Entering God's kingdom (not) like a little child : images of the child in Matthew, 1 Corinthians, and Thomas / Eunyung Lim.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lim, Eunyung, author.

Series:

Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft und die Kunde der älteren Kirche ; Beiheft 243.

Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft, 0171-6441 ; volume 243

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Gospel of Thomas (Coptic Gospel).

Bible. Corinthians, 1st.

Children in the Bible.

Children--Biblical teaching.

Children.

Kingdom of God--Biblical teaching.

Kingdom of God.

Bible. Matthew--Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Bible.

Bible. Matthew.

Bible. Corinthians, 1st--Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Gospel of Thomas (Coptic Gospel)--Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Genre:

Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Physical Description:

xiv, 172 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 24 cm.

Other Title:

Imges of the child in Matthew, 1 Corinthians, and Thomas

Place of Publication:

Berlin ; Boston : De Gruyter, [2021]

Summary:

"What does it mean to be 'like a child' in antiquity? How did early Christ-followers use a childlike condition to articulate concrete qualifications for God's kingdom? Many people today romanticize Jesus's welcoming of little children against the backdrop of the ancient world or project modern Christian conceptions of children onto biblical texts. Eschewing such a Christian exceptionalist approach to history, this book explores how the Gospel of Matthew, 1 Corinthians, and the Gospel of Thomas each associate childlikeness with God's kingdom within their socio-cultural milieus. The book investigates these three texts vis-à-vis philosophical, historical, and archaeological materials concerning ancient children and childhood, revealing that early Christ-followers deployed various aspects of children to envision ideal human qualities or bodily forms. Calling the modern reader's attention to children's intellectual incapability, asexuality, and socio-political utility in ancient intellectual thought and everyday practices, the book sheds new light on the rich and diverse theological visions that early Christ-followers pursued by means of images of children." --Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Introduction

Entering the Kingdom of Heaven not like the sons of earthly kings : the Gospel of Matthew

Infants in Christ, not children of God's Kingdom : 1 Corinthians

Entering the Kingdom as a baby : the Gospel of Thomas

Conclusion.

Notes:

Revised version of the author's thesis (doctoral--Harvard University, 2018).

Includes bibliographical references (pages 143-159) and indexes.

Other Format:

ebook version :

ISBN:

9783110694987

3110694980

OCLC:

1259524828

Online:

Table of contents