How people relate to time is one of the oldest questions of mankind. This book centers on life phases to show how the life cycle is structured, and it discusses how various theological and literary models denote and divide up the different phases of life. These life-phase models reflect congruent or contrasting overall concepts of time. Using examples from texts from the Ancient Near Eastern era up to the 20th century, the contributions in the book discuss how the different life phases were construed and what potential the respective life phases offer for a time-critical reflection."

Human ageing is always subject to cultural interpretation. The continuous process of maturing and decline thus only becomes recognisable and significant with the idea of life stages. Here, topoi such as those of the simple child or the wise grey head as habitual patterns of understanding and thought reveal the social and cultural knowledge of life stages in tradition and change. The papers in this volume examine sources from biblical tradition right through to the 21st century and enquire into the argumentative force of the topic, with which apparently fixed ways of thinking can vary and thus open new perspectives on life stages.

At the beginning of the 18th century, the discovery of Pompeii and Herkulaneum seemed to be a lucky coincidence with the genesis of a classical taste. But instead of noble innocence and simple grandeur, the visitors discovered a city with small, richly decorated houses with windowless, often obscenely painted rooms. The reports of these travellers try to reach a balance between these illustrations and the classical picture of antiquity.