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Cultures of Age and Aging in the Bible and Beyond

Module description

This module is intended to introduce you to how attitudes to age and aging are presented in the Bible and how these constructs have permeated wider society. What age and aging mean in different contexts is socially constructed. Different cultures imbue childhood, youth, maturity and so on with diverse cultural perceptions and values. Moreover, religious rites and rituals often play an important part in structuring transitions from one stage of life to another. We will investigate how selected biblical texts and traditions, and their interpretations throughout ‘the ages’, demonstrate conflicting views on ageing, longevity, lifespan, and life expectancies. Drawing on recent critical work on Childism, Adultism, and Ageism, this module will also explore the historical, social, metaphorical and discursive constructions of age and aging in early Christian communities and literatures, and their receptions in different eras, and critically reflect (with reference to cross-cultural anthropology) on the assumptions and ideologies concerning age frequently assumed as normative within biblical interpretation.

Module aims - intentions of the module

The module aims to:

• Take a variety of approaches – cultural, historical, anthropological, philosophical, literary etc. – to the concept of age and aging in biblical traditions and beyond.
• Examine a range of literary, visual, and material sources and evaluate their significance in a broader historical, cultural and social contexts in relation to age, aging, and anti-aging.
• Use critical perspectives from childism studies and emerging work on adultism and ageism to critically evaluate age-based assumptions within the discipline and interpretations of professional biblical studies.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Apply cross-disciplinary, critical investigations of the experiences of age, aging, and old age, as seen through the lens of religion in particular, and humanities and arts more generally.
• 2. Engage critically with critical contemporary scholarly debates around religion and childism, adultism and ageism.
• 3. Demonstrate understanding of age and aging’s broader historical significance and impact in the emerging early Christian movement.

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 4. Critically evaluate how approaches to the interpretation of religious texts have developed within the academy
• 5. Demonstrate a critical awareness of the interdisciplinary dimensions of contemporary biblical stud-ies

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 6. Develop perspectives that engage with contemporary scholarship
• 7. Shape detailed information into a clear written account
• 8. Demonstrate independent and critical research skills including digital
• 9. Convey ideas to your peers through oral and/or written discussion

Syllabus plan

This plan is indicative only and subject to change from year to year, but themes covered are likely to include:

• Critical Perspectives on Attitudes to Age and Ageing in Biblical Studies: Childism, Adultism, and Ageism
• Cultures of Ageing: Historical (Hebrew; Hellenistic; Roman); Religious; Social; Attitudinal
• Religion, Age, and Cross-Cultural Anthropology
• The Bible, Age, and Aging: Children and Parents; Age-Related Obligations; Leadership and Elders
• Constructions, Discourses, and Metaphors of Life Stages in Biblical Traditions
• Jesus and Cultures of Age
• Paul, Pauline Churches, and Cultures of Age
• Pastoral Epistles and Culture of Age

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 50%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of referral will be capped at 50%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Barclay, J. (2007) ‘There is Neither Old Nor Young? Early Christianity and Ancient Ideologies of Age’ New Testament Studies Volume 53, Issue 2: 225 – 241. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0028688507000136

Carter, W. (2008) ‘New Testament and Aging: Survey and Suggestions for Future Research’ Journal of Religion, Spirituality & Aging 21:1-2, 59-72. DOI: 10.1080/15528030802265353

Francis J. and Francis, J. M. (2006) Adults as Children: Images of childhood in the Ancient World and the New Testament (Bern: Verlag Peter Lang)Parkin, T. G. (2003) Old Age in the Roman World: A Cultural and Social History (Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press)

Wall, J. (2019) ‘From childhood studies to childism: reconstructing the scholarly and social imaginations’ Children's Geographies 20:3, 257-270. DOI: 10.1080/14733285.2019.1668912Web-based and electronic resources:

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

Communication, Aging, and Culture | Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Communication

The Importance of Aging Studies: Understanding the Influence of Diversity and Culture | Age Culture Humanities

Key words search

Age, Aging, Biblical Studies, Early Christianity