The Iconographic Transformation of Judith in the 19th Century and its Theological Implications

Abstract

Judith, the Jewish heroine so frequently used throughout history in literature and the arts as a model of virtue (chastity, bravery and piety), was transformed in the 19th century into a seductive, dangerous and lethal woman for men. Her eroticisation, diffe­rent from that which had already occurred in previous periods, acquires nuances in a secularised context in which women are conquering new rights and social spaces. This article studies how and why the Jewish protagonist is transformed in nineteenth-century iconography, from a pious and fearful woman to a femme fatale, and what the implica­tions are for the interpretation of the biblical story. Based on this example, it asks what value have today biblical works born in secularised contexts for theological reflection, and how, despite distorting some of their content, they reveal and alert us to important aspects of revelation.