“And Judith Set Forth”

What is it about?

The story of Judith, unfolded in chapters 8–16, opens with her portrayal as a wealthy, pious, celibate, homebound widow. Not long afterwards, she is depicted as traveling ‒ first to the tent of the Assyrian commander, Holofernes, to kill him, and later on pilgrimage to the Jerusalem Temple at the head of a band of Israelites. Only after she returning home from the latter journey is her prior status and place within her community fully restored. The narrative (8‒16) is thus structured as a rite of passage, beginning and ending in two stable states between which lies a liminal core. The fact that she departs and returns home twice complicates this structure, however. Just as Judith 8‒16 follows the three phases typical of rites de passage – separation, liminality, and reincorporation into society – so her campaign to Holofernes’ tent (Jdt 10:1‒13:20) betrays signs of all three. The article traces the role the two travel narratives play in this construct. Comparison of the topographical and architectural details, encounters with foreigners, and gender roles in both suggests that Judith’s first voyage marks her separation from her community and status within it, the pilgrimage her reintegration and restoration to her original position.

Featured Image