The Book of Judith in the Context of the Greek Literature

The book of Judith has a typically biblical background, as evidenced by the description of the characters, the construction of some scenes, and the message conveyed by the tale. The biblical models are woven together, referring to one another and suggesting a clear Jewish cultural matrix for this book; moreover, the citations from the biblical text confirm this reading. However, many narrative elements are exceptional with respect to this biblical background and rather show significant affinities with Classical and Hellenistic Greek literature. A dense interweaving of biblical motifs and those proper to Greek literature can be observed in the book of Judith. Indeed, the book of Judith has often been approached with priority consideration of the Jewish context in which it would have been conceived. This tendency depended on the fact that for a long time there was no doubt as to the existence of a Hebrew or Aramaic Vorlage for this book, despite the absence of any trace of it. In the light of these premises, the present volume aims to analyze the most significant points of contact between the biblical book of Judith and Greek literature. To this end, it gathers literary topoi as well as specific vocabulary and particular syntagmas through which one may recognize resonances with Classical and Hellenistic Greek literature. The literary and cultural origins of the author of the book of Judith and its readers are investigated, evaluating the text of Judith as a Hellenistic phenomenon, with reference to language and culture.

Introduction
1. The Starting Point
2. The Status Quaestionis
3. The Method Employed
4. The Structure of the Monograph

First Part. Some Preliminary Questions
Chapter I. The History of the Text, the Structure of the Book and Its Dating
Chapter II. The Problem of the Literary Genre
Chapter III. Linguistic Observations
Chapter IV. Intertextuality

Second Part. Greek Topoi in Judith
Chapter V. Holofernes, Arrogant General, and the Greek τύραννος
Chapter VI. Achior, the Ammonite
Chapter VII. Judith, Exemplary Heroine sui generis. The Comparison with the Women of Tragedy
Chapter VIII. Judith, Exemplary Heroine sui generis. A Comparison with Panthea and Chiomara
Chapter IX. The Military Background of the Account
Chapter X. Images of a Siege. A Comparison with the Chronicle of Lindos
Chapter XI. Judith’s Bath
Chapter XII. The Beheading of Holofernes
Chapter XIII. The Crown

Third Part. Examples of Linguistic Usage in Judith
Chapter XIV. The Lexicon of Help, βοηθός, βοήθεια and βοηθέω
Chapter XV. Lasciviousness and Belligerence. The Opposite Attributes of Holofernes’ Tyranny, κωνώπιον and ἀκινάκης
Chapter XVI. The Vocabulary of Surrender, ἑτοιμάζειν γῆν καὶ ὕδωρ
Chapter XVII. The Use of προσκυνέω τῷ θεῷ in the Book of Judith
Chapter XVIII. The Sign of the Triumph, δείκνυμι τὴν κεφαλήν

Fourth Part. Conclusions
Chapter XIX. A Summary Vision. Judith and Holofernes at a Cultural Crossroads
Chapter XX. Irony as Fil Rouge in the Book of Judith
Chapter XXI. The Origins of the Plurality of Voices in Judith

Bibliography
Index