The World of the Child in the Hebrew Bible

Anglický jazyk

The World of the Child in the Hebrew Bible

Vydavateľstvo: Sheffield Phoenix Press Ltd
Rok vydania: 2013
Formát: Hardback
Rozmer: 240 x 161 mm
Jazyk: Anglický jazyk
ISBN: 9781907534768

Na objednávku, dodanie 2-4 týždne

82.26 €

bežná cena: 91.40 €

O knihe

The question 'What is a child?' is not easily answered. To make us aware of the multiple
factors that contribute to the social construction of childhood in the Hebrew Bible,
Naomi Steinberg draws on ethno-historical evidence and incorporates the insights
of contemporary social studies of childhood. Through close readings of Genesis 21,
1 Samuel 1 and Exodus 21.22-25, she argues that chronological age and biological
immaturity do not determine the boundaries of childhood in biblical Israel.

The social constructions of childhood in the Hebrew Bible were based on what the child
could do for the parent, not vice versa. Children were their parents' property and were
used to fulfil their parents' desires and needs. Not all children had the same experiences
of childhood, of course. For example, whether a child was born into a monogamous
or polygamous family shaped the course of its future. Other relevant factors in the
construction of the multiplicities of childhoods included gender, birth order, and the
socio-political historical contexts of ancient Israel. Steinberg convincingly corrects the
notion that childhood is a static category in the human life cycle, showing that meanings
of childhood are not generic and cannot be carried over from one society to another.

This fascinating study, in which the author draws fruitfully on her personal cross-cultural
experience of children's lives in Guatemala, exposes the reality that childhood in the
Hebrew Bible was radically different from present-day childhood.