“The Fruit of Your Womb” (Luke 1,42) as “The Lord God, Creator of Heaven and Earth” (Judith 13,18). An Intertextual Analysis

Luke 1,42 ('Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb') clearly refers to Jdt 13,18 ('May you be blessed, my daughter, by God Most High, beyond all women on earth; and blessed be the Lord God, Creator of heaven and earth'). René Laurentin proposed an interpretation according to which 'the fruit of your womb' should be intertextually interpreted as 'Lord God, Creator of heaven and earth'. Laurentin’s proposal has been ignored by New Testament scholars. The aim of this article is to present arguments in favor of Laurentin’s interpretation.