(Download) "Paul As a Child: Children and Childhood in the Letters of the Apostle." by Journal of Biblical Literature # eBook PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Paul As a Child: Children and Childhood in the Letters of the Apostle.
- Author : Journal of Biblical Literature
- Release Date : January 22, 2007
- Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines,Books,Professional & Technical,Education,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 273 KB
Description
Little is known about what the childhood of the apostle Paul was like, (1) or about how he related to children in Christian families and in his communities. (2) Considerably more can be known, however, about his views of children and of childhood as a phase of life. (3) In addition, we can observe how he employed these ideas in his strategies toward his addressees. In this article I examine Paul's ideas on children and childhood and the way he employs them in his letters. My aim is twofold: to offer a systematic presentation of Paul's language concerning children and childhood, and to show--contrary to several scholars--that his use of this language is considerably more nuanced and distinctive in character than has been realized. During recent years several scholars have drawn attention to the widespread use of kinship language in Paul, especially the sibling (brother/sister) and the parent/child terminology. (4) In this kind of language, which is usually employed metaphorically of Christians, many see a reflection of ideas and ideals associated with the family in antiquity: Christians are to relate to one another in ways similar to those of the family, with its structures and mentalities. (5)