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Judith

Judith tells how a widowed Israelite enters the Assyrian camp and cuts off the drunken Holofernes's head.4 sources4 sources1. Judith 8:42. Judith 12:203. Judith 13:64. Judith 13:8

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At a glance

Genre
Historical novel, in the Jewish Encyclopedia's reading; its historicity has been defended.5 6 7
Written
Probably near the start of the first century BC, according to the Jewish Encyclopedia.8 9 10
Language
Survives in Greek; Deborah Gera leaves Hebrew or Greek origin uncertain.11 10
Setting
Bethulia, besieged by Holofernes in the story.12 13

Summary

Caravaggio and Artemisia Gentileschi painted Judith's killing of Holofernes, the climax of a story about a besieged town. Before entering the general's camp, Judith prays to the God of her ancestor Simeon, recalling his revenge for Dinah. The opening makes Nebuchadnezzar a ruler of Assyria in Nineveh. The Jewish Encyclopedia reads that as a signal of fiction. The Catholic Encyclopedia acknowledges historical difficulties while reporting defenses of the story's historicity.14 sources14 sources1. Judith 8:42. Judith 12:203. Judith 13:64. Judith 13:812. Judith 1:113. Judith 4:614. Judith 9:215. Genesis 34:2516. sull'Arte17. Galleries5. Toy6. Toy18. Encyclopedia7. Encyclopedia

Contents

  1. Holofernes threatens Bethulia

    Judith 1:1–4:6

    The book introduces Nebuchadnezzar as ruler of the Assyrians in Nineveh. His general Holofernes besieges Bethulia.12 13

  2. Judith prepares to go

    Judith 8:4–9:2

    Judith is a widow. Before entering the camp, she prays to the God of her ancestor Simeon, recalling the vengeance at Shechem.6 sources6 sources1. Judith 8:42. Judith 12:203. Judith 13:64. Judith 13:814. Judith 9:215. Genesis 34:25

  3. The general dies; Judith sings

    Judith 12:20–16:23

    Judith kills the drunken Holofernes with his sword. Afterwards Achior believes and is circumcised; Judith sings and eventually dies at 105.4 sources4 sources1. Judith 8:42. Judith 12:203. Judith 13:64. Judith 13:8

Stories

  • Judith and Holofernes

    Judith 12:20–13:8

    After a banquet, Judith takes the general's sword from the bedpost and strikes his neck twice, cutting off his head.4 sources4 sources1. Judith 8:42. Judith 12:203. Judith 13:64. Judith 13:8

  • A prayer recalling Simeon

    Judith 9:2

    Judith praises Simeon's vengeance for the defilement of Dinah—a use of that episode that sits uneasily beside Genesis's later condemnation of the violence.14 15

Connections to the Bible

Echoes and allusions

Retellings

  • Genesis 34:25 · Judith 9:2

    Judith's prayer recalls Simeon's revenge at Shechem. Genesis 49:5–7 condemns the violence that her prayer praises.14 15

Where each church stands

Judith Full table →

Protestant
Read, not for doctrine

Listed in Article VI; no authority under WCF I.3.

28 29
Catholic
Scripture30
Greek Orthodox
Scripture31 32 33
Russian (Slavonic) Orthodox
Varies

Marked 'non-canonical' in the Synodal Bible; see Tob.

34 35 33
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo
Scripture

Narrower canon.

36

Why some kept it, why others left it out

Greek church writer Clement of Rome held Judith up as an example of courage. Latin church writer Augustine included it in his canonical list. Jerome's Hebrew-list distinction helped shape the Church of England's Article VI's allowance for reading without doctrinal authority. Trent and the Orthodox Synod of Jerusalem explicitly affirmed Judith as Scripture.7 sources7 sources37. 19. Toy38. Shaw) 188739. Fremantle) 189340. England 191941. Waterworth 184842. Robertson) 1899

Kept

Catholic

Hugh Pope appeals to early church use of Judith in defending its canonicity, including Clement's example of her courage.27 37 9

Orthodox

The Synod of Jerusalem explicitly named Judith among genuine parts of Scripture, rejecting its classification as Apocrypha.42

Left out

Early church: Latin

Jerome named Judith outside the canon based on the Hebrew list, even though he also translated it.39

Protestant: Anglican

Article VI names Judith among books useful for instruction but without authority to establish doctrine.40

Misconceptions

  • Myth Jerome's preface establishes that Nicaea decided the Bible's contents.

    Actually: Jerome reports that Nicaea was considered to have counted Judith as Scripture. The Catholic Encyclopedia notes that no such declaration appears in the council's canons and leaves his meaning uncertain.43 27

  • Myth Greek Judith tells the Hanukkah story of cheese fed to the enemy.

    Actually: The milk or cheese episode belongs to medieval retellings. Gera, speaking to JNS, traces Judith's return to medieval Jewish sources through translation of the Latin Vulgate.44 45 10

Sources

45 sources from 40 works

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