The Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women

Features thousands of biographic and thematic essays on Jewish women around the world. Learn more

Toni Craven

Toni Craven is the I. Wiley and Elizabeth M. Briscoe Professor of Hebrew Bible at Brite Divinity School, Texas Christian University. She received a B.A. from the University of Maryland, an M.A. from Andover Newton Theological School and a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University.

Articles by this author

Judith, dressed in Renaissance clothing, holds a sword in one hand and the head of Holofernes in the other.

Judith: Apocrypha

The apocryphal book of Judith tells the story of an Assyrian invasion of Israel, led by a man named Holofernes. Judith, a widow in a besieged Israelite town, seduces and murders Holofernes, securing victory for Israel.

Martyred Mother with seven sons (2MACC): Apocrypha

Following the passage of King Antiochus IV’s laws prohibiting the practice of Judaism, an unnamed mother leads a family through martyrdom.

Martyred mother with seven sons (4MACC): Apocrypha

4 Maccabees is a philosophical retelling of 2 Maccabees, intended to inspire Jews by the martyred mother’s actions to accept the supremacy of devout reason.

How to cite this page

Jewish Women's Archive. "Toni Craven." (Viewed on December 5, 2023) <https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/author/craven-toni>.

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