even skin,
can pick up the vibrations from sound,
which are received and interpreted by an inner ear.
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The Bible also uses the sharp bite of the snake
in damning the sting of wine.
"Their wine is the poison of dragons
and the cruel venom of asps."
And, "Look thou not upon the wine when it is red,
at the last biteth like a serpent
and stingeth like an adder."
(birds chirping)
(birds chirping)
When God is threatening wroth in the Bible,
it sometimes described using the dangerous animals
such as sending hornets upon a city.
(dramatic music)
(hornets buzzing)
In Hebrew law, hornets were thought to bring down soldiers.
(dramatic music)
(hornet buzzing)
Hornets are aggressive, swarming social insects
that carry painful stings.
(dramatic music)
(hornet buzzing)
(dramatic music)
(hornet buzzing)
(dramatic music)
Good tools to help readers of the Bible to get the point.
(dramatic music)
(birds chirping)
There were bigger threats too.
(birds chirping)
In Jeremiah, the question is asked,
"Can the leopard change its spots?"
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(light dramatic music)
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And in Isaiah, it is predicted
that a time of peace will come
where, "The leopard will lie down with a kid."
(light dramatic music)
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(grass rustling)
But in most Bible quotations,
the leopard symbolizes wilderness.
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Remote places from which it can watch over towns and cities.
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The big cats were found throughout the region,
but are now rare.
(light dramatic music)
Many iconic and sometimes surprising species
from the Middle East
have been adopted by the Bible's authors as symbols.
(insects buzzing)
(light dramatic music)
(insects buzzing)
(light dramatic music)
The eagle is admired in scripture
for its incredible flight, high soaring,
amazing eyesight, and remote nests in the mountain.
(insects buzzing)
(light dramatic music)
(insects buzzing)
(light dramatic music)
(insects buzzing)
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(insects buzzing)
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There's a particularly detailed observation in Deuteronomy
of the way a mother eagle pushes her chicks
from the nest to encourage them to stand
on their own two feet.
(insects buzzing)
(light dramatic music)
(insects buzzing)
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(insects buzzing)
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It was used to illustrate God's caring ways.
Sometimes, pushing people to stand up for themselves.
(insects buzzing)
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But always ready to catch them if they fall.
(insects buzzing)
(light dramatic music)
(insects buzzing)
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(eagle crowing)
(winds blowing)
The noble eagle was also sometimes used
as a symbol of resurrection,
but outshone by another dramatic predator.
(light dramatic music)
(birds chirping)
There are more than 150 references
to lions in the Bible.
(light dramatic music)
(plants rustling)
(light dramatic music)
(plants rustling)
(light dramatic music)
(plants rustling)
The animals were iconic and embroiled in local mythology.
(light dramatic music)
(plants rustling)
They provided ideal metaphors
to celebrate a human's bravery and strength.
(light dramatic music)
(plants rustling)
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The king of beasts could be used
to symbolize the powerful forces of evil,
but also, God's might in retribution.
(light dramatic music)
(light dramatic music)
(light dramatic music)
To defeat a lion was a sign of great strength.
(light dramatic music)
Samson tore apart a young lion with his bare hands.
And David was well prepared to tackle Goliath,
having already brought down a lion and a bear.
(light dramatic music)
(lion shaking mane)
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The pharaoh's palace was guarded by lions,
and the beasts roamed the hills
and might have hunted livestock.
(light dramatic music)
(animals clopping)
(light dramatic music)
(grass rustling)
(light dramatic music)
(lion roaring)
Fueling people's fear and awe.
(lion roaring)
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(light dramatic music)
Lions have long since gone from the region,
having been hunted out.
(light dramatic music)
(insects buzzing)
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Much of the Bible menagerie was inspired
simply by the characters in the neighborhood,
(playful music)
Like bears that roamed the hills.
(playful music)
(playful music)
And were a regular threat to livestock.
(playful music)
(birds chirping)
The Bible mentions conies,
little creatures it portrays as wise and tough.
(playful music)
(birds chirping)
The animals in question are hyrax,
distant cousins to elephants
that look more like guinea pigs.
(playful music)
With little rubber padded toes,
they are at home on the most rugged, rocky peaks.
(birds chirping)
Small songbirds are mentioned a lot in the Bible,
particularly sparrows.
(playful music)
(sparrows chirping)
The much large cheeky chirpers
would've been familiar for then, as now.
They liked to nest in old buildings,
seeking cracks and crevices
where they can raise their young.
(playful music)
(birds chirping)
(playful music)
(birds chirping)
They were lowly, annoying birds to many,
flying pests.
And so, Jesus used them in his teachings.
(playful music)
(birds chirping)
He said that sparrows wouldn't survive
if God wasn't providing for them,
to indicate that everyone,
no matter their status or wealth,
was cared for by God.
(playful music)
(birds chirping)
To care for little sparrows is
to show kindness and compassion.
(car driving)
(waves crashing)
(birds chirping)
While some animals were so humble,
every day and ordinary,
others are anything but.
(dramatic music)
The Bible speaks of Leviathan,
a giant sea creature,
(dramatic music)
used in text to thank God for the riches of the world
including the Leviathan that plays in the sea.
(dramatic music)
(dramatic music)
It was a huge beast,
terrifying and invincible,
beyond the reach of fishermen.
(dramatic music)
Was it a mystical creature?
Perhaps.
It was written
that its thirst could drain the waters of Jordan
and that its hot breath could make the sea boil.
(water splashing)
(dramatic music)
Some interpret the biblical stories of Leviathan
as illustrating the fear and respect people had
for huge Nile crocodiles
that would've stalked the rivers.
(dramatic music)
But others consider it a depiction of whales.
(dramatic music)
The great beasts are described directly in other verses.
(dramatic music)
In Genesis, "God created great whales
and every living creature that moveth."
(dramatic music)
The prophet, Ezekiel, is called to say to the pharaoh,
"Thou art like a young lion of the nations,
thou art is a whale in the seas,"
(dramatic music)
to appeal to the king's ego.
(dramatic music)
(dramatic music)
The Book of Jonah tells of a great fish
that famously swallowed Jonah.
Though, when Jesus recounts that tale in Matthew,
he states,
"Jonah's three days and three nights
in the belly of the whale."
(dramatic music)
(dramatic music)
It seems even these mind-blowing giants of the sea
had a role to play
in illustrating the teachings of the Bible.
(light dramatic music)
(light dramatic music)
Drawing on nature helped the authors
to anchor the huge hard-to-grasp and awe-inspiring concepts
in something true and familiar
to reassure their readers.
(light dramatic music)
(birds chirping)
In doing so,
the Bible provides insight
into the animals of that ancient land.
(hopeful music)
But it's far from an encyclopedia of animals.
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Sometimes, it blurred the lines between fact and folklore.
(horse clopping)
(light dramatic music)
The unicorn is mentioned nine times in the Bible.
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We may never know if there was any influence from nature,
or if it was pure mythology.
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A fantasy creature to conjure images
in the minds of the readers.
(mystical dramatic music)
(mystical dramatic music)
The Bible combined the seemingly ordinary,
like Jesus, a carpenter's son,
(mystical dramatic music)
With fantastical, extraordinary concepts
to describe the power of God.
(mystical dramatic music)
It was symbolic and influential,
and enriched, like the world today,
with the glorious diversity of animals.
(hopeful music)
(fireworks popping)
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(birds chirping)
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(birds chirping)