Early Christian Attitudes Toward Children

1
Early Christian Attitudes Toward Children

• The child as the model of faith
• Jesus statements shocked followers
• Suggested childs spirit is the very essence of
  religious life
• Ideal of a society of service rather than
  dominance
• Most positive assessment of children
• Changes of original view - now only exceptional
  children are noteworthy

2
Early Christian Attitudes Sympathetic View of
Child

• Led to more humane treatment
• Focus on successful parenting
• Church banned infanticide (318 A.D., 374 a.D.)
• Other laws to revive family life - keeping slave
  families together, encouraging adoption
• Effect of laws/edicts dubious
• Christian education

3
Early Christian Attitudes Contradictory View -
Infant Depravity

• Original sin every individual inherits the guilt
  of Adams original rebellion against god and also
  inherits a tendency toward personal rebellion
• Why contradictory views?
• Baptism originally represented new start of
  family life
• Used as a substitute for Jewish circumcision
• Original sin developed to explain existing
  practice of baptism

4
Early Christian Attitudes Contradictory View
Nature of Children

• Debating the nature of children (400 A.D.)
• Pelagius infants born innocent
• St. Jerome protective of girls innocence
• St. Augustine everyone guilty of Adams sins
• Implications for children at the time
• Unknown but . . .
• Church decided in favor of St. Augustine
• And . . . developed concept of limbo
• Lose, lose situation for children

5
Fall of Rome in 5th Century A.D. Revival of
Family Authority

• Germanic family
• Tribal
• Emphasized affection w/in family (not ) (EX
  dowry as insurance)
• Family loyalty
• Church survived and attempted to control families
• Punish infanticide
• Unwanted children given to the church oblates
• Marriage laws
• Laws discriminating against illegitimate children

6
Fall of Rome Education

• Decreased need for education
• Missionary bishops -- first to implement formal
  education (included Latin, music, astronomy)
• Severe physical discipline
• Most children (except upper class boys) remained
  in oral culture
• King Alfred (900 A.D.) Encouraged all freeborn
  boys to learn to read English
• Boys become apprenticed at 7 years (until 14 when
  he would work as a journeyman)

7
Civilization Begins Again Holidays Associated
With Children

• St. Nicholas day (12/6) 12th century feast of
  patron saint of children and scholars
• Holy Innocents Day (12/28)
• Christmas was associated with children because it
  was between these two childrens holidays
• Epiphany (1/6) originally commemorated Jesus
  baptism but eventually was associated with
  childhood

8
Civilization Begins Again Social Changes

• Market economy (nuclear family evident by 900
  A.D.)
• Family names common use (12th century) and
  produced new freedom
• New political states
• Church searching for a balance
• Marriage formalized
• Tried to prohibit the payment of a dowry from
  husband
• Insisted that divorce be handled in the courts
  (not by parents)

9
Civilization Begins Again Sentimentalism About
Childhood

• Represented by Madonna and child images
• Practical child-rearing books
• Written by churchmen
• Urged parents to pay more attention and be more
  strict in their care
• Nursing own infants was encouraged
• Directions on where the child should sleep
• Discrepancy with actual practice

10
Civilization Begins Again

• Changing in schooling
• Broaden scope of education (not just training
  priests)
• Europes first universities in Paris
• Began to debate education for girls
• Childrens crusades (1212)
• Nicholas of cologne and Stephen of Cloyes
• Exaggerated role of children
• Disaster by all accounts
• Many folk tales arose from this time period (Pied
  Piper, Snow White, Hansel Gretel)

11
End of Middle Ages I