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"Suffer little children": Child sacrifice, martyrdom, and identity formation in Judaism and Christianity
Middleton, Paul
Middleton, Paul
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2016-12-31
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Abstract
This essay examines the contrasting ways in which the sacrifice of children is portrayed in Jewish and Christian martyrologies. In these narratives of extreme persecution and suffering, death was often seen to be the way in which religious integrity and identity was preserved. It is argued that Jewish martyr narratives—for example, the First Crusade, Masada, and the Maccabees—reflect a developed notion of collective martyrdom, such that the deaths of children, even at the hands of their parents, are a necessary component in Jewish identity formation. By contrast, early Christianity martyr texts reflect an ambivalence towards children, to the extent that they are viewed as a potential hindrance to the successful martyrdom of their Christian mothers. Children have to be abandoned for women to retain their Christian identity.
Citation
Middleton, P. (2016). "Suffer little children": Child sacrifice, martyrdom, and identity formation in Judaism and Christianity. Journal of Religion and Violence, 4(3), 337-356. https://doi.org/10.5840/jrv201612531
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Journal of Religion and Violence
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Article
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en
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This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a published work that appeared in final form in Journal of Religion and Violence. To access the final edited and published work see http://dx.doi.org/10.5840/jrv201612531
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0738-098X
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2159-6808