The World of the Child in the Hebrew Bible
£18.50 – £50.00
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.
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.
Additional information
| table of contents | Settings and Interpretations: From Guatemala to Biblical Israel PART 1. BACKGROUND AND THEORY 1. CHILDREN AND CHILDHOOD AS CATEGORIES OF ANALYSIS The Influence of Philippe Ariès Post Ariès: A Paradigm Shift The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Children 2. WHAT IS A CHILD? The Term ‘Child’: A Chronological Category The Term ‘Child’: A Social Category What is Childhood? Emic and Etic Perspectives 3. WORDS FOR CHILDREN IN THE HEBREW BIBLE Na‘ar Yeled The Masoretic Compared to Greek and Later Jewish Texts PART 2. REGARDING CHILDHOOD IN THE HEBREW BIBLE 4. THE ISRAELITE FAMILY AS AN ECONOMIC UNIT AND CHILDREN’S ROLES The Social Structure of the Biblical Family Patrilineal, Patrilocal Endogamy and Family Economics Socioeconomic Distinctions between Wives and their Children: Monogamy and Polygyny Factors of Infant Mortality, Gender and Socioeconomic Status in Childhood Other Issues: Illegitimates, Orphans and Cast-Offs 5. THE ISRAELITE LIFE CYCLE: ARE THERE ANY CHILDREN HERE? The Cultural Construction of Human Development When Does Childhood Begin? Becoming a Person: How Do Children Develop? Leviticus 27.1-8 and Other Biblical Texts Scholarly Constructions of the Biblical Life Cycle 6. GENESIS 21: MONOGAMY, POLYGAMY, AND CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES The Terms na‘ar, yeled, and ben in Genesis 21 Ishmael Isaac 7. 1 SAMUEL 1 Child Abandonment and the Best Interests of the Child History of Scholarship Taking Samuel’s Rights Seriously: Whose Life Is It, Anyway? 8. EXODUS 21.22-25: IS THE FETUS A LIFE? Exodus 21.22-25 and the History of Scholarship The Hebrew Phrase wĕyāsĕ’û yĕladēhā Who Was Hurt? The Meaning of יāsôn Conclusions PART 3. FROM THE HEBREW BIBLE TO TODAY: STASIS AND CHANGE 9. SOCIALLY CONSTRUCTED CATEGORIES OF CHILDHOOD |
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