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The exposure of infants among Jews and Christians in antiquity

by Erkki Koskenniemi

Cover of The exposure of infants among Jews and Christians in antiquity

In this novel and penetrating study Koskenniemi reviews the evidence for the practice from Graeco-Roman, Jewish, and Christian sources, and then, in the major part of the book, examines the rejection of the custom by Jewish authors like Philo and Josephus and by Christian writers such as Clement, Justin, Tertullian, Origen, Chrysostom and Augustine, many of whom adopted the arguments of their Jewish counterparts.

KindJudaismChristentumInfanticideJudentumChristianityKindestötungReligionAntikeAussetzungExposure (Criminal law)History