Strata: The Bible in the News: Judith and Holofernes

Some Biblical names—i.e., David or Sarah—have retained their popularity for millennia. Others, like Delilah and Abner, periodically produce namesakes but never in massive numbers. For a variety of reasons, a third group of Biblical names, like those who bore them, seem to have died in their Biblical incarnations.

Such, we might think, would be the fate of the hapless general Holofernes, beheaded by the bewitching Judith in the 13th chapter of her book. Surely, this is not a name that enjoyed much of an afterlife!

As it turns out, numerous artists have depicted the climactic scene wherein Judith kills Holofernes. One of the two best-known paintings on this theme is by that Renaissance rake Caravaggio; in his work, “the vexed-looking heroine is captured halfway through the job … Holofernes is caught in the moment between life and death, a silent scream on his lips” (Sydney Morning Herald).