The Construction of Authority in the Old English Judith
The present article investigates the representation of Judith, the protagonist of the Old English poem preserved in the Beowulf Manuscript, based on episodes from the Old Testament Book of Judith. It argues that Judith makes significant additions to the biblical source with the aim of presenting the...
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| Language: | English |
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Polish Association for the Study of English
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Polish Journal of English Studies |
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| Online Access: | https://pjes.edu.pl/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/PJES_11-1-9-Olesiejko.pdf |
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| author | Jacek Olesiejko |
| author_facet | Jacek Olesiejko |
| author_sort | Jacek Olesiejko |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The present article investigates the representation of Judith, the protagonist of the Old English poem preserved in the Beowulf Manuscript, based on episodes from the Old Testament Book of Judith. It argues that Judith makes significant additions to the biblical source with the aim of presenting the heroine as a figure of wisdom and justice. It also argues that such a representation of Judith is significant given the historical context of the composition of the poem. If the poem was composed in tenth-century England during Viking invasions,
the way the text crafts Judith as a figure of wisdom and good counsel is evocative of some political ideas circulating in poetic, homiletic texts as well as in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. The Chronicle’s representation of decision-making as a joint venture of the king and witan can especially help to elucidate the concept of authority presented in the poem, as Judith develops the antagonist Holofernes as an example of an ill-counselled and unwise leader, while depicting Judith as a figure of authority representing divine justice. The Judith poet
manipulates the feast scene that he finds in the biblical source with a view to enhancing its representation of Holofernes as an example of unwisdom and bad counsel. Another significant addition to the source is the poem’s emphasis on Judith’s wisdom as well her physical and spiritual radiance. In fact, the poem’s manipulation of light imagery and its recurrent contrasting of wisdom with unwisdom reflects the pressing concerns of the era regarding hierarchy, authority, obedience, and faith, all of which came to be considered key concepts in the unification of an England in crisis. The poem’s imagery of light is directly linked to the poem’s theme of justice and wise action. The sustained imagery of light and radiance underlies the poet’s account of Judith’s violence as a performance of divine justice. The imagery of light also creates a structural connection with the account of the Bethulian army victory over the Assyrians in the second half of the poem, enhancing both the poem’s artistic unity and its political purpose. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0fa31383dc26408caaba3fc96a7fef73 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2545-0131 2543-5981 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Polish Association for the Study of English |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Polish Journal of English Studies |
| spelling | doaj-art-0fa31383dc26408caaba3fc96a7fef732025-08-20T04:00:54ZengPolish Association for the Study of EnglishPolish Journal of English Studies2545-01312543-59812025-06-01111113138The Construction of Authority in the Old English JudithJacek Olesiejko0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7047-2498Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, PolandThe present article investigates the representation of Judith, the protagonist of the Old English poem preserved in the Beowulf Manuscript, based on episodes from the Old Testament Book of Judith. It argues that Judith makes significant additions to the biblical source with the aim of presenting the heroine as a figure of wisdom and justice. It also argues that such a representation of Judith is significant given the historical context of the composition of the poem. If the poem was composed in tenth-century England during Viking invasions, the way the text crafts Judith as a figure of wisdom and good counsel is evocative of some political ideas circulating in poetic, homiletic texts as well as in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. The Chronicle’s representation of decision-making as a joint venture of the king and witan can especially help to elucidate the concept of authority presented in the poem, as Judith develops the antagonist Holofernes as an example of an ill-counselled and unwise leader, while depicting Judith as a figure of authority representing divine justice. The Judith poet manipulates the feast scene that he finds in the biblical source with a view to enhancing its representation of Holofernes as an example of unwisdom and bad counsel. Another significant addition to the source is the poem’s emphasis on Judith’s wisdom as well her physical and spiritual radiance. In fact, the poem’s manipulation of light imagery and its recurrent contrasting of wisdom with unwisdom reflects the pressing concerns of the era regarding hierarchy, authority, obedience, and faith, all of which came to be considered key concepts in the unification of an England in crisis. The poem’s imagery of light is directly linked to the poem’s theme of justice and wise action. The sustained imagery of light and radiance underlies the poet’s account of Judith’s violence as a performance of divine justice. The imagery of light also creates a structural connection with the account of the Bethulian army victory over the Assyrians in the second half of the poem, enhancing both the poem’s artistic unity and its political purpose.https://pjes.edu.pl/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/PJES_11-1-9-Olesiejko.pdfjudithold english poetryold english literaturethe mind in old english versewisdom in old english poetry |
| spellingShingle | Jacek Olesiejko The Construction of Authority in the Old English Judith Polish Journal of English Studies judith old english poetry old english literature the mind in old english verse wisdom in old english poetry |
| title | The Construction of Authority in the Old English Judith |
| title_full | The Construction of Authority in the Old English Judith |
| title_fullStr | The Construction of Authority in the Old English Judith |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Construction of Authority in the Old English Judith |
| title_short | The Construction of Authority in the Old English Judith |
| title_sort | construction of authority in the old english judith |
| topic | judith old english poetry old english literature the mind in old english verse wisdom in old english poetry |
| url | https://pjes.edu.pl/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/PJES_11-1-9-Olesiejko.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jacekolesiejko theconstructionofauthorityintheoldenglishjudith AT jacekolesiejko constructionofauthorityintheoldenglishjudith |