''Jephthes, sive Votum'' (translated into English as ''Jephtha, or the Vow'') is a

tragedy A tragedy is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a tragic hero, main character or cast of characters. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy is to invoke an accompanying catharsi ...

by Scottish historian and

humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential, and agency of human beings, whom it considers the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humanism" ha ...

scholar

George Buchanan George Buchanan (; February 1506 – 28 September 1582) was a Scottish historian and humanist scholar. According to historian Keith Brown, Buchanan was "the most profound intellectual sixteenth-century Scotland produced." His ideology of re ...

first published in 1554. Based on the biblical account of

Jephthah Jephthah (pronounced ; , ''Yiftāḥ'') appears in the Book of Judges as a judge who presided over Israel for a period of six years (). According to Judges, he lived in Gilead. His father's name is also given as Gilead, and, as his mother is de ...

and the sacrifice of

his daughter ''His Daughter'' is a 1911 American silent short drama film directed by D. W. Griffith, starring Edwin August and featuring Blanche Sweet. Cast Plot See also * D. W. Griffith filmography * Blanche Sweet filmography __NOTOC__ This is ...

in the

Book of Judges The Book of Judges is the seventh book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. In the narrative of the Hebrew Bible, it covers the time between the conquest described in the Book of Joshua and the establishment of a kingdom in the ...

, Buchanan wrote the play while he was a teacher in France.

Plot

In the prologue, an angel explains how Israel has incurred the wrath of God and is like "a horse which must suffer the bit and spur it will remember its duty." He announces Israel's victory over

Ammon Ammon (; Ammonite language, Ammonite: 𐤏𐤌𐤍 ''ʻAmān''; '; ) was an ancient Semitic languages, Semitic-speaking kingdom occupying the east of the Jordan River, between the torrent valleys of Wadi Mujib, Arnon and Jabbok, in present-d ...

; the Israelites are led by the God-fearing Jephthah, who vows while returning home from the war to "make a burnt offering to Jehovah of whomever comes out first to meet him from his house." Realising his error after he is first greeted by his daughter, Jephthah has to choose between saving her life and honouring his vow to God. Although Jephthah himself believes that he is obligated to sacrifice his daughter, a priest calls such an action "dreadful" and advises him to change his mind. Jephthah's wife affirms the priest's argument, while adding that sacrificing their daughter would amount to

paganism Paganism (, later 'civilian') is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the ...

. Jephthah's daughter is initially anxious to avoid death but she later accepts her fate. At first, she sees it as a matter of filial piety, but she subsequently conceives of her death as Christ-like. Before being sacrificed, she rejects Jephthah's offer to die on her behalf and declares that she will only submit to God's authority. Her throat is slit by the priest and a messenger extols her heroism.

Composition and publication history

''Jephthes, sive Votum'' was written by George Buchanan between 1539 and 1546, while he was a teacher at the

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

-based College de Guyenne; Buchanan intended for the schoolchildren to perform the play, as part of an annual tradition at the school. Modelled on classical Greek drama, the play largely comprises Latin dialogue written in the

iambic trimeter The Iambic trimeter, in classical Greek and Latin poetry, is a meter of poetry consisting of three iambic metra (each of two feet) per line. In English poetry, it refers to a meter with three iambic feet. In ancient Greek poetry and Latin po ...

. The structure of ''Jephthes'' takes after that of ''

Iphigenia in Aulis ''Iphigenia in Aulis'' or ''Iphigenia at Aulis'' (; variously translated, including the Latin ''Iphigenia in Aulide'') is the last of the extant works by the playwright Euripides. Written between 408, after ''Orestes'', and 406 BC, the year of Eu ...

'', though its plot is based on the tenth and eleventh chapters of the Book of Judges, which revolve around the head of the Gileadite army,

, who has to sacrifice

as part of a vow made to God. In Buchanan's play, she is given the name Iphis, an allusion to

Iphigenia In Greek mythology, Iphigenia (; , ) was a daughter of King Agamemnon and Queen Clytemnestra, and thus a princess of Mycenae. In the story, Agamemnon offends the goddess Artemis on his way to the Trojan War by hunting and killing one of Artem ...

. Buchanan also invented the character of Storge, Jephthah's wife. ''Jephthes'' was first published in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in 1554; fourteen editions were published until 1600 in locations like

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

(1567),

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

(1580), and

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

(1590). An Italian translation by Scipione Bargagli was published in Lucca in 1587.

Notes

References

Citations

Works cited

* * * * * {{refend 1554 works Fiction about filicide Domestic tragedies Plays based on the Old Testament Plays in Latin