Since the 1960s, it has been recognised that Christian anthropocentrism has contributed significantly to current environmental destruction and the exploitation of animals. This study is the first to reconstruct the beginnings of this development. This shows that although many theologians of the early church were very Creation- and animal-friendly, they adopted the anthropocentrism of Greco-Roman mainstream philosophy. Based on this analysis, alternative concepts of Christian Creation theology are developed that transform the entire network of ideas into which anthropocentrism is woven. This facilitates recognition of the dignity of all creatures.
