The Boy Samuel: Reassessing a Paradigm of Child Theology

The narrative of Samuel's call by God (1 Sam. 3) has presumed a young boy able to encounter God. This has become an argument in works of child theology and a means of engaging children through illustrated Bibles and media. This article examines Samuel's possible age in this encounter and suggests that he may have been older than previously conceived. The possibility of divine-child encounters demands a more robust theological approach than this passage allows.