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On the topic of how medieval Jews viewed their children, see Ivan Marcus "Rituals of Childhood" Yale, 1996. An article that might point you towards the phenomenon of child martyrs is "The Idea of Innocent Martyrdom in Late Tenth- and Early Eleventh-Century English Hagiology" by Paul A. Hayward in "Martyrs and Martyroloiges", Studies in Church History 30, Blackwell, 1993. Dan Joslyn-Siemiatkoski >===== Original Message From Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture <[log in to unmask]> ===== >Dear list members > >I am currently engaged in research that is far removed from my ordinary field >of endeavor and i am hoping someone out there can help me. I am involved in >a seminar on "Childhood from Late Antiquity to the Early Modern Period". >Within this vast subject I have come to focus on the role of children in >ritual murder accusations against Jews in the Middle Ages. While there is a >great deal of primary material on such accusations (i.e. "The Life of William >of Norwich" etc.) and some excellent secondary material, notably by Gavin >Langmuir and R. Po-chia Hsia, these center on the larger issues of >anti-semitism and the development of a diologue of hatred. I need to find >imformation that may illuminate some of the history and psychology of the use >of children as sacrifice. What I am looking for (finally - the point) is >sources pertaining to (1) child martyrs, (2) accusations of ritual torture >and murder of children leveled agains the early Chrisitians, and (3) any >information on how medieval Jews viewed childhood and their children. Any >information or suggestions will be gratefully accepted. > >Thank you in advance for any help anyone can give me. >Diane Ausla Daniel Joslyn-Siemiatkoski 1216 Commonwealth Ave #11 Allston, MA 02134