Guide
What Is the Book of Judith?
ca. 100 BCE
The book of Judith is a novella about a Jewish woman who helps defeat the Assyrian army by seducing and beheading its general. The historical setting of the story is fantastical; it is said to take place during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar (r. 605–562 BCE) but refers to him as king of Assyria rather than of Babylonia. The work was likely composed in the land of Israel around 100 BCE in Hebrew or Aramaic, but it is preserved only in Greek. Judith is included in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox canons and the Protestant Apocrypha. Although it is not included in the Jewish canon, Judith’s story remained a part of Jewish lore and became associated with the Hasmonean revolt and the holiday of Hanukkah.
Related Primary Sources
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A Pilgrimage of Thanksgiving following Military Victory
Judith 16:18–20
When they arrived at Jerusalem, they worshiped God. As soon as the people were purified, they offered their burnt offerings, their freewill offerings, and their gifts. Judith also dedicated to God…
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Judith’s Hymn of Thanksgiving
Judith 15:12–16:17
All the women of Israel gathered to see her, and blessed her, and some of them performed a dance in her honor. She took ivy-wreathed wands…
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Judith’s Prayer for Success against Holofernes
Judith 9:1–14
Then Judith prostrated herself, put ashes on her head, and uncovered the sackcloth she was wearing. At the very time when the evening incense was being offered in the house of God in Jerusalem…
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Judith
Judith 8–15 (selections)
Now in those days Judith heard about these things. [ . . . ] Her husband Manasseh, who belonged to her tribe and family, had died during the barley harvest. [ . . . ] Judith remained as a…
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Midrash for Hanukkah: The Story of Judith
This 11th-century Hebrew midrashic text praises the heroine Judith for her role in the Jewish revolt against Greece.
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Hanukkah Lamp (Frankfurt am Main)
This silver Hanukkah lamp is an example of a new type for home use that became popular in the late seventeenth century in Frankfurt am Main. Designed to resemble an ancient menorah, it has a central…
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Hanukkah Lamp (Frankfurt am Main)
This magnificent cast-silver Hanukkah lamp, modeled on the ancient menorah, was created in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. The legendary Judith stands at the top, surrounded by animals and angels.
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Hanukkah Lamp (Frankfurt am Main)
At the center of the backplate of this silver Hanukkah menorah from Frankfurt am Main is a scene depicting the biblical heroine Judith, who has cut off Holofernes’s head and is about to place it in a…