Judith; 1 Cor 2:10-11; Gen 27; Gen 28; Ruth; Judges 4.
The book of Judith has always been included in the extended collection of the Orthodox church, though some notable Church fathers questioned its inspiration. In comparison to the other Readable books, it was not studied extensively by Church fathers in terms of commentary and analysis. Rather, it has lived in the memory of the Church mostly because of the colorful nature of its heroine, who appears to the reader as an ancient Joan of Arc, protecting her people when the elders and soldiers were dithering with anxiety.
Reading through the story, we note her courage, chastity, initiative, wisdom, sobriety, and attention to piety (according to the Jewish law). She is introduced as a pious widow, and the story concludes with a reference to her continued celibacy (despite many suitors) in the city of Bethulia, which means “virginity.” As a result of these characteristics, she was commended by: Clement of Rome, who says “Blessed Judith” risked all for her country (Ad Corinthios 55.4; BEP 1.54); Origen, who says that she stormed heaven with prayer, and even forged weapons by means of her supplication (Origen, De Oratione 13.2; BEP 10.253); and the ancient Apostolic Constitutions, where she is numbered among other prophetesses (The Apostolic Constitutions 8.2; BEP 2.142).
Her story is found in sixteen chapters, which I recommend that you all read. It begins with a somewhat fanciful historical context (for example, King Nebuchadnezzar was emperor over Babylon, not the Assyrian Empire), and continues with a detailed description of the King’s blood-thirsty general Holofernes, who terrorizes the countries who have refused to bow to the King. Finally, the general makes plans to attack Judea after isolating the hill country so that there is no way for them to survive for long. God’s people are famishing, and are on the alert for his attack, but loathe to bow the knee to a pagan king who demands idolatry, because (according to the story) they have only just returned from exile and rebuilt the temple in Jerusalem. Readers have stumbled over the jumble of historical details in this book, but will be helped by remembering the kind of literature that Judith represents. It is not straight history, as we are reminded by Fr. Patrick Reardon, who says, “It is simply impossible to make sense of Judith if one takes the approach of reading the book as the account of a determined historical event” (“Apocryphal Judith: Saintly Deceiver,” Touchstone May/June 1998) Rather, from the get-go, the writer signals to us that we should read the entire piece as a “sustained joke about God’s enemies and how he treats the arrogant and unrepentant.”
We may be, says Fr. Reardon, reminded of Psalm 2, where God holds those who oppose Him “in derision.” The arrogant and ignorant both among the pagans and among God’s own people are contrasted with a mere “woman” who is wise enough to make a plan that works, and courageous enough to enact it.
Holofernes, then, plans to destroy Israel, Judea and Jerusalem, and is stymied by this plucky woman who, with the blessing of her terrified elders, goes outside the gate of her fortified city, Bethuliah, attended by her maids, and decked out with such allurements as to capture the attention of every male she meets, including Holofernes. She pretends to be a defector from Israel, with plans to help the Assyrian general capture the hill country and Jerusalem. When she enters the king’s presence, he is smitten, and listens with keenness to everything that she says, including her confirmation of what Holofernes has previously heard from Achior, the Ammonite—that the God of the Hebrews will only protect them so long as they do not sin. (Achior has previously advised the king not to attack the Israelites, who are determined not to sin because of their history of God’s punishment and resoration. The king was so incensed with this discouragement that he banished Achior, tying him to a tree near Bethuliah, from which he has been rescued by the citizens of Bethuliah, to whom he brought the news that the general intended to attack). Judith builds upon Achior’s words to Holofernes, and says that she has knowledge of great sacrilege among the people, and will tell the king when it is safe to attack, without being stopped by God, and how he can do it most effectively. She claims a special gift of prophecy, and promises to use it to help the enemy.
The general, of course, thinks she is “as beautiful” as she is “eloquent,” invites her to dine, and then calls for her after several days to join him for more intimacy. His passions are so enflamed that he does not consider the danger he might be in if he gets inebriated, and we hear that “he drank far more wine than he had drunk on any other day in his life.” Judith offers up a prayer for strength, then lops off his head, wrapping it in the canopy of the bed upon which he had planned to violate her; she puts it in her satchel and returns to Bethulia, where she is greeted with celebration. Judith instructs that the head be hung on the battlements, and sumons Achior to identify the head. This Ammonite, from an enemy people of Israel, comes to believe ardently in God’s strength, is circumcized, and “joins the House of Israel forever.”
Holofernes’ men, of course, flee in all directions when they find their leader decapitated, and the Israelites pursue and defeat them, bringing home great loot. When the victors return home, the high priest and the elders come to Judith’s home and bless her extravagantly. There follows a huge celebration, complete with a thanksgiving song reminiscent of Miriam, Moses’ sister, which ends by saying “whoever fears the Lord is great forever, (but) woe to the nations who rise against God’s people.” In character with her piety, Judith gives all her portion of the plunder to God’s service, and then lives out the rest of her life in chastity until age 105, when she is mourned for seven days, and buried with her husband. The story concludes with a line that could have come from the book of Judges: “Never again during the lifetime of Judith, nor indeed for long after her death, did anyone trouble the sons of Israel.”
Adorning this story are a historical review, numerous blessings, prayers, songs, and wise sayings. Judith’s prayer in chapter 9, offered at the time of evening incense, is particularly poignant, recalling the justice meted out to Dinah’s rapists by Simeon, reminding the Lord of her poor status as a widow, calling attention to the strength of the Assyrians, and reminding us that God’s “strength does not lie in numbers…since [He is] the God of the humble.” Achior tells the story of Israel to Holofernes with similar motifs, referring to the exile as punishment for their sins, and warning the king that God will protect them if they are faithful to Him. The contrast in both the prayer and the history lesson is between human arrogance, and humble dependence upon God.
During Judith’s conference with the elders, she shows her great wisdom, when they want to give God an ultimatum of five days before giving in to the army. She says this to them:
Listen to me, leaders of the people…. Who are you, to put God to the test today…. You do not understand anything, and never will. If you cannot sound the depths of the heart of man or unravel the arguments of his mind, how can you fathom the God who made all things, or sound His mind or unravel His purposes? (Judith 8:14)
This admonition is very close to the teaching of St. Paul in 1 Cor 2:10-11, 16:
The Spirit reaches the depths of everything, even the depths of God. For the depths of a man can only be known by his own spirit, not by any other man, and in the same way the depths of God can only be known by the Spirit of God….For who can know the mind of the Lord, so as to advise Him?
Both passages, of course, recall the admonition of Isaiah 40:13— “who knows the Lord’s mind, and who was His counselor; who advises Him?” Judith, of course, will give advice, but only as revealed to her by God; beneath her boldness of speech is a humility and a spirit that submits to Him. This emphasis upon humility also is seen in the acceptance of Achior as a member of God’s family, though there is a Biblical curse on his tribe articulated in Deuteronomy 23:4-5. His surprising repentance and incorporation anticipate the turn of the Gentiles to God many centuries later, at the preaching of the gospel, and the reversal of the curses of the Torah.
Alongside this serious message regarding humility is a deep irony that attaches itself to the arrogance of the foreign powers. This is seen throughout the book, but especially in the interaction between Judith and Holofernes. As she arrives in his camp, the men are so fascinated by her beauty that they remark that if an Israelite woman is like that, they must be very cautious about the men: “if we let them go they will be able to outwit the whole world!” Little do they know that this woman herself will outwit their leader. Holofernes is just as clueless, remarking “how good that God sent you here!” (11:22), and emphasizing her wisdom (11:23). Judith promises the general, “God shall do something great through you!”(11:6)— yes, through his death and the routing of his soldiers, as we readers will soon learn!
The rough justice experienced by this proud and passionate general may not bring to our Christian imaginations the same kind of joy expressed by Judith and the Israelite women at the end of the story. We may also find ourselves uncomfortable with the deception practiced by this woman in pursuit of an enemy’s downfall. These themes are not found only in Judith, however, but have their counterparts in the biblical stories of Jael (Judges 4), Rebecca (Gen 27), Tamar (Gen 38), Naomi and Ruth, and others. All the trickery used by these women actually moves along the biblical story, and in this way is used by God, uncomfortable though this may be to Christians who eschew underhanded ways (2 Cor 4:1-2). Perhaps we can be comforted to remember that these women did not practice deceit for their own gain, but to help others, and that their actions were coupled with courage. We can more easily warm to the lessons in Judith regarding humility and arrogance, and also delight in the opening up of God’s community to a repentant outsider, pictured in Achior.
It is probably the case, as Fr. Patrick Reardon suggests, that the “massive neglect of the Book of Judith” is partially due to the questionable and “risqué details of her story.” The story is not G-rated. This is a book that does not stand on its own for our instruction, but is meant, as Fr. Reardon suggests, to be studied by those with a good foundation in literature and in theology, and “against the backdrop of similar narratives and themes in the canonical Bible.” Let us read it advisedly, then, and with an appreciative smile, noting how Judith, along with prophetesses like Deborah and Anna, have revealed the mighty works of God, while also maintaining the particular sobriety and wisdom that the LORD grants to women, so that they can fulfill their various roles within the larger Christian community.
Edith M. Humphrey 