Flynn contributes to the emerging field of childhood studies in the Hebrew Bible by isolating stages of a child's life, and through a comparative perspective, studies the place of children in the domestic cult and their relationship to the deity in that cult. The study gathers data relevant to different stages of a child's life from a plethora of Mesopotamian materials (prayers, myths, medical texts, rituals), and uses that data as an interpretive lens for Israelite texts about children at similar stages such as: pre-born children, the birth stage, breast feeding, adoption, slavery, children's death and burial rituals, childhood delinquency. This analysis presses the questions of value and violence, the importance of the domestic cult for expressing the child's value beyond economic value, and how children were valued in cultures with high infant mortality rates. From the earliest stages to the moments when children die, and to the children's responsibilities in the domestic cult later in life, this study demonstrates that a child is uniquely wrapped up in the domestic cult, and in particular, is connected with the deity. The domestic-cultic value of children forms the much broader understanding of children in the ancient world, through which other more problematic representations can be tested. Throughout the study, it becomes apparent that children's value in the domestic cult is an intentional catalyst for the social promotion of YHWHism.

About the Author
Shawn W. Flynn received a PhD from the University of Toronto (2012) in Ancient Near Eastern studies. His first book was YHWH is King published with Brill in Vetus Testamentum Supplements. He is currently an Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible at St. Joseph's College, University of Alberta, and the Academic Dean of the College.

Reviews
The book is a valuable contribution to this new and burgeoning subfield of study. * Tyler Mayfield, Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Religious Studies Review *
This fine monograph...is thought-provoking. * Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer, Journal for the Study of the Old Testament *
Children in Ancient Israel importantly opens a way forward for studying the "child's domestic-cultic value," * Sarah Gane Burton, Reading Religion *



Book Information
ISBN 9780198784210
Author Shawn W. Flynn
Format Hardback
Page Count 236
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 428g
Dimensions(mm) 223mm * 148mm * 21mm