The Book of Judith, Laban and the Book of Mormon

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Niemand
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The Book of Judith, Laban and the Book of Mormon

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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/
The 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.
Wikipedia
It 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.
Plot

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The plot of Judith. I think I've given you a major spoiler already.
https://www.abibleaday.com/bible-books/judith/
Judith 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.
Wikipedia
The 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.
Chiasmus
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').[
Part I (1:1–7:23)

>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.
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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
Last edited by Niemand on January 31st, 2023, 6:10 pm, edited 9 times in total.

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Niemand
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Posts: 13997

Re: The Book of Judith

Post by Niemand »

Some References and Allusions to the Apocrypha in the New Testament

James 1:2 cf Judith 8:25 – “In spite of everything let us give thanks to the Lord our God who is putting us to the test as he did our ancestors”.

1 Peter 1:3-9 cf Judith 8:24-27 – “Therefore, my brothers, let us set an example to our kindred, for their lives depend on us, and the sanctuary – both the temple and the altar – rests upon us. In spite of everything let us give thanks to the Lord our God who is putting us to the test as he did our ancestors. Remember what he did with Abraham, and how he tested Isaac, and what happened to Jacob in Mesopotamia, while he was tending the sheep of Laban, his mother’s brother. For he has not tried us with fire, as he did them, to search their hearts, nor has he taken vengeance on us; but the Lord scourges those who are close to him in order to admonish them”.

I tend to find FAIR's Mormon apologetics a bit smug and self-satisfied a bit like the all too neat "skeptical" criticisms on the other side but I'll quote their answer about Judith anyway.

Relationship to the Jael story
https://www.britannica.com/topic/biblic ... influences
Judith is an exemplary Jewish woman. Her deed is probably invented under the influence of the account of the 12th-century-BC Kenite woman Jael (Judg. 5:24–27), who killed the Canaanite general Sisera by driving a tent peg through his head.
https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/ans ... /Apocrypha

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Question: Did Joseph Smith create the story of Nephi and Laban by plagiarizing concepts and phrases from the story of Judith and Holofernes in the Apocrypha?
Oliver Cowdery purchased a Bible containing the Apocrypha in October 1829, after the Book of Mormon was already at press
In order to support these claims, it would have been necessary for Joseph to have obtained a Bible containing the Apocrypha during the period of translation. It is known that Oliver Cowdery purchased a Bible in October 1829, however, the Book of Mormon was already at press by this time, with the copyright being registered on 11 June 1829. We do know that Joseph had a Bible containing the Apocrypha in 1833 during the time he produced the "Joseph Smith Translation." Doctrine and Covenants Section 91 was given to Joseph specifically in response to his question as to whether or not he ought to revise the Apocrypha.

The story of Judith and Holofernes and the story of Nephi and Laban actually have more dissimilarities than parallels.

The two stories actually have more dissimilarities than parallels, with the similarities being very superficial.
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Niemand
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Re: The Book of Judith, Laban and the Book of Mormon

Post by Niemand »

Latest Apocrypha
Outside the Western and Eastern Orthodox Canon...

The Ethiopian canon. This includes brief info on the books of Sinodos, Ethiopian Clement, Ethiopian Covenant, and Didascalia as well as a list of other works in the canon.
viewtopic.php?t=69540

The Book of Jubilees aka Leptogenesis or Little Genesis
viewtopic.php?p=1348962

3 Corinthians (Armenian canon)
viewtopic.php?t=69567

Protestant perspective
LDS leaders have sometimes said caution and the use of the Holy Ghost have to be employed to interpret the Apocrypha. Maybe this is another example. Is this a corruption in the book? We believe that the Bible has been interfered with, and that probably includes the Apocrypha too, whose work varies in merit, even within the same book.

https://faith.edu/faith-news/why-we-rej ... apocrypha/
Finally, that Judith asks God to help her in a falsehood (Judith 9:10–13) is supposed to prove that the teaching of this book is unethical. But are there not stories in Bible books that seem to promote the same thing? Rahab the harlot lied in order to protect the Jewish spies (Joshua 2:3–7). She was commended not for lying but for her faith (Hebrews 11:31). By the same token, neither is Judith commended for her falsehood.

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Niemand
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 13997

Re: The Book of Judith, Laban and the Book of Mormon

Post by Niemand »

Latest Apocrypha
Four Apocryphal Psalms - 152, 153, 154, 155
viewtopic.php?t=69985

The Gospel of Nicodemus or Acts of Pilate, as tested on Mennonites
viewtopic.php?t=69760

Outside the Western and Eastern Orthodox Canon...
The Book of Enoch
viewtopic.php?t=69577

1 Meqabyan (Ethiopian canon), another lost book?
viewtopic.php?t=69855

2 Meqabyan (Ethiopian canon), - the return of Tsirutsaydan
viewtopic.php?t=69971

3 Meqabyan (Ethiopian canon) a Question of Satan, another lost work?
viewtopic.php?t=70277

Other works
The Shepherd of Hermas - inspired literature or pagan trash?
viewtopic.php?t=69650

The Epistle of Barnabas (NT Apocrypha) - link between OT and NT, or not?
viewtopic.php?t=69679

1 Clement: Papist propaganda or a window into the early church?
viewtopic.php?p=1368842

2 Clement: Inclement Gnosticism?
viewtopic.php?t=70327

The Didache or Teachings of the Apostles
viewtopic.php?t=69698

The Two Apocalypses of Peter: Guides to the universe or sadism? The ancient Apocalypse of Peter and the Arabic Apocalypse of Peter.
viewtopic.php?t=70682

A post on the Restored Branch, an English LDS microsect and its canon which includes works from the Nag Hammadi and Gnostic texts: these are the Gospel of Peter, the Gospel of Mary, the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Phillip, the Gospel of Truth (sic), the Letter of the Apostle Paul, the Sophia (Wisdom) of Jesus the Christ, the Acts of Peter and the Twelve Apostles and the Letter of Peter which he sent to Philip.
viewtopic.php?t=70413

And
Antilegomena: the books which barely made it into the Bible - Revelation, Esther, Song of Songs, James etc
viewtopic.php?p=1350652

Is Q canonical? How about the Gospel of Thomas? The answer's more complicated than you think.
viewtopic.php?t=69715

The LDS Bible Dictionary on Lost Books and non-canonical works referred to in the Bible.
viewtopic.php?t=69805

On other interrelated religions:
The Samaritans, their canon and its significance
viewtopic.php?t=69905

My thread about the Koran, and its use of figures from the Bible, the Apocrypha and extracanonical material. How useful a source is the Koran itself? Does it have any real extra information on Biblical figures? This is something of work in progress.
viewtopic.php?t=70169

Was Zoroaster/Zarathustra a lost prophet of God? Some surprising links between this largely forgotten figure and Judaism, plus the Gathas.
viewtopic.php?t=65938

Are the Yezidis of the Middle East an ancient Satanist group or a lost Jewish tribe? And what is the connection between their religion and today's rainbow flag? Is this strange group simply misunderstood?
viewtopic.php?t=70625

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Niemand
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 13997

Re: The Book of Judith, Laban and the Book of Mormon

Post by Niemand »

Latest Apocrypha etc.
Underrated Bible stories #3: Habakkuk's Hair-raising Experience (from Bel & the Dragon in the KJV Apocrypha)
viewtopic.php?t=69509

The First and Second Books of Adam and Eve (the Conflict with Satan)
viewtopic.php?t=70846

The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs (Armenian canon): are these lost books by the founders of each Tribe of Israel or a later forgery?
viewtopic.php?t=71061

Celtic legends about the Bible, including the visits of Biblical figures to western Europe, the Michael Line, Holy Grail/Arthurian legend, and Pontius Pilate. Discusses the Lost Chapter of the Acts of the Apostles (the Sonnini Manuscript), Magna Tabula Glastonia, writings of Nicephorus, Leabhar Gabhala/Lebor Gabála Érenn (Book of Settlements), the Mabinogion etc.
viewtopic.php?t=71061

The Book of the Cock – an unfortunately named Ethiopian gospel still in current use.
viewtopic.php?t=71338

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Niemand
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Posts: 13997

Re: The Book of Judith, Laban and the Book of Mormon

Post by Niemand »

Other resources
An LDS blog review of Judith:
https://johnslds.blogspot.com/2014/10/a ... h.html?m=1

He doesn't really cover much ground there that I haven't already, but provides a good summary of the book. (I note he uses the same painting as me!) He says:
I didn't get anything spiritual out of it, but I did find the parallel interesting between Judith cutting off Holofernes' head, and Nephi cutting off Laban's head in the Book of Mormon.
A dramatised audiobook of Judith. 1hr 20 mins approx.
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Latest Apocrypha etc
Will the real Book of Jasher please stand up? At least a dozen works are claimed to be the Book of Jasher, but did it ever exist in the first place?
viewtopic.php?p=1438746

The Book of Gad the Seer, a work referred to in the Old Testament which may have been preserved by a small group of Jews in India. Some of its content is stunning including references to a sacrificed lamb who is sent by God and the future tribulation.
viewtopic.php?t=71421

The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs: are these lost books of the founders of each Tribe of Israel or a later forgery?
viewtopic.php?t=71314

The Ascension of Isaiah, visions of Christ and Antichrist
viewtopic.php?t=71598

The Book of the Cock – an unfortunately named gospel still in current use in Ethiopia.
viewtopic.php?t=71338

The Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians, an early endorsement of Paul or a forgery?
viewtopic.php?p=1400884

The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus - a beautiful short epistle about the relations of Christians and non-Christians, and the Tree of Knowledge
viewtopic.php?p=1404032

End Times Prophecy in Apocrypha/Pseudepigrapha: A guide
Includes discussions of 2 Esdras, (1) Enoch, Nicodemus, Ascension of Isaiah, Gad the Seer and the Shepherd of Hermas
viewtopic.php?t=71659

New Age Bibles: Urantia, Oahspe, Kolbrin, Oera Linda, Crowley's Book of the Law, a Course in Miracles etc. These works, usually channelled, provide a very different take on spirituality yet are strangely similar to one another. How should we approach these new works and are they just demonic?
viewtopic.php?p=1433133

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