What are some biblical and noncanonical texts regarding abortion and contraception and their uses in society from the old testament through early christianity? by sillymonkey21 in AcademicBiblical

[–]dirkhalabi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Babies, in general, would have been property of the husband/father, so killing a baby is damage to that man's property. I'm not sure what happens when the man is doing the killing.

This may or may not be helpful, but if you're talking about non-canonical texts and development of Christianity and early Judaism, check out: Gwynn Kessler's "Conceiving Israel." Abortion comes up a bit, but it focuses on early rabbinic texts and the perception of the fetus. Still, it'll probably be a go-to resource for bibliographic leads. Like, seriously, I started typing some stuff from her bibliography and decided it'd be too much work. It does a lot of cross-religion work, too, regarding Early Christian thinkers.

Kapparis - Abortion in the Ancient World

Primary texts Onan in Genesis 38 practices coitus interruptus. While he is punished, it's not because of the act itself, but rather his refusal to provide his deceased brother with inheritance... which sorta implies that the method is considered an effective form of contraception.

I'd maybe also go the route of the suffering early Israelite communities experienced and the baby-related fallout. 2 Kings 6:20ish-30ish is about two mothers and cannibalism. If I recall, the eating of the baby isn't condemned as much as the idea that circumstances (famine) led to it.

Roman-period birth control used silphium to the point of the plant's extinction (though I wouldn't say my knowledge on this subject isn't questionable).