When Children Became People: The Birth of Childhood in Early Christianity

by O.M. Bakke

Bakke paints a fascinating picture of children's first real emergence as people against a backdrop of the ancient world.

Using theological and social history research, Bakke compares Greco-Roman and Christian attitudes toward abortion and child prostitution, pedagogy and moral upbringing, and the involvement of children in liturgy and church life. He also assesses Christian attitudes toward children in the church's developing doctrinal commitments.

Today, growing numbers of children are impoverished, exploited, abandoned, orphaned, or killed. Bakke's insightful work begins to untangle the roots of their complex plight.

Genres: History, Church History, Theology, Christianity, Religion, Nonfiction, Faith

360 pages, Nook

First published March 31, 2005

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wellspring of information and insight into the early church’s view of the full humanity of children (born and unborn); their opposition to abortion and exposure; the education of children; their full inclusion in the sacramental life of the church; and much more. Highly recommended, especially in our day when children are often treated as a separate part of the church’s life, complete with their own children’s worship.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a thorough study of children in the early church. It begins with an overview of how children were seen in the ancient Roman world, which sets up the contrasts with how the early Christians saw children. While there were some continuities, there were many differences. Primarily, the early Christians put a much higher view on children and basically ended horrific practices like child exposure (leaving a baby out to die if the parents did not want it). It was also interesting how different the East and West viewed the innocence of children, especially after Augustine. Overall though, children came to be valued much more in the early church so we can see that children as real and important people began, as the title of the book says, in early Christianity.

[Hannah Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting study of the impact Christianity had on how children were valued and treated in the early centuries, particularly when it came to sex slavery and abortion and infanticide that was rampant.