Adam, who, we are told, gave names to the animals, might have been stretched to identify some of the creatures found in after-Eden. Screech-owls and satyrs, it is said, inhabited the ruins of Babylon. Unicorns roamed the promised land. Unpleasant creatures like the cockatrice were a threat to infants. And dragons, particularly the one with seven heads, had a field day in the visions of John on Patmos.
In the various biblical documents and in their English translation in the King James Bible we meet an array of animal life, more or less precisely named. For more complexity look up Azazel and Lilith.
In the Middle Ages men found the array of beasts a fascinating treasure trove for collectors. No bestiary was complete without its wyverns, basilisks and griffins. Classical writers added Cerberus, Pegasus, Hydra and Centaurs to the collection.
This array of beasts, often dwelling in those uncharted areas that map-makers labelled ‘Here be dragons’, added spice to life. So did the mermaids, desirable creatures in the minds of sailors spending long periods at sea. Guthlac, choosing to live a hermit’s life in Crowland, found his life shattered by less endearing wild creatures.
And we today have our dinosaurs. These remarkable creatures are of enduring interest to children and adults. They have all the variety of a medieval bestiary and the harmlessness of extinction. When we contemplate these beasts, we find they are igniting our imaginations. We know that we shall not bump into them in moorland, meres or even in a zoo, but they embody our fears and dreads. Creatures with fangs, talons and whipping-tails may be menacing but their menace is confined to the shadows.
Such beasts, fantastic and otherwise, are the stuff that dreams are made of. In general we like to keep animals in their place. Our world today is one with big trucks and road-trains; draught animals have had their day. When we come to the biblical documents, we must expect to find different traffic on the highways, different predators lurking in the woods. But one thing is always the same: human nature.
The parables, songs and narratives ring true when they speak of the human dilemma to one generation after another. We should be immeasurably the poorer if we had to contemplate our destiny without the prophecies, writings and Gospels to guide us, monsters notwithstanding.
TRANSLATORS
The history of the Wycliffe Bible Translators from its beginnings to the Wycliffe Global Alliance is now available. Contact the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies. Careful! It’s expensive.
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