Children in Early Christian Narratives (Library of New Testament Studies | LNTS)

by Sharon Betsworth

Publisher:

Bloomsbury

, 2015

Overview

Sharon Betsworth examines the narratives, parables, and teachings of and about children in the gospels and the literature of Early Christianity. Betsworth begins with a discussion of the social-historical context of children and childhood in the first century before discussing the role of children in all four gospels. She shows that for Mark and Matthew, children are integral to understanding each evangelist’s perspective on the reign of God and on Jesus’ identity in each Gospel. In the Gospel of Luke, the childhood of Jesus is shown to be crucial to the broader themes of the Gospel. In the Gospel of John, Betsworth examines the metaphorical use of the word ‘children’ looking at ‘children of light’ and of ‘darkness.’ She then explores stories of Jesus’ childhood in the non-canonical Infancy Gospels of James and Thomas, as well as the childhood of his mother, Mary, in the latter shedding light upon views of children, discipleship, and the person of Jesus in Early Christianity and in the ancient world more generally.

Key Features

• Provides an exegesis of the various passages in the New Testament that refer to children
• Examining the text of Scripture through the lens of its discussions of children provides a unique and compelling picture
• Includes Detailed indexes

Contents

• Introduction
• Children in the Ancient Mediterranean Context
• The Reign of God is Such as These: Children in the Gospel of Mark
• Jesus and the Child in the Gospel of Matthew
• Jesus (and) the Only Child in the Gospel of Luke
• Logos and Life: Children in the Gospel of John
• Jesus as a Child: The Infancy Gospel of Thomas
• Mary as a Child: The Protevangelium of James
• Conclusions

Product Details

• Title: Children in Early Christian Narratives
• Author: Sharon Betsworth
• Series: Library of New Testament Studies
• Volume: 521
• Publisher: Bloomsbury
• Print Publication Date: 2015
• Logos Release Date: 2017
• Pages: 224
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Children in the Bible; Children › Biblical teaching; Bible. N.T. Gospels › Criticism, interpretation, etc; Bible. O.T. Apocrypha › Criticism, interpretation, etc
• ISBNs: 9780567235466, 9780567657251, 9780567657350, 9780567671981, 0567235467, 0567657256, 0567657353, 0567671984
• Resource ID: LLS:CHLDRNRLYNRRTVS
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-29T22:36:38Z

About Sharon Betsworth

Adjunct Faculty, Saint Paul School of Theology.