Judith is one of only four women for whom a biblical book is named the others are ruth, esther, and susanna. In the apocrypha, judith is the saint who murdered for her people. Identifying the famous achior of the book of judith a. The book of judith is a story written for household reading, while it may properly be classed as. Throughout her story are echoes of sarah, moses as an intermediary, and the.
In the book of tobit it is the home of gabael tb 1. But we need to recall that hezekiah was critically ill in his crucial 14th year of reign cf. Book of judith, apocryphal work excluded from the hebrew and protestant biblical canons but included in the septuagint greek version of the hebrew bible and accepted in the roman canon. By enjoying the story and the lords victory over the great nations through judith, we can appreciate the paradoxical way god chooses to. The book of judith is the story of a jewish heroine living during the period of the second temple when the jewish community had returned from the babylonian captivity and reestablished temple worship in jerusalem. Interpreters argue about whether judith is a positive or negative role model for readers then and now. The renewed interest took the form of tales of the heroine, liturgical poems, commentaries on the talmud, and passages in jewish legal codes. The book of judith is one of the historical books and the historians consider it to be the first moral story or parable. Except the book of judith, other deuterocanonical books are the first and second maccabees, seven books tobit, wisdom, sirach, baruch and some parts of esther and daniel that make the part of the catholic old testament but not the hebrew. Rahlfs 1952, and weber and gryson 2007 is a critical edition of the vulgate latin text. Judith overview george leo haydocks catholic bible commentary. There is a gloss later added to the vulgate version of the book of judith which tells that arioch erioch ruled the elymaeans 1.
She offered herself to holofernes, the assyrian general sent by nebuchadnezzar to destroy the israelites. The book of judith has aroused a great deal of scholarly interest in the last few decades. Oct 28, 2018 conspicuously absent from the book of judith, though, is the bibles king hezekiah. Judith, the feminine form of the masculine name judah, means jewess. The book of judith is a story of balance and counterbalance that makes the point that. Judith 1 good news translation gnt the war between nebuchadnezzar and arphaxad. At the end of the book, judith returned to her life in bethulia, and yet it is hard to imagine that life was just the same.
Throughout her story are echoes of sarah, moses as an intermediary, and the many judges that god raised up to save his people. Book of judith biblical studies oxford bibliographies. Judith, book of um library digital collections university of michigan. Judith chapter 1 kjv king james version this is a comment on what your wife saw concerning jude 1 the bible was completed at the close of the book of revelation this means that god is not giving any new messages to us that is if we do not believe what is written in the bible god s last will and testiment to us before his return there is no need for him to reveal anything new but satan can. Greek cheleoud, probably a corruption of chaldeans, i. The first extant commentary on the book of judith is by hrabanus maurus 9th century. The majority of theologians down to the 19th century regarded the story of judith as pure history. She tricks him into trusting her, then when he is drunk she cuts off his head. Book of judith, apocryphal work excluded from the hebrew and protestant biblical. Use highlighting, underlining, and take notes while you study the bible. A historical commentary on the book of judith judith was someone to lose ones head over. Now arphaxad king of the medes had brought many nations under his dominions, and he built a very strong city, which he called ecbatana, of stones squared and hewed. Nabuchodonosor king of the assyrians overcometh arphaxad king of the medes. Harold w attridge judith tells the story of a beautiful jewish woman who enters the tent of an invading general, gets him drunk, and then slices off his head, thus saving her village and jerusalem.
Jeromes vulgate and septuagint compared synopsis of lxx and vulgate judith back matter. The proud and aggressive ruler depicted in judith is the successor of the character of sennacherib in isaiah 3638. Standing beside the bed, judith murmured to herself. In chapter 6, achior, the pagan who told holofernes about israels god in the previous chapter, is taken by holofernes men to be delivered to.
She is a beautiful and wise widow who becomes incensed with her town elders. What happens in judith, if it is meant as a historical book, might have happened during this time, since judith mentions that militia that attacked judith s city was syrian. Jan 02, 2020 the book of judith, believed to be written in the late second century or early first century b. Jan 31, 2020 the book of judithconsidered canonical by roman catholics, apocrypha literature by protestants, and noncanon by jewstells the story of the ignominious defeat of the assyrians, an army bent on world domination, by the hand of a hebrew woman judith. Commentaries on the book of judith for various authors. The book is filled with double entendres and ironic situations, e. If this is indeed the case, then we may read both books as teaching valuable spiritual lessons, just as in my reading of the previous book of tobit. However, this wave has not yet led to new commentaries. In addition to others whom we meet in the various texts, whole books of the old testament are devoted to ruth, judith and esther. The twilight state of its canonicity is expressed by the three conflicting categories in which it has historically been placed. Judith is volume 40 in the acclaimed anchor bible series of new book by book translations of the old and new testaments and apocrypha. The problem of the nebuchadnezzar in book of judith a. Judith, book of the 1901 jewish encyclopedia bible. An old english poetic version is found together with beowulf their epics appear both in the nowell codex.
Pdf the book of judith is relatively often discussed nowadays, mainly. Jerome, while rejecting in theory those books which he did not find in his hebrew manuscript, yet consented to translate judith because the synod of nicaea is. To the english translation in the new revised standard version, found in many study bibles, one can compare the. Gender stereotypes are blurred and challenged by judith. Sep 27, 2016 judith is sometimes held up as an example of chastity or courage, or even as an exemplar of fasting, but there is only one ecclesial author who might be considered orthodox, who authored a thorough commentary on her story, and he is a relatively obscure for the orthodox frankish archbishop from the eighth century.
I have finished translating chapter 6 of the commentary on the book of judith by the blessed rabanus maurus. Judith 1 gnt the war between nebuchadnezzar and bible gateway. Hanhart 1979 is the best critical edition of the greek text of the septuagint, or the old testament in greek but see also brooke, et al. Lord god, to whom all strength belongs, prosper what my hands are now to do for the greater glory of jerusalem. So difficult have commentators found it to secure an historical locus for the events described in the book of judith that the almost universal tendency today for those who give the book at least some sort of credence as a recording of historical events is to relegate the book to the category, or genre, of historical fiction, as, for instance, some kind of. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The book relates that nebuchadrezzar, king of assyria, sent his general holofernes on an expedition against. The book closes with a hymn to the almighty by judith to celebrate her victory.
Thenceforth her presence in medieval european literature is robust. Nov 18, 2016 what happens in judith, if it is meant as a historical book, might have happened during this time, since judith mentions that militia that attacked judiths city was syrian. The book of judith uncovering the deuterocanonical books. One of the canonical books of the old testament, so named because it contains the story of the israelite heroine judith. Now arphaxad king of the medes had brought many nations under his dominions, and he built a very strong city, which he called ecbatana, 2.
Judith is a book of the bible that is meant to be enjoyed. The book of judith is perched rather precariously on the edge of scripture. The question of why judith was not canonized as part of the hebrew bible is raised in why wasnt the book of judith included in the hebrew bible. But the church has always maintained its canonicity. The sacred writer of this book is generally believed to be the high priest eliachim, called also joachim. The book of judith, believed to be written in the late second century or early first century b. Calmet, dictionary of the holy bible, volume ii, pg. The book of judith is a story written for household reading, while it may properly be classed as didactic, yet it is one of those popular tales in which the chief concern of the writer is with the telling of the story rather than with the pointing of a moral, and in which the wish to interest takes precedence even of the desire to instruct. It was also not considered part of the jewish scriptures, though it appears in the collection of writings in the. Arphaxad was then reigning over the medes in ecbatana.
The book of judith the sacred writer of this book is generally believed to be the high priest eliachim called also joachim. Despite this, she is a model of jewish courage and piety. The book of judith second or early first century b. Apocryphal is a protestant term which means hidden or of uncertain authenticity. The story is famous for judith s pursuit and beheading of the kings general. Pdf moral teaching of the book of judith researchgate. Old testament book 25 kindle edition by nowell, irene. The book of judith tells the story of a beautiful jewish widow who saves her people by murdering the assyrian general, holofernes. Wolf 1861 and yon gumpach, protestant scholars in recent times are practically agreed that the book of judith is a historical novel with a purpose similar to daniel, esther and tobit.
The book of judith considered canonical by roman catholics, apocrypha literature by protestants, and noncanon by jewstells the story of the ignominious defeat of the assyrians, an army bent on world domination, by the hand of a hebrew woman judith. The book of judithconsidered canonical by roman catholics, apocrypha literature by protestants, and noncanon by jewstells the story of. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading jonah, tobit, judith new collegeville bible commentary. And these facts will undoubtedly afford an explanation of the apparent allusion. The book contains numerous historical anachronisms, which is why some scholars now accept it as nonhistorical. The book of judith is an apocryphal or deuterocanonical book. In this story, a fictional near east sovereign threatens the religious hegemony of the jewish people.
Deuterocanonical is more catholic and means of or relating to a second canon. The book of judith is relatively often discussed nowadays, mainly because of its interest for feminist studies. She continued to live on her husbands estate and was buried in his tomb. Jerome, while rejecting in theory those books which he did not find in his hebrew manuscript, yet consented to translate judith because the synod of nicaea. The book of judith is a book found in the collection of writings called the apochrypha or deuterocanonical books, which the catholic and orthodox churches accept as inspired scriptures, though most protestant groups do not. The authenticity and the canonicity of the book of judith are strongly contested.
The book of judith is a deuterocanonical book, included in the septuagint and the catholic and eastern orthodox christian old testament of the bible, but excluded from the hebrew canon and assigned by protestants to the apocrypha. Even though it describes the time when king nabuchodonosor ruled, it is historically imprecise, so it is valued for its allegorical and moral content. From a literary perspective, the book is an artistic masterpiece, constructed in two parts 1. This volume, the first full length commentary on judith to appear in over 25 years, includes a new translation and a detailed versebyverse commentary, which touches upon philological, literary, and historical questions. Sidnie white crawford judith tells the story of a beautiful jewish woman who enters the tent of an invading general, gets him drunk, and then slices off his head, thus saving her village and jerusalem. Commentaries on the book of judith for various authors old. He swore by his throne and kingdom to take revenge on all the territories of cilicia, damascus and syria, of the moabites and of the ammonites, of judaea and egypt as far as the limits of the two seas, and to ravage them with the sword in the seventeenth year, he gave battle with his whole army to king arphaxad and in this battle. Geography of the book of judith a historical commentary. Jonah, tobit, judith new collegeville bible commentary. The book of judith does not exist in the hebrew bible, and is consequently excluded from the protestant canon of holy scripture. The book of judith relates the story of gods deliverance of the jewish people. We think that there is a verse in the book of judith 1. Numerous correspondences between the two halves of the story provide elegant.
The book of judith is a literary innovation, although not in its narrative motifs, which are traditional. The text of judith and the present translation commentary. However, the subject of its ethical attitudes in this book is rarely mentioned. Judith liberated her homeland of bethulia from nebuchadnezzar by assassinating his general holofernes. The old testament contains 46 books and it is divided into 5 larger groups. The transactions herein related, most probably happened in his days, and in the reign of manasses, after his repentance and return from captivity. Feb 05, 2016 this video is the second in a series meant to explain the deuterocanonical texts of the old testament. The book receives its title from the name of its principal character, judith jewess.
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