The Sword of Judith - Edited by Kevin R. Brine, Elena Ciletti and Henrike Lähnemann

Oct 28, 2026

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Edited collection examining the Book of Judith through multiple disciplinary lenses. The volume brings together scholarship on Jewish textual traditions and later Christian receptions, tracing motifs, typology, agency, and narrative transformation across languages and historical contexts. Essays also address Judith’s presence in medieval Hebrew tales, French mystery plays, early modern French literature, late medieval German texts, and Renaissance or counter-Reformation visual and musical cultures, including questions of politics, performance, and female patronage.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages534

Reading Time13 h 42 min

AccessFree to download

Introductions

The Judith Project

The Jewish Textual Traditions

Judith in the Christian Tradition

Writing Judith Jewish Textual Traditions

Holofernes’s Canopy in the Septuagint

Shorter Medieval Hebrew Tales of Judith

Food, Sex, and Redemption in Megillat Yehudit (the “Scroll of Judith”)

Shalom bar Abraham’s Book of Judith in Yiddish

Typology and Agency in Prudentius’s Treatment of the Judith Story

Judith in Late Anglo-Saxon England

The Prayer of Judith in Two Late-Fifteenth-Century French Mystery Plays

The Example of Judith in Early Modern French Literature

The Aestheticization of Tyrannicide: Du Bartas’s La Judit

The Cunning of Judith in Late Medieval German Texts

The Role of Judith in Margaret Fell’s Womens Speaking Justified

Staging Judith Visual Arts

Judith, Jael, and Humilitas in the Speculum Virginum

Judith between the Private and Public Realms in Renaissance Florence

Donatello’s Judith as the Emblem of God’s Chosen People

Costuming Judith in Italian Art of the Sixteenth Century

Judith Imagery as Catholic Orthodoxy in Counter-Reformation Italy

Music and Drama

Judith, Music, and Female Patrons in Early Modern Italy

Judith in Baroque Oratorio

Judith in the Italian Unification Process, 1800–1900

Marcello and Peri’s Giuditta (1860)

Politics, Biblical Debates, and French Dramatic Music on Judith after 1870

Judith and the “Jew-Eaters” in German Volkstheater

Bibliography Abbreviations Indexes

The Sword of Judith Judith Studies Across the Disciplines Edited by Kevin R. Brine, Elena Ciletti and Henrike Lähnemann THE SWORD OF JUDITH Abraham Bosse, Judith Femme Forte, 1645. Engraving in Lescalopier, Les predications. Photo credit: Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris. Kevin R. Brine, Elena Ciletti and Henrike Lähnemann (eds.) The Sword of Judith Judith Studies Across the Disciplines Cambridge 2010 40 Devonshire Road, Cambridge, CB1 2BL, United Kingdom [http://www.openbookpublishers.com](http://www.openbookpublishers.com) © 2010 Kevin R. Brine, Elena Ciletti and Henrike Lähnemann Some rights are reserved. This book is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 UK: England & Wales License. This license allows for copying any part of the work for personal and non-commercial use, providing author attribution is clearly stated. Details of allowances and restrictions are available at: [http://www.openbookpublishers.com](http://www.openbookpublishers.com) As with all Open Book Publishers titles, digital material and resources associated with this volume are available from our website: [http://www.openbookpublishers.com](http://www.openbookpublishers.com) ISBN Hardback: 978-1-906924-16-4 ISBN Paperback: 978-1-906924-15-7 ISBN Digital (pdf): 978-1-906924-17-1 All paper used by Open Book Publishers is SFI (Sustainable Forestry Initiative), and PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes) Certified. Printed in the United Kingdom and United States by Lightning Source for Open Book Publishers Contents Introductions 1. The Judith Project Kevin R. Brine 2. The Jewish Textual Traditions Deborah Levine Gera 3. Judith in the Christian Tradition Elena Ciletti and Henrike Lähnemann Writing Judith Jewish Textual Traditions 4. Holofernes’s Canopy in the Septuagint Barbara Schmitz 5. Shorter Medieval Hebrew Tales of Judith Deborah Levine Gera 6. Food, Sex, and Redemption in Megillat Yehudit (the “Scroll of Judith”) Susan Weingarten 7. Shalom bar Abraham’s Book of Judith in Yiddish Ruth von Bernuth and Michael Terry Christian Textual Tradition 8. Typology and Agency in Prudentius’s Treatment of the Judith Story Marc Mastrangelo 9. Judith in Late Anglo-Saxon England Tracey-Anne Cooper 10. The Prayer of Judith in Two Late-Fifteenth-Century French Mystery Plays John Nassichuk 11. The Example of Judith in Early Modern French Literature Kathleen M. Llewellyn 12. The Aestheticization of Tyrannicide: Du Bartas’s La Judit Robert Cummings 13. The Cunning of Judith in Late Medieval German Texts Henrike Lähnemann 14. The Role of Judith in Margaret Fell’s Womens Speaking Justified Janet Bartholomew 3 23 41 71 81 97 127 153 169 197 213 227 239 259 Staging Judith Visual Arts 15. Judith, Jael, and Humilitas in the Speculum Virginum Elizabeth Bailey 16. Judith between the Private and Public Realms in Renaissance Florence Roger J. Crum 17. Donatello’s Judith as the Emblem of God’s Chosen People Sarah Blake McHam 18. Costuming Judith in Italian Art of the Sixteenth Century Diane Apostolos-Cappadona 19. Judith Imagery as Catholic Orthodoxy in Counter-Reformation Italy Elena Ciletti Music and Drama 20. Judith, Music, and Female Patrons in Early Modern Italy Kelley Harness 21. Judith in Baroque Oratorio David Marsh 22. Judith in the Italian Unification Process, 1800–1900 Paolo Bernardini 23. Marcello and Peri’s Giuditta (1860) Alexandre Lhâa 24. Politics, Biblical Debates, and French Dramatic Music on Judith after 1870 Jann Pasler 25. Judith and the “Jew-Eaters” in German Volkstheater Gabrijela Mecky Zaragoza Bibliography Abbreviations Indexes 275 291 307 325 345 371 385 397 411 431 453 469 495 497 Online Resources: [http://www.openbookpublishers.com](http://www.openbookpublishers.com) Illustrations page Titl

FAQs

What is the central subject of The Sword of Judith?

It studies the Book of Judith across disciplines, analyzing how Judith’s story and themes are interpreted within Jewish and Christian traditions and in later cultural forms.

Which scholarly areas does the volume cover?

It includes Jewish textual traditions, Christian reception, medieval and early modern literary treatments, visual arts staging, and music and drama.

How is the book organized?

The volume is structured with introductions and a sequence of numbered essays, followed by sections focused on staging in visual arts and on music and drama.

Oct 28, 2026

Upload by Hazel