Biblical Perspectives on Aging

God and the Elderly, Second Edition

J. Gordon Harris

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781136456596
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Sozialwissenschaften
• Subtopic: Gerontologie

As the population of older Americans grows, meaningful perspectives on aging are needed by both the young and the old. Biblical Perspectives on Aging: God and the Elderly takes a detailed look at the views of aging presented in the Old and New Testaments. This wide ranging and insightful survey encompasses not only the entire Bible but also interpretations of sacred Middle Eastern and Judaic documents. This new expanded edition of the original classic text adds thorough discussions of the wisdom of the Bible and Jewish literature with ways to interpret these readings and what they teach about spirituality and growing older.Approaches to aging issues have changed in recent years. With the average American lifespan increasing, the view of old age as a solitary time of waiting has been pushed aside. So too has the assumption that the elderly simply want to remember "the good old days." This updated edition of Biblical Perspectives on Aging: God and the Elderly has expanded its scope to incorporate and address the effects of these changing views. This sweeping study of the Bible's positive treatment of aging and elderly figures sheds new light on contemporary society's negative view of the elderly and what can be done about it. Clear examples from both Scripture and literature provide a wealth of understanding, comfort, and wisdom to everyone interested in aging and the Bible. In addition, this new edition explores the changing relationships that exist among aging, hermeneutics, mentoring, and spirituality. The new insights revealed here reinvigorate the challenge against ageism and traditional pictures of old age as a time of withdrawal and living in the past.Among the issues explored in Biblical Perspectives on Aging: God and the Elderly are aging experiences and the Bible, biblical theology and its role in social support for the elderly, hermeneutics and old age, spirituality and its relationship to aging, cross-generational relationships and mentoring, and a detailed index of Old and New Testament Scripture references.Accessible and concise, with compelling arguments and numerous examples, Biblical Perspectives on Aging: God and the Elderly is an ideal resource for pastors, seminary students, professionals, and leaders of programs for the elderly. It shows both young and old that while aging may not be easy, Biblical theology can ease some of its mystery.

Chapter 1
Aging Experiences and the Bible

The interpretation of texts in light of the significance of aging in human experience assumes that old age can be defined. This is more difficult at first than it seems. Modern physicians cannot define old age precisely. Individuals age physically and socially at different rates. Demographics currently use the age of sixty-five as a reference point for retirement and therefore old age. However, records from earlier generations list shorter life spans and future generations may extend life expectancy considerably. Determining old age remains as elusive as ever.

On the other hand, certain physical and social characteristics are always associated with old age. Aging now covers some thirty years and may be divided into the young old (sixty-five to seventy-four), the middle old (seventy-five to eighty-four), and the older old (eighty-five and older). These transitions of aging also appear in the Bible and literature of the ancient Near East.¹

Physical Characteristics of Old Age

Words describing common physical characteristics of maturity indicate the arrival of old age. Languages throughout the ancient Near East use “white hair” (wool)² to designate one of optimum age and wisdom. White hair in all cultures represents the most common characteristic of old age.

A second word, “elder,” refers to another common characteristic of one who has attained maturity and leadership.³ The Hebrew cognate associates this stage of life with the time when a man could grow a beard. As men and women were betrothed at an early age in ancient Asian societies, the ability of a male to produce a beard-not marriage itself-initiates for the male the transition from youth to full responsibility. Though hypothetically an elder was any person past puberty, the term usually indicates older persons holding leadership positions. In different instances, it designates a clan leader, a local official, and an old person. Its feminine form also describes older women. The word normally indicates older persons, heads of family.

Chronological Age and Old Age

A varied vocabulary indicates advanced chronological age. Some ancient texts record a person’s specific age. Idioms describe longevity as “full of days” or “advanced in years.”⁴ Long life in the ancient literatures represents an exceptional achievement. People view advanced years as a special indication of a person’s importance (Gen. 5: 1-32) and as a sign of divine favor.⁵ Exceptions to this rule do appear and the Bible notes one with an explanation mentioning Enoch who walked with God and yet lived a relatively short life. The text briefly explains his demise by saying, “God took him” (Gen. 5:22-24).

The Bible glorifies some of its heroes by reciting their exceptional longevity. For example, a Deuteronomic summary praises the good health of Moses at the time of his death (Deut. 34:7), and Caleb brags about his extra vigor at eighty-five years of age (Josh. 14:10-11). Traditions of Israel glorify clan heroes by attributing to them exceptional life spans and health. Such reports enhance their reputations.

A study of fourteen kings from the dynasty of David presents a clear picture of the average life span during the royal eras of Israel, 926-597 BCE.⁶ Omitting Jehoiachim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah, the age at death of the remaining kings ranged from sixty-six (Manasseh) to twenty-one (Ahaziah). Their age at death averages forty-four. Assuming that rulers enjoyed a diet and medical care superior to that of an average Israelite, it is clear that few persons enjoyed a life of seventy or eighty years (contra Ps. 90: 10).

After Moses (120 years), only Joshua (110), Job (140), and the High Priest Jehoida (130, 2 Chron. 24: 15) are said to have surpassed one hundred. Only in the eschatological kingdom could people hope to attain an extended life span such as one hundred years (Isa. 65:20). Generally, old age could begin earlier than age sixty-five.

Transitions of Life and Old Age

The Bible also describes the aging experience as a sequence of the seasons of Life. Such seasons indicate common transitions in life: childhood, youth, and maturity/elderly.⁷ Life also is pictured as four seasons: childhood, youth, young married, elderly (Jer. 51:22); or five stages: small child, youth (maturity begins at age thirteen, Gen. 17:25), adult men and women, elderly (zaqen), and aged (mele’yamim) (Jer. 6: 11).

Life’s transitions indicate changes in the work and role patterns of individuals. A twenty-year-old male would be considered a responsible adult (Num. 14:29; 32: 11) and therefore Liable to enter military service (Num. 1:3, 18; 26:2; 2 Chron. 25:5) and to pay taxes (Exod. 30: 14). Levites are said to actively work as priests between ages thirty (Kohathites, Num. 4:3; twenty-five, Levites, Num. 8:24)⁸ and fifty. After age fifty they retire to assist the younger priests (Num. 8:24-26). Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, considered his wife and him-self “old” and yet he served in the temple (Luke 1: 18-25). Age fifty during biblical eras might be termed a “ripe, old age.” Though Little is known directly about other occupations, they may have followed a similar retirement pattern, though the age of transition obviously varied with the type of work performed.

Life transitions are somewhat different in agricultural occupations. Agricultural work is so difficult that parents may have retired from active farming as soon as the children were old enough to work in the fields. However, after retirement in Israel parents do not cease to lead the clan. Both parents now enjoy the luxury of having the time and energy for training grandchildren and advising the younger generation. Certainly a father or mother might also work as an elder or judge for the clan, the community, and in some cases a tribe or nation.

Payments for vows (Leviticus 27)⁹ provide estimates expressing official comparative values for men and women at different stages of life. Though the amounts of money may have varied with different periods of history, they represent ways people could complete vows in the temple or pay fines to redeem difficult personal vows. Prices may represent the cost of a slave at that age in life.¹⁰ The peak value for a male (twenty to sixty years) may represent that time when he could be conscripted (twenty years and over) for military service as indicated by census instructions (cf. Num. 1:3, 20, 22; 26:2, 4; 2 Chron. 25:5). Payments could vary if the votary claimed poverty. Nevertheless, these figures do provide a glimpse into how Israelites valued life in its transitions. Such evaluations indicate the worth of a person’s contribution to the life of a community in terms of work capacity.

	Male	Female
1 month-5 years old	5	3 (shekels—pieces of silver)
5 years-20 years old	20	10
20 years-60 years old	50	30
More than 60 years old	15	10

Lev. 27:1–8

Though certainly the value of a male child and adult always remains higher than that of a female, some equalization eventually emerges. In old age, the value of an older woman does not drop as much as that of an older man. The comparative worth of the older woman changes from the earlier ratio of three to five to that of two to three. Such changes may indicate that elderly women lived healthier and more active lives than men. The drop in value of both genders at age sixty may indicate that by that age both retired from public service and entered the season of old age.

Physical Loss and Old Age

The Bible also mentions several physical losses that accompany old age. A key transition for the woman comes at menopause, when she loses the ability to give birth to children. When a woman could no longer give birth (can be cited of widows who suffered severe deprivation: Ruth and Naomi, for Gen. 18: 11; Ruth 1: 12; Luke 1: 18, 36-37) or a man was thought too old to produce a child for his wife (Gen. 18: 12), that person was considered old. Failing health (e.g., loss of hearing, sight, or normal vigor) also indicates old age (Gen. 27: 1-2). To some degree old age brings a loss of income as well as significance. Women especially experience this dilemma. Widows in the Bible represent the most traumatic examples of those who are helpless and worthy of support from the community. They lose more than a husband. Biblical laws and prophets often link them with the orphan or the fatherless. There are countless examples of women who struggled with no male support to find a measure of security in the house of a kinsman-redeemer. Without a kinsman-redeemer or sympathy from a godly leader, widows of all ages possess little hope (1 Kings 17:9-24; 2 Kings 4: 1-7). Consequently, the “reproach of widowhood” remains synonymous with suffering and loss (Isa. 54:4; Lam. 1: 1; 5:3-4; Rev. 18:7).

Admittedly not every widow in the Bible is elderly. Some, like Ruth, become widows at a young age and frequently remarry. On the other hand, older widows such as Naomi, who hold no hope of remarriage, become particularly vulnerable. They must depend on protection from adult children and/or society. The older widow often experiences deep bitterness and depression because of her severe losses (Ruth 1:20-21). Biblical texts single out older widows as afflicted in their need of extra help and compassion (1 Tim. 5:3-8).¹¹

The Bible reveals the God of Israel as the defender of powerless widows (Deut. 10: 18). For this reason God commands the people of the covenant to care for such people (Deut. 14:29; 24:17, 19-21). When people fail to fulfill their responsibilities toward vulnerable members of their society, prophets condemn their behavior (Isa. 1:23; 10:2; Mic. 2:9; Mal. 3:5), as do other writers (Job 22:9; 24:3; 31: 16; Ps. 94:6).

Aging fathers, likewise, become victims of ambitious sons in the Bible. Witness the way Jacob manipulates his nearly blind father into giving him the blessing that belonged to Esau (Gen. 27). Note also the ease with which Absalom nearly overthrows his aging father King David. Leaders in Hebron, who were themselves former supporters of David, joined Absalom in the plot. Only youthful foolishness keeps it from succeeding (2 Samuel 15-19).

Prophets condemn disregard for vulnerable parents (Mic. 7:6). lntergenerational love remains their ideal (Mal. 4:6). Still, such warnings indicate that some adult children took advantage of aging parents who suffered some loss of strength and independence in life’s transitions. Christianity shares this concern by mentioning that Jesus condemns those who shirk the care of aging parents through a religious vow called “Corban” (Mark 7:5-13).

Aging parents in the ancient Near East enter a somewhat dependent and vulnerable stage of life when they grow old. Therefore, old age in the Bible signifies the transition into a weakened social and physical condition. This transition remains a reliable basis for examining experiences of old age in the Bible.

Conclusion

Although the experience of aging in the Bible defies precise definition, the materials mention traits that distinguish that season from other periods of life. White hair most often indicated aging. Also, community or clan leadership identified as eldership was reserved for the older person. Elder status may have begun as early as thirty or forty years of age.

Often the Bible described aging by referring to life’s transitions. A person’s value for work changed with age. When a marriage partner passed the age of giving birth to children or a spouse could no longer bring about offspring, they were said to be old. Clearly, persons reached old age when in life’s later stages they experienced failing health and infirmities. The helplessness of widowhood made a woman more vulnerable to aging than her male counterpart. At times, the transitions to old age for both sexes brought encroaching weakness with a lowering of production and status.

In recognition of these factors of aging, it is not surprising that the God of Israel supported an elevated status for the elderly and reinforced their claims to sustenance and respect. God by nature sought to protect the vulnerable. God did this by both supporting order in society and by responding to violations of its contractual ideals in angry words and actions.

Chapter 2 collates some disparate teachings about intergenerational relations preserved in the extant literature of the ancient Near East. This collection of anecdotes clarifies the origin of many biblical values concerning the elderly. Quotations about intergenerational relationships appear scattered throughout vari...