Judith
A widow who saved her people by beheading an Assyrian general.
via Wikipedia: Book of Judith · see source
The Book of Judith is a deuterocanonical book included in the Septuagint and the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Church of the East Old Testament of the Bible. It is excluded from the Hebrew canon and assigned by Protestants to the apocrypha. It tells of a Jewish widow, Judith, who uses her beauty and charm to kill an Assyrian general who has besieged her city, Bethulia. With this act, she saves nearby Jerusalem from total destruction. The name Judith (Hebrew: יְהוּדִית, Modern: Yəhūdīt, Tiberian: Yŭhūḏīṯ), meaning "praised" or "Jewess", is the feminine form of Judah.
Lore & Background
The story revolves around Judith, a daring and beautiful widow, who is upset with her Judean countrymen for not trusting God to deliver them from their foreign conquerors. She goes with her loyal maid to the camp of the Assyrian general, Holofernes, with whom she slowly ingratiates herself, promising him information on the people of Israel. Gaining his trust, she is allowed access to his tent one night as he lies in a drunken stupor. She decapitates him, then takes his head back to her fearful countrymen. The Assyrians, having lost their leader, disperse, and Israel is saved. Though she is courted by many, Judith remains unmarried for the rest of her life.
Reader's Guide
Real Name: Judith Title/Rank: Jewish widow Family Affiliation: Unrecorded in source Key Traits: Daring, beautiful, uses charm and beauty to gain trust Arc Summary: Judith, a widow, is upset with her countrymen for not trusting God. She goes with her maid to the camp of Assyrian general Holofernes, ingratiates herself, and promises information. One night, when Holofernes is in a drunken stupor, she decapitates him and takes his head back to Bethulia. The Assyrians disperse, and Israel is saved. Judith remains unmarried for the rest of her life.
Did You Know?
- Jerome's Latin Vulgate translation of Judith was based on an Aramaic manuscript that has long since been lost.
- The Jewish Encyclopedia identifies Shechem (modern day Nablus) as "Bethulia".
- It became customary for a Hebrew midrashic variant of the Judith story to be read on the Shabbat of Hanukkah.
More in Characters & Cast
Elsewhere in Ascendance of a Bookworm
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