Intro
Can Judith get a-head of Babylon?
This is my second female-themed book of this week. Yesterday was about Susanna, and the two books take a very different approach to female sexuality. Susanna is wrongfully accused of adultery, whereas Judith uses her feminine wiles to entrap and killing an enemy. Much like Susanna, or the Esther narrative, Judith is more a story and a fable than wisdom literature (like Sirach), prophecy (2 Esdras) or prayer (Mannases).
Judith like Susanna was a popular subject for Renaissance artists. It's also a modern girl's name, but not so common as Susan etc. Judith literally means "Jewess" in Hebrew.
Joseph Smith was accused of plagiarising Judith as a basis for the story of Nephi decapitating Laban. There is a key difference... Judith seduces Holofernes beforehand. I don't remember that bit of 1 Nephi.
Judith (KJV audiobook), one hour, ten mins approx.
Historical problems
Unlike some Apocrypha books we do have Hebrew portions of the work although the usual western versions take after the Greek.
https://www.abibleaday.com/bible-books/judith/
WikipediaThe book of Judith is included with the historical books of the Old Testament, but due to apparent historical inconsistencies, it might be more correct to understand it as a work of historical fiction.
PlotIt is not clear whether the Book of Judith was originally written in Hebrew or in Greek. The oldest existing version is in the Septuagint, and might either be a translation from Hebrew or composed in Greek. Details of vocabulary and phrasing point to a Greek text written in a language modeled on the Greek developed through translating the other books in the Septuagint.
The extant Hebrew language versions, whether identical to the Greek, or in the shorter Hebrew version, date to the Middle Ages. The Hebrew versions name important figures directly such as the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes, thus placing the events in the Hellenistic period when the Maccabees battled the Seleucid monarchs. The Greek version uses deliberately cryptic and anachronistic references such as "Nebuchadnezzar", a "King of Assyria", who "reigns in Nineveh", for the same king. The adoption of that name, though unhistorical, has been sometimes explained either as a copyist's addition, or an arbitrary name assigned to the ruler of Babylon.
The plot of Judith. I think I've given you a major spoiler already.
https://www.abibleaday.com/bible-books/judith/
WikipediaJudith stands as an inspiring account of confident faith put into bold action.
The book of Judith is a tale of the beautiful and pious women Judith (which means Jewess) who daringly and single-handedly delivers the Jewish people from their enemies, using her beauty and charm, all the while remaining pure and chaste.
ChiasmusThe Book of Judith can be split into two parts or "acts" of approximately equal length. Chapters 1–7 describe the rise of the threat to Israel, led by the evil king Nebuchadnezzar and his sycophantic general Holofernes, and is concluded as Holofernes' worldwide campaign has converged at the mountain pass where Judith's village, Bethulia, is located. Chapters 8–16 then introduce Judith and depict her heroic actions to save her people. The first part, although at times tedious in its description of the military developments, develops important themes by alternating battles with reflections and rousing action with rest. In contrast, the second half is devoted mainly to Judith's strength of character and the beheading scene.
Part I (1:1–7:23)The New Oxford Annotated Apocrypha identifies a clear chiastic pattern in both "acts", in which the order of events is reversed at a central moment in the narrative (i.e., abcc'b'a').[
>A. Campaign against disobedient nations; the people surrender (1:1–2:13)
>>B. Israel is "greatly terrified" (2:14–3:10)
>>> C. Joakim prepares for war (4:1–15)
>>>> D. Holofernes talks with Achior (5:1–6.9)
>>>>> E. Achior is expelled by Assyrians (6:10–13)
>>>>> E'. Achior is received in the village of Bethulia (6:14–15)
>>>> D'. Achior talks with the people (6:16–21)
>>> C'. Holofernes prepares for war (7:1–3)
>> B'. Israel is "greatly terrified" (7:4–5)
A'. Campaign against Bethulia; the people want to surrender (7:6–32)
Part II (8:1–16:25)
> A. Introduction of Judith (8:1–8)
>> B. Judith plans to save Israel (8:9–10:8), including her extended prayer (9:1-14)
>>> C. Judith and her maid leave Bethulia (10:9–10)
>>>> D. Judith beheads Holofernes (10:11–13:10a)
>>> C'. Judith and her maid return to Bethulia (13.10b–11)
>> B'. Judith plans the destruction of Israel's enemy (13:12–16:20)
>A'. Conclusion about Judith (16.1–25)
Characters
In the Christian West from the patristic period on, Judith was invoked in a wide variety of texts as a multi-faceted allegorical figure. As a "Mulier sancta", she personified the Church and many virtues – Humility, Justice, Fortitude, Chastity (the opposite of Holofernes' vices Pride, Tyranny, Decadence, Lust) – and she was, like the other heroic women of the Hebrew scriptural tradition, made into a typological prefiguration of the Virgin Mary. Her gender made her a natural example of the biblical paradox of "strength in weakness"; she is thus paired with David and her beheading of Holofernes paralleled with that of Goliath – both deeds saved the Covenant People from a militarily superior enemy.
Holofernes, the villain of the book. He is a dedicated soldier of his king, general-in-chief of his army, whom he wants to see exalted in all lands. He is given the task of destroying the rebels who did not support the king of Nineveh in his resistance against Cheleud and the king of Media, until Israel also becomes a target of his military campaign. Judith's courage and charm occasion his death.
Nebuchadnezzar, claimed here to be the king of Nineveh and Assyria. He is so proud that he wants to affirm his strength as a sort of divine power, although Holofernes, his Tartan (commanding general), goes beyond the king's orders when he calls on the western nations to "worship only Nebuchadnezzar, and ... invoke him as a god". Holofernes is ordered to take revenge on those who refused to ally themselves with Nebuchadnezzar.
--Achior, an Ammonite leader at Nebuchadnezzar's court; in chapter 5 he summarises the history of Israel and warns the king of Assyria of the power of their God, the "God of heaven", but is mocked. He is protected by the people of Bethulia and becomes a Jew and is circumcised on hearing what Judith has accomplished.
This is part of my ongoing series on Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical works:
1 Esdras inc. audiobook link
viewtopic.php?p=1343974
2 Esdras (the most relevant book in the Apocrypha?) inc audiobook link
viewtopic.php?p=1344302
1 Maccabees
viewtopic.php?t=69454
2 Maccabees, prayers for the dead and the origin of Nephi
viewtopic.php?p=1347024
3 Maccabees
viewtopic.php?t=69496
4 Maccabees
viewtopic.php?p=1348046
Tobit including audiobook link
viewtopic.php?p=1341501#p1341501
Apocryphal additions to Esther including audiobook link
viewtopic.php?p=1343414
Bel and the Dragon (quoted in full, KJV; inc audiobook link)
viewtopic.php?t=69261
Prayer of Azarias and Hymn of the Three Children (quoted in full KJV, including audiobook link)
viewtopic.php?p=1341611
Book of Susanna
viewtopic.php?t=69386
Wisdom of Solomon
viewtopic.php?t=69469
The Book of Sirach, Ecclesiasticus, the NT, the BOM and the other Jesus
viewtopic.php?t=69412
Book of Baruch and the Epistle of Jeremy/Jeremiah
viewtopic.php?p=1346145
Prayer of Mannases (aka Mannaseh; quoted in full KJV, inc. audiobook link)
viewtopic.php?t=69263
Psalm 151 (quoted in full, NRSV)
viewtopic.php?t=63875
Epistle to the Laodiceans (NT, quoted in full Wycliffe's translation, )
viewtopic.php?t=64025&p=1208281
The Book of Odes - this is an Eastern Orthodox work of limited interest, but included for the sake of completeness.
viewtopic.php?t=69470