Original Research

Clashing deities in the book of Judith: A Greimassian perspective

Risimati S. Hobyane
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies | Vol 71, No 3 | a2893 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v71i3.2893 | © 2015 Risimati S. Hobyane | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 19 January 2015 | Published: 20 July 2015

About the author(s)

Risimati S. Hobyane, School of Biblical Studies and Ancient Languages, Faculty of Theology, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, South Africa

Abstract

The shaping of a text with a specific kind of plot is suggestive of the fundamental values that the author desires to either promote or discourage within the reader’s community and its worldview. The Judith narrative is not an exception to this claim or rule. Scholars have contributed much in establishing the underlying purpose of Judith and came up with intuitive contributions to the field of study. However, the investigation of the overarching fundamental values that generated the story of Judith remains a gap to be filled in Judith research. The goal of this article is to fill this gap by investigating the fundamental values that the author desires to promote or discourage within the community, using the thematic analysis of the Greimassian semiotic approach. Subsequently, the present article reveals that the Judith narrative was designed to be an ideological vehicle in its intent, aimed at rejuvenating and revitalising the core values of the Jewish religion during the difficult times of the Second Temple period.

Keywords

Judith; Greimassian Perspective; Narrative analysis; Actantial model

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Crossref Citations

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