Considerations of Age and Demography for Early Christ Groups

Age is an integral part of social interaction and identity but has been largely neglected in studies of early Christ groups. An understanding of the demography (the study of population patterns) of first century Roman cultures in the ancient Mediterranean is critical if one is to avoid, as much as p...

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Bibliographische Detailangaben
1. VerfasserIn: Tokarek LaFosse, Mona (Verfasst von)
Medienart: Elektronisch Aufsatz
Sprache:Englisch
Verfügbarkeit prüfen: HBZ Gateway
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Veröffentlicht: 2024
In: Journal for the study of the New Testament
Jahr: 2024, Band: 46, Heft: 4, Seiten: 579-606
normierte Schlagwort(-folgen):B Alter / Demographie / Lebenserwartung
RelBib Classification:HC Neues Testament
KAB Kirchengeschichte 30-500; Frühchristentum
ZB Soziologie
weitere Schlagwörter:B life expectancy
B kin
B Demography
B Social Identity
B Age
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Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:Age is an integral part of social interaction and identity but has been largely neglected in studies of early Christ groups. An understanding of the demography (the study of population patterns) of first century Roman cultures in the ancient Mediterranean is critical if one is to avoid, as much as possible, anachronistic and ethnocentric understandings of age in early Christ groups. Although average life expectancy at birth was low (mid-20s to early 30s), people did not expect to die young. This paper reviews ancient demographic evidence used to estimate life expectancy in the ancient Mediterranean (census data in papyri, funerary inscriptions, material culture and model life tables) and assesses Richard P. Saller’s simulation of the kin universe (1994). Clarifying the implications of demography is critical for studying the rhetoric and realities of age in early Christ groups in their ancient Mediterranean settings.
ISSN:1745-5294
Enthält:Enthalten in: Journal for the study of the New Testament
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1177/0142064X241249809