away from salvation. Strauss' opera is based upon Oscar Wilde's play Salome which depicts her in the role of femme fatale. This biblical story has long been a favorite of painters as well. Notable representations of Salome include Masolino da Panicale, Filippo Lippi, Benozzo Gozzoli, Leonardo da Vinci followers Andrea Solario and Bernardino Luini, Lucas Cranach the Elder, Titian, Caravaggio, Guido Reni, Fabritius, Henri Regnault, Georges Rochegrosse, Gustave Moreau, Lovis Corinth and Federico Beltran-Masses. Other examples of Biblical women in operas include the story of Samson and Delilah by Camille Saint-Saëns; it is one of the pieces that defines French opera. Ruth is an opera with libretto in English composed by Lennox Berkeley that premiered in London in 1956. George Frideric Handel composed a series of dramatic oratorios in English on Biblical themes. Among those with major roles for notable women from the Bible are Esther, composed for private performance in a nobleman's home in 1718, revised into a full oratorio in 1732, Deborah, first performed at the King's Theatre in London on 17 March 1733, Athalia, first performed on 10 July 1733 at the Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford,Samson, premiere performance at Covent Garden theatre in London on 18 February 1743, and Jephtha, premiered at Covent Garden on 26 February 1752. See also Junia (New Testament person) Christian feminism Feminist theology Gender and Judaism Heresy of Peor Jewish feminism List of women in the Bible Role of Christianity in civilization The Three Marys Women as theological figures Women in the Quran References Bibliography External links Bible-related controversies Christianity and women Gender in the Bible Judaism and women