2  Introduction

Christian scripture and tradition say a great deal about animals: that they were made by God and called good, that God feeds them and remembers them, that people owe them rest and relief, and that some of the best-loved saints lived at peace with them. This booklet brings a selection of those sources together in one place, so that readers can meet them directly and in context.

2.1 Scope and terminology

The booklet is about compassion toward animals: care for their lives, their needs, and their suffering, as Christian sources describe it. It does not set out a theology of animals or argue for a particular ethical position; it presents texts and lets them speak.

“Animals” here means non-human animals, wild and domestic. Older English translations often use other words: “beast” for animals in general, “cattle” for livestock of any kind, “fowl” for birds. Notes explain these words where they appear.

The booklet distinguishes three kinds of material throughout:

  • source text: scripture, early lives of the saints, prayers, and other texts quoted directly;
  • historical context: when, where, and by whom a text was written, and what is documented about the people it describes;
  • editorial interpretation: the booklet’s own comments, kept short and marked as such.

2.2 Historical and denominational breadth

The sources range from the Hebrew Bible to the twentieth century. The witnesses include a desert monk of the fourth century, Irish and Northumbrian saints of the early Middle Ages, Francis of Assisi, a Dominican brother in colonial Lima, and a Russian hermit of the nineteenth century. The prayers come from Anglican, Catholic, Orthodox, and Baptist sources.

No tradition is presented as the authority for the others, and none is criticized. Where traditions differ, the booklet describes rather than judges.

2.3 Translation and quotation policy

  • The Bible is quoted from the King James Version of 1611, which is in the public domain in most of the world and remains one of the best-known English translations. Notes explain archaic words.
  • Other old texts are quoted from public-domain translations, named in each citation. Where the booklet translates a text itself, it says “translation ours.”
  • Modern translations still under copyright are quoted only in short excerpts, credited to their source.
  • Omissions within a quotation are marked with “…”. Quotations are otherwise reproduced as published, including old spellings; only the old long “ſ” is printed as “s.”

2.4 How sources were selected

A passage is included when animals appear in it as part of God’s creation, as objects of God’s care, or as beings toward whom people have obligations. The selection focuses on texts that speak of care for animals; it is not a complete survey of what Christian sources say about them. The laws on sacrifice and on clean and unclean animals, for example, belong to the same scriptures but are not treated here.

For the lives of the saints, the booklet prefers the earliest available account, ideally one written by someone who knew the saint or drew on those who did. It separates what is historically documented from what belongs to later tradition, and it marks uncertain dates and attributions. Factual statements are cited wherever possible, so that readers can check them.