GARDENS AS “PARTNERS†IN CONTEMPLATION: READING THE STORIES OF THE FIRST EDEN (GENESIS 2–3) AND A RESTORED EDEN (SONG OF SONGS) THROUGH THE LENS OF ATTENTION RESTORATION THEORY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25159/1013-8471/2542Abstract
It is well known that gardens have always been inspiring for great thinkers of the past, for instance Greek and Roman philosophers, Confucian thinkers, Desiderius Erasmus, Isaac Newton and Arnold Toynbee, to name but a few. Why is this so? Attention Restoration Theory, developed by environmental psychologists Stephen and Rachel Kaplan, explains how both wild (e.g., reserves) and cultivated nature (e.g., parks, gardens) can assist in replenishing our cognitive and emotional coping capacities, and uplift us. Nature is not only a setting but an active agent/“partner†in sustaining human well-being, inter alia when contemplating or reflecting on the meaning of life. In order to achieve this the human/nature relationship needs to meet the properties of “being awayâ€, “compatibilityâ€, “‘soft’ fascination†and “extentâ€. Shining the light of these insights on two “Edens†in the Old Testament, the one lost (Gen 2–3) and the other revived (Song of Songs), nature’s role in evoking contemplation especially, whether on human fate or human delight, will be highlighted.Metrics
References
Barbiero, G 2011. Song of Songs: a close reading. Tr. M Tait. Supplements to Vetus Testamentum, 144. Leiden: Brill. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/ej.9789004203259.i-542
Becking, B 2011. Once in a garden: some remarks on the construction of the identity of woman and man in Genesis 2–3, in Becking & Hennecke 2011:1–13.
Becking, B & Hennecke, S (eds) 2011. Out of Paradise: Eve and Adam and their interpreters. Hebrew Bible Monographs, 30. Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix Press.
Berman, M G, Jonides, J & Kaplan, S 2008. The cognitive benefits of interacting with nature, Psychological Science 19/12:1207–1212. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02225.x
Bloch, A & Bloch, C 1995. The Song of Songs: a new translation. Random House: New York.
De Kort, Y A W, Meijnders, A L, Sponselee, A A G & Ijsselsteijn, W A 2006. What’s wrong with virtual trees? Restoring from stress in a mediated environment, Journal of Environmental Psychology 26: 309–320. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2006.09.001
De Young, R 2010. Restoring mental vitality in an endangered world: reflections on the benefits of walking. Ecopsychology 2/1:13–22. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1089/eco.2009.0043
Exum, J C 2005. Song of Songs:a commentary. OTL. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press.
Fontaine, CR 2001. “Go forth into the fieldsâ€: an earth-centred reading of the Song of Songs, in Habel & Wurst 2001:126–142.
Fox, M V 1985. The Song of Songs and ancient Egyptian love songs. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press.
Gerleman, G 1981. Ruth. Das Hohelied. 2 Aufl. Biblische Kommentar zum Alten Testament, XVIII. Neukirchen-Vluyn: Neukirchener Verlag.
Habel, N 2011. The birth, the curse and the greening of earth: an ecological reading of Genesis 1–11. The Earth Bible Commentary. Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix Press.
Habel, N S & Wurst, S (eds) 2000. The earth story in Genesis. The Earth Bible, 2. Sheffield Academic Press: Sheffield.
Habel, N C & Wurst, S (eds) 2001. The earth story in wisdom traditions. The Earth Bible, 3. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press.
Kaplan, R 2001. The nature of the view from home: psychological benefits, Environment and Behavior 33/4:507–542. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/00139160121973115
Kaplan, S 1995. The restorative benefits of nature: toward an integrative framework, Journal of Environmental Psychology 15:169–182. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0272-4944(95)90001-2
_______ 2001. Meditation, restoration and the management of mental fatigue, Environment and Behavior 33:1–16.
Kaplan, S & Berman, M G 2010. Directed attention as a common resource for executive functioning and self-regulation, Perspectives on Psychological Science 5/1:43–57. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691609356784
Kaplan, R & Kaplan, S 1989. The experience of nature: a psychological perspective. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
LaCoque, A 1998. Romance she wrote: a hermeneutical essay on the Song of Songs. Harrisburg: Trinity Press International.
Landy, F 1983. Paradoxes of paradise: identity and difference in the Song of Songs. Bible Literature 7. Sheffield: Almond Press.
Longman III, T 2001. Song of Songs. New International Commentary on the Old Testament. Michigan: Grand Rapids.
Mayer, F S, Frantz, C M P, Bruehlman-Senecal, E & Dolliver, K 2009. Why is nature beneficial? Environment and Behavior 4/5:607–643. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916508319745
Meyers C 1988. Discovering Eve: ancient Israelite women in context. New York: Oxford University Press.
Michaelis, J 2011. The restorative effects of color and environment type on cognitive functioning. MS dissertation. University of Central Florida, Orlando.
Munro, J M 1995. Spikenard and saffron: a study in the poetic language of the Song of Songs. Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Supplement Series 203. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press.
Murphy, R E 1990. The Song of Songs: a commentary on the Book of Canticles or the Song of Songs. Hermeneia. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress.
Newsom, CA 2000. Common ground: an ecological reading of Genesis 2–3, in Habel & Wurst 2000:60–72.
Pope, M H 1977. Song of Songs: a new translation with introduction and commentary. Anchor Bible 7C. New York: Doubleday. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5040/9780300261189
Sato, I & Conner, T S 2013. The quality of time in nature: how fascination explains and enhances the relationship between nature experiences and daily affect, Ecopsychology 5/3:197–204. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1089/eco.2013.0026
Skinner, J 1930. A critical and exegetical commentary on Genesis. ICC. Edinburgh: T & T Clark.
Thielen, A & Diller, K A sa. Through the lens of Attention Restoration Theory: the pursuit of learning in gardens throughout history, Undergraduate Research Journal High School Series (2002–2014) 11:1–10.
Taylor, A F, Kuo, F E & Sullivan, W C 2001. Coping with ADD: the surprising connection to green play settings, Environment and Behavior 33/1:54–77. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/00139160121972864
Van Selms, A 1973. Genesis, deel II. POT. Nijkerk: GF Callenbach,
Von Rad, G 1972. Genesis: a commentary. OTL. London: SCM.
Viviers, H 2001. Eco-delight in the Song of Songs, in Habel & Wurst 2001:143–154.
_______ 2016. Natural retreats and human well-being: reading the Song of Songs through the lens of Attention Restoration Theory. (Forthcoming).
Wenham, G J 1987. Genesis 1–15. WBC 1. Waco: Word Books.
Wurst, S 2000. “Beloved come back to meâ€: Ground’s theme song in Genesis 3? in Habel & Wurst 2000:87–104.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
