PAINTING BY CARAVEGGIO WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Judith (Yehudit in Hebrew) was a pious Israelite widow who lived during the reign of the Assyrian King Nebuchadnezzar, about 650 years before the Birth of Christ.
Her husband Manasses had died and left her a childless widow.
King Nebuchadnezzar of Assyria had engaged in battle against his rebel brother Shamash-shum-ukin and defeated him.
The Israelites were on the side of the rebel brother Shamash-shum-ukin, which made King Nebuchadnezzar angry. So he sent an army to punish the Israelites, under the command of General Holofernes.
The Assyrian army besieged the town of Bethulia, which was situated on the way to Jalusalem.
General Holofernes surrounded Bethulia with his mighty army and cut off its water supply.
After 34 days, the people of Bethulia were beginning to die of thirst.
The 3 magistrates of Bethulia, Uzziah, Chabris and Charmis decided that if God failed to help Bethulia in the next 5 days, the inhabitants of Bethulia would surrender to General Holofernes and subject themselves to slavery and murder by the victorious Assyrians.
Judith, the pious and courageous widow living in Bethulia, summoned the 3 magistrates to her home and reprimanded them for their lack of courage and fighting spirit.
She also reprimanded them for not trusting in the power of God to save their town from destruction by the Assyrians.
Judith then asked that the 3 magistrates give her permission to leave the town and go to the surrounding camp of the enemy. She did not tell them
what she was planning to do there.
JUDITH AND HER MAID DECAPITATING GENERAL HOLOFERNES ARTIST ARTEMISIA GENTILESCHI WIKIMEDIA COMMOMS
OF GENERAL HOLOFERNES INTO A SAC
WITH THE HELP OF HER LOYAL MAID
ARTIST GIOVANNI BAGGLIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Being an extremely beautiful widow, Judith dressed magnificently and seductively and with great courage, went over directly to the besieging forces of General Holofernes.
Charmed by her presence, 100 Assyrian soldiers conducted Judith and her maid to the tent of General Holofernes.
Judith ingratiated herself to General Holofernes, gained his trust and promised him important information regarding the defense of the Israelites in Bethulia.
General Holofernes was totally enamored with the beautiful Israelite widow. He entertained her at a special banquet where he ate and drank excessively.
Upon returning to his tent with Judith, General Holofernes fell asleep in deep drunken stupor.
What happened in that tent before General Holofernes fell asleep, we do not know from the account in the deuterocanonical Book of Judith.
We know however that while General Holofernes was fast asleep, Judith used his own sword to slice off his head.
She put the severed head of General Holofernes in a sac and escaped into the night with her maid back to Bethulia.
ARTIST ANDREA MANTEGNA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Judith was praised by the 3 magistrates for her heroic action.
The people of Bethulia regained the courage to fight through her example.
They attacked the Assyrians the following day and succeded in routing and defeating them.
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
ARTIST CRISTOFANO ALLORI
The Assyrians dispersed in defeat because they had lost General Holofernes and were left without an effective leader to guide them in battle.
The courage and fighting spirit of Judith saved both Bethulia and Jarusalem.
She quietly returned to the life of the pious widow.
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS ARTIST FEDE GALIZIA
She never remarried even though many Israelite men asked to marry her.
She died at the ripe old age of 104 years, distributing all her material possessions to the relatives of her deceased husband after her death.
This true biblical story of Judith illustrates the fact that, with secret guile and seductiveness, it is possible for a physically weak and defenseless woman to kill a powerful man.
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
ARTIST GEORGIONE
