Children Playing in the Marketplaces

Children in the New Testament

“…Additionally, introductions and in-depth studies of specific corpuses of literature have helped to narrow and hone the field. Children in the gospels, especially the synoptic accounts, have received the greatest attention, oftentimes dominating the focus of general overviews and receiving particular notice in essays and volumes dedicated to children in the gospels (Krause 1973; Gieschen 2013; Murphy 2013; Betsworth 2015; Admirand 2019; Bravo Aguirre 2022; Lindeman Allen 2022a; Lindeman Allen 2023). Moreover, recent scholarship has begun to investigate the nuances of portrayals of children within each of the canonical gospel accounts, including: Matthew (Eltrop 1996; Cvillier 2007; Grobbelaar 2016a; Weaver 2019; Mayagoitia 2022); Mark (Ebner 2002; Maclean 2007; Gundry 2008; Okure 2011; Murphy 2020); Luke (Carroll 2008; Fenik 2019; Lindeman Allen 2019a; Abay 2021); and John (Thompson 2008).…”

“…While both infancy narratives begin with Jesus’ birth, they trace Jesus’ development differently. Matthew attends to Jesus’ toddlerhood and early childhood, albeit briefly, with reference to the visit of the magi and the flight of Jesus’ family into Egypt (Reyes 1997; Gabra 2001; Martínez 2006; Betsworth 2010a; Verheyden 2011b; Betsworth 2013, 2015; S.T.J. Smith 2016; M.J. Smith 2022b).…”

“…Smith 2016; M.J. Smith 2022b). Luke, on the other hand, lingers on Jesus’ infancy, describing Jesus’ early gestation and the days surrounding Jesus’ birth at greater length, followed by his circumcision and a visit to the Temple at eight-days-old (Martínez 2001; Davis 2004; Robbins 2015; Spoelstra 2015; Mothoagae 2017; Betsworth 2015, 2018; Lincoln 2013; Lindeman Allen 2021c; Lindeman Allen 2021d), followed by a subsequent visit to the temple at the age of twelve (Heininger 2005; Billings 2009; van Aarde 2019). This breadth of material, although uneven in attention, allows scholars the opportunity, not present with other child characters, to follow Jesus across various stages of his development and in relationship with others (Berquist 2009; Mbuvi 2009; Ibita and Bieringer 2010a; Betsworth 2013).…”

“…Study of non-canonical texts that portray Jesus in various stages childhood further adds to this view of Jesus who, even when his character remains relatively static, grows in stature and ability. The Protoevangelium of James records extra-canonical events from the infancies and childhoods of Jesus and his maternal family (Hock 1996; Foster 2008a, 2008b; Davies 2009; Betsworth 2015; Bremmer et. al.…”

Engaging studies of children in the Bible: What is going on and why you should care

“…Initial 'search and rescue' scholarly efforts identified children previously overlooked in commentaries to reassess their importance (e.g. Betsworth, 2010Betsworth, , 2015Menn, 2008;Parker, 2013). Increasingly nuanced understanding takes seriously challenges faced by children in the biblical text (e.g.…”