Jephtas Tochter

Based on the story of the vow taken in Judges 11:29-40, Michaela Bauks studies the phenomenon of child sacrifice in the Ancient Near East and in the Old Testament. After a detailed analysis of the text composition of Judges 11 and an examination of the redaction history, the author deals with the evidence of child sacrifices in the history of religion in the Mediterranean area during the first century BC and then studies the reception history using several pertinent documents (Septuagint, Targum, Josephus, Pseudo-Philo, the New Testament as well as other documents on Judges 11, mainly in the early church) as well as the significant intertext in Genesis 22. In addition to historical issues, the author also explores the intention and the function of the talk of child sacrifices in detail. The various literary, theological and material facets of the subject are given equal treatment and evaluated in favor of the Judges narrative.