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| Jephthah meets his daughter. Codex 602, folio 434b. Monastery of Vatopaidi. 13th century. A rare Byzantine depiction of Jephthah's reception of his daughter. It is the moment after the battle, when Jephthah, accompanied by warriors, arrives home and meets his daughter outside his house while she is holding cymbals in her hands. Jephthah is depicted with a halo. |
By Maria Skabardonis
The book of Judges is the seventh book of the Old Testament, it belongs to the so-called historical books and deals with the life and history of the Judges. The Judges were people to whom God entrusted the protection of the Israelite people when they turned away from Him.
Jephthah was one of the most notable and greatest Judges of Israel, and he is the 13th Judge in number. His story is described in the book of Judges chapter 11 verses 1–39.
This story has much in common with that of Iphigenia, whom Agamemnon's father was asked to sacrifice because it would appease the wrath of the goddess Artemis.
Jephthah came from Gilead, and while he had been cast out by his brothers for being the illegitimate son of a harlot, he later led the Israelites in battle against the Ammonites. He was particularly bold and brave, but his life was linked to a specific event: the sacrifice of his daughter, an event that many take advantage of to accuse the Old Testament of practicing human sacrifice. Let's look at it in detail.
