A Plague Broke out Among Them’: Reflections on the Bible and the Pandemic

In “‘A Plague Broke out Among Them’: Reflections on the Bible and the Pandemic,” Joel Kaminsky, professor of Jewish studies at Smith College, compares the COVID-19 crisis with Biblical accounts of natural disasters. He explores the theme of responsibility, arguing that while technological and scientific advancements dominate modern responses, the Bible offers insights that bridge specialist knowledge and public safety. Kaminsky suggests that Biblical narratives of disaster reveal how death prompts introspection and rebuilding. While the Bible often links personal failings to mass destruction, it also allows for blaming divinity in the absence of identifiable sin, mirroring the structural failures exposed by the pandemic. Kaminsky emphasizes the importance of non-scientific approaches, proposing a recovery strategy that appeals to the poetic and imaginative aspects of human psychology, which may encourage action among those “unmoved by scientific evidence alone” (Kaminsky 258).