In the Bible, animals steal the show

Animals steal the show in biblical drama.

I don't have a pet. This puts me at odds with 65% of U.S. citizens who choose to share their homes with animals. 44% of us live with dogs and 35% with cats. Freshwater fish are the most kept pets by volume, since people tend to keep them in the full tank. Bird ownership is one fifth of the size of cat associations.

Not having "my" animal does not deny me the pleasure of creatures in their natural habitats, since their existence is independent of mine. It would be difficult to live on planet Earth and be completely free of animals.

It is equally challenging to read the Bible and avoid animals. They mainly play supporting roles, but their numbers are legions.

Perhaps only two episodes of pets are recorded in the scriptures. The first occurs in a parable that the prophet Nathan tells King David about. It is an acute story about a poor man with a domestic lamb so dear to him that he sleeps in his bosom. Unfortunately, nothing good happens to lamb, since an insensitive and rich man imagines it for dinner. David's indignation for this tale brilliantly underlines the point, while Nathan declares to his adulterous king: "That man is you".

The other biblical pet has a brighter fate. In Tobias' book, young Tobias has a dog following him outside the door and on the way to adventure. It is also quite an adventure, as Tobias regains his father's wealth and acquires a wife. Unfortunately, the bride, Sarah, has a demon, who expels some fish entrails. There is enough holy mojo left in the bowels of the fish to restore Elder Tobias' lost vision. Hopefully the dog has had a profitable trip like his master.

Occasionally, animals enjoy higher profiles in the drama. It would be impossible to tell the story of creation without the fifth day, when birds and fish fill the skies and oceans. Not to mention the sixth day, when other species creep, crawl, hop and gallop into existence - including a pair of two-legged legs made in divine image. All these creatures have a vegan diet from the beginning, which makes their coexistence a truly peaceful kingdom.

So a certain snake is in the center of the scene. This talking animal causes so many problems that biblical animals are dumb after this - with the exception of Balaam's ass in Numbers 22. Fortunately, the ass chooses to be on the side of the angels.

After the garden, primordial trust is destroyed. The unilateral feud of Cain and Abel explodes due to professional differences: Abel is a shepherd and Cain a land cultivator. Being a shepherd leads Abel to offer an animal sacrifice to God, which seems preferable to the plant species. Remember, nobody is eating meat at this point. Abel's herds supplied clothes and milk. The point of sacrifice is not to feed God but to surrender to something that cannot be taken back.

The beef between the brothers highlights the timeless conflict between the owner of the flock and the farmer. One lifestyle is migrant and free, the other tied to a plot of land. After killing Abel, Cain leaves to found a city, further consolidating himself on the spot. Pastors remain biblically unwelcome to city dwellers forever.

Animals steal the show in the great flood epic. Technically, Noah is the main character here, but you would hardly know it for the attention paid to the miles of animals clamoring to get on the ark.

After Noah docks on land again, relationships undergo another transformation. The season between species is now open, as a carnivorous diet is allowed. A high level of violence now permeates the Earth, as each creature sees the other as a potential meal.

In the following, most of the animals presented in the Bible will be pack animals, sacrifice items or on the menu. Soon Abraham presides over flocks of sheep and oxen and uses donkeys and camels. None of these are pets. He will easily open a heifer, a ram, a turtle dove and a pigeon for his mysterious encounter with God in the outbreak. The days when we were shipmates in the ark are over.

The next animal in a starring role is the ram that takes Isaac's place on the altar of sacrifice on Mount Moriah. Abraham's ram has a family resemblance to the metaphorical Lamb of God. Rams, lambs and other creatures are killed in rituals that span millennia, saving Israel from one transgression one vulnerable life at a time.

Meanwhile, camels serve as unlikely matchmakers. Rebecca gently waters the camels of a stranger; the stranger is a servant in charge of procuring a wife for Isaac, who notes Rebecca's hospitality as material for a good wife. Incidentally, Moses gets a wife by watering the flocks of some girls who are molested in another well after generations. This cute pet animal still works for dog walkers today.

Once married, Isaac becomes a farmer and shepherd. However, his favorite son is a hunter, so Isaac cultivates a passion for wild meat. The lifestyle pits the brothers against each other again: while Esau hunts, Jacob's interests remain domestic. They contend for acceptance in the manner of Cain and Abel, this time not for the attention of God but for that of the father. I'm sorry to say that many animals are injured in the making of this story, from goat meat dressed to disguise itself as a game to the hunted creature prepared in vain to earn the stolen blessing.

Fast forward to Moses, who sends hordes of frogs, midges, flies and locusts like plagues over Egypt. Suddenly, animals are weapons of mass destruction. Pestilence, bubbles and hail afflict Egyptians and their beasts alike. The Easter lamb is eaten by every Israelite family to preserve its life, its blood is applied to every door.

Yet the Egyptian and animal male firstborns perish in the final plague before Pharaoh is persuaded to let go of God's people. This is not the end of the animal war. The horses drag the chariots of the Pharaoh into the dry bed of the Red Sea, and get lost together with the chariots and carers of the Pharaoh.

Animals continued to be armed until the Maccabees era, when elephants served as tanks in the endless wars of the period. Soldiers give alcohol to the poor beasts to prepare them for battle. They keep lions hungry to devour the enemies of a king. However, lions in a certain den refuse to eat Daniel.

God sends a big fish to swallow Jonah. This is not an act of war, but rather a work of mercy for the Ninivites, who need to listen to a prophet's warning more than Jonah wants to deliver. The fish must have been grateful to move its load.

In tracing the history of animals in the Bible, we especially recognize their misery. They do heavy lifting, are ritually massacred in volume, are enlisted to fight the battles of humanity and end up in dishes at the end of the day.

Some favorite animals return to their trough on a fateful night in Bethlehem to find a baby. That child himself will become food for the world, take the burdens of humanity, be the last sacrifice and fight the final battle against sin and death. The peaceful kingdom is about to be restored.