Damien F. Mackey
“A comparison of the book of
Judith with this Arabic Zenobia Legend provides better insight in the possible
relationship between Judith and Greek historiography”.
Johan
Weststeijn
Accounts
of Zenobia of Palmyra differ greatly, but they would agree on placing her in
the C3rd AD. According to the Ancient History Encyclopedia: https://www.ancient.eu/zenobia/
Zenobia (born c. 240 CE, death date unknown)
was the queen of the Palmyrene Empire who challenged the authority of Rome during the latter part of the period of Roman history known as The Crisis of the Third Century
(235-284 CE). This period, also known as The Imperial Crisis, was characterized
by constant civil war, as different Roman generals fought
for control of the empire. The crisis has been further noted by historians for
widespread social unrest, economic instability and, most significantly, the
dissolution of the empire, which broke into three separate regions: the Gallic
Empire, the Roman Empire, and the Palmyrene
Empire.
Contrary to popular assertions,
Zenobia never led a revolt against Rome, may never have been paraded through
Rome's streets in chains, and was almost certainly not executed by the emperor Aurelian (reigned 270-275 CE). Ancient sources on her life
and reign are the historian Zosimus (c. 490 CE), the Historia Augusta
(c. 4th century CE), the historian Zonaras (12th century CE), and historian
Al-Tabari (839-923 CE) whose account follows that of Adi ibn Zayd (6th century
CE) although she is also mentioned in the Talmud and by other writers.
While all of these sources maintain
that Queen Zenobia of Palmyra challenged the authority of Rome, none of them
characterize her actions as an outright rebellion. This view of her reign, of
course, depends on one's definition of "rebellion". While she was
careful not to engage Rome directly in military conflict, it is clear she
increasingly disregarded Roman authority in establishing herself as the legitimate
monarch of the east. ….
Queen Zenobia of
Palmyra is important to Johan Weststeijn, who would regard the Arabic version
of her life as key to understanding the influences of the Book of Judith (“Zenobia
of Palmyra and the Book of Judith: Common Motifs in Greek, Jewish, and Arabic
Historiography”):
Here I
argue that all the above questions can be answered if we take a third tradition
into account, and not only look at the Bible and Greek historiography, but
also at Arabic literature: in particular the Arabic version of the life of
Zenobia, queen of Palmyra. Zenobia’s story is generally known from embellished
accounts of her life in Greco-Roman history writing …. In the third
century CE, after her husband the king was murdered at a banquet … (allegedly
on her instigation …) the widow Zenobia ascends to the throne of the
caravancity Palmyra. With the help of her sister Zaba … she declares
herself independent from Rome, mints coins with her own image instead
of that of the Roman emperor, and establishes Palmyran dominion
over large parts of the Levant. In 273 CE, the emperor Aurelian lays siege
to her city ….
Although Johan
Weststeijn would not consider the Book of Judith to be the Vorlage for the stories of Zenobia - or Sinon of the Aeneid whom we met earlier - his above
account of Zenobia, with whom he will compare Judith, is already starting to
read (even somewhat monotonously) like those modern projections of Judith the
Simeonite, e.g. the C10th AD Queen Gudit (or Judith), as discussed in my
article:
World Renowned Judith of Bethulia
For example:
“… the
king was murdered at a banquet …”
In
the Book of Judith, Holofernes was slain at a banquet.
“… allegedly
on her instigation”
Judith
personally did the slaying.
“… the
widow Zenobia”
Judith
was a widow.
“With
the help of her sister …”
Judith
was assisted only by her maid.
“…the
emperor Aurelian lays siege to her city”
Holofernes
laid siege to Judith’s city of Bethulia.
Whilst, unlike in
the Book of Judith, the besieger is successful: “In 273 CE, the emperor Aurelian, destroys [her
city], and leads Zenobia in captivity to Rome”, Arabic versions tell a
different story according to Johan Weststeijn:
In
medieval Arabic historiography, a different, even more legendary account of [Zenobia’s]
life can be found. In this Arabic version, the Romans play only a very minor
part or are not mentioned at all: it is a revenge tale of blood feud between
Arab tribes. The Arab queen Zenobia (al-Zabbā’) is killed and her city
destroyed not by Romans but by Iraqi Arabs. The oldest more or less
complete version of this Arabic Zenobia Legend is found in the History of
Prophets and Kings, a universal history by the famous tenth-century historian
Tabari. …. Tabari’s chronicle appears to contain many quotations from
earlier Arabic works which have been lost; in all likelihood, the account
of Zenobia’s life contained in his work is older than the tenth century.
….
Johan Weststeijn
now comes to what he believes to be the crux of the matter – though I myself would
hardly rate the chances of mixed and garbled versions of Queen Zenobia
providing telling insights into the Book of Judith:
A
comparison of the book of Judith with this Arabic Zenobia Legend provides
better insight in the possible relationship between Judith and Greek
historiography. On the basis of a comparison of these two stories with
each other and with a number of selections from Greco-Roman epic and history
writing, I will show that they all belong to a genre of Near
Eastern tales about stratagems for the capture and defence of cities. The
stories selected here deal in particular with the ‘fake defector’ stratagem: a
member of one of the two enemy camps, either from the besiegers or from the
defenders, defects to the other side. This desertion, however, is mere
pretence, and only intended to deceive the enemy leader and gain his trust. The
alleged defector secretly remains working for his own side. Here I will deal with
such stratagems as they are found in stories about the sieges of Troy,
Babylon, the fictional Levantine city Bethulia [sic], and Palmyra.
For
the non “fictional” geography of the Book of Judith, and the possible location
of Bethulia, see my series of articles:
Judith's City of 'Bethulia'. Part One: Setting the Campaign Scene
Judith's City of 'Bethulia'. Part One (ii): Salem Important
Judith's City of 'Bethulia'. Part
Two (i): Probably not Mithilia (Mesilieh)
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