Children's Lives and Deaths in 1 Thessalonians: The Significance of the Presence of Children for Interpreting Context and Text

Abstract

This thesis argues that recognising children's presence in community and society is important for reading the social context of 1 Thessalonians and so essential for interpreting the text. Children are generally overlooked in New Testament interpretation, even that concerned with original social contexts. The growing biblical scholarship specifically concerned with children and childhood has largely focused on texts where they are explicitly mentioned. This research addresses children's impact(s) in a context and text when their presence may not be evident to modern readers. First, likely mortality patterns are applied to the circumstance of deaths in the Thessalonian community. The vocabulary of Paul's own bereavement response is then compared to evidence from epitaphs, revealing particular signficance of 'normal' grief at young death for his discourse. Chapters 4-6 explore other key letter elements for children's potential involvement: sexual exploitation, issues of community relationships and work, Paul's framework of siblinghood and characterisation of the recipients as an ekklesia. Evidence from demography, inscriptions and documentary papyri are prioritised in seeking evidence for 'ordinary' experiences, drawing on recent scholarship on ancient childhoods. Attention to children not only illuminates this letter's recognised social context but impacts textual interpretation. Paul is seen to adopt a distinctive strategy of transformation of common bereavement ideas, running throughout the letter but with different sub-strategies in its various sections. Attention to children also highlights power dynamics in the letter's discourse and helps connect its sibling/kinship language to Pauline themes of commonality and diversity. It requires revision of the interpretive reference points for Paul's metaphors of bereavement, family and childbirth, and offers new contributions to continuing debates on his unexpected choices of vocabulary and imagery in this letter. Overall, the thesis evidences significance of children in the assumed human field of reference for much of the letter's content, and relevance to potential scenarios to which Paul may be responding. Children's presence is not a side issue in 1 Thessalonians but integral to interpreting the whole.

Date of Award	1 Aug 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	The University of Manchester
Supervisor	Peter Oakes (Supervisor) & Roberta Mazza (Supervisor)