Judith (The Anchor Yale Bible | AYB)
Overview
In the Apocrypha, Judith is the saint who murdered for her people. She offered herself to Holofernes, the Assyrian general sent by Nebuchadnezzar to destroy the Israelites. After she had charmed Holofernes with flattery and drink, Judith chopped of his head while he lay in a drunken stupor, thereby leaving his troops “headless” and in a state of total panic and confusion. Her victory was celebrated in song and brought peace to her land for years to come.
In his illuminating new translation and commentary, Carey A. Moore considers the historicity of the story and explores the author’s true intent: Was it to describe actual events or to compose a fictitious story of other purposes? Was his concern more historical or theological?
The story of Judith abounds in ironies. There is Judith, the beautiful woman who lived a stark, celibate existence after her husband’s death had left her a wealthy widow. Born into a sexist society with rigidly defined roles, Judith better “played the man” than did any of her male compatriots. There is Holofernes, the Assyrian conqueror, unable to defeat a small Israelite village after dozens of countries had fallen under his sword. Intent on seducing Judith, Holofernes instead lost his head to her. Perhaps the ultimate irony of all is the story of Judith itself: the timeless tale of a deeply religious woman who became revered not for her poverty but for an act of murder.
Moore’s study of the canonicity of Judith brings perspective to the story’s varied acceptance among both Jews and Christians. It also notes the similarity between this work and the equally popular story of Esther; each woman, through different means, served her people through acts of bravery.
The photographs and maps illustrating Judith include depictions of the story of Judith by such masters as Machiavelli, Botticelli, Caravaggio, and Donatello.
Logos Bible Software gives you the tools you need to use this volume effectively and efficiently. With your digital library, you can search for verses, find Scripture references and citations instantly, and perform word studies. Along with your English translations, all Scripture passages are linked to Greek and Hebrew texts. What’s more, hovering over a Scripture reference will instantly display your verse! The advanced tools in your digital library free you to dig deeper into one of the most important contributions to biblical scholarship in the past century!
- Offers original translations, including alternative translations, annotations, and variants
- Provides verse-by-verse commentary on the text
- Presents the reader with historical background, including analysis of authorship and dating
- Features an extensive bibliography of primary and secondary literature
- Nebuchadnezzar’s War with King Arphaxad (1:1–16 [Vg 1:1–12])
- Nebuchadnezzar Plots His Revenge against the West (2:1–13 [Vg 2:1–6])
- General Holofernes Undertakes His Campaign against the West (2:14–3:10 [Vg 2:7–3:15])
- Israel’s Reaction to Holofernes’ Threatened Invasion of Judea (4:1–15 [Vg 4:1–16])
- Achior, the Ammonite, Reviews for Holofernes the Religious History of the Jews (5:1–21 [Vg 5:1–25])
- Holofernes Rewards Achior for His Sound Advice (5:22–6:21 [Vg 5:26–6:21])
- Holofernes Begins an Effective Siege against Bethulia (7:1–32 [Vg 7:1–25])
- Judith, a Pious Widow of Bethulia, Gets Permission to Carry out Her Secret Plan (8:1–36 [Vg 8:1–34])
- Judith Prays God to Help Her (9:1–14 [Vg 9:1–19])
- After Prettying Herself up, Judith Goes to the Camp of the Enemy (10:1–17 [Vg 10:1–16])
- Judith Goes to Holofernes Himself and Presents “Inside” Information (10:18–11:23 [Vg 10:17–11:21])
- Judith as a Guest of Holofernes (12:1–9 [Vg 12:1–9])
- Filled with Lust and Wine, Holofernes Loses His Head to Judith (12:10–13:10 [Vg 12:10–13:12])
- After Recounting Her Night’s Work, Judith Reveals Her Plans for the Next Day’s Battle (13:11–14:10 [Vg 13:13–14:6])
- On Learning of Holofernes’ Death, the Assyrians Panic and Are Decisively Defeated (14:11–15:7 [Vg 14:7–15:8])
- The Israelites Celebrate Their Victory, and Judith Offers Her Hymn of Praise (15:8–16:20 [Vg 15:9–16:24])
- Epilogue (16:21–25 [Vg 16:25–31])
- Title: Judith
- Author: Carey A. Moore
- Series: Anchor Yale Bible (AYB)
- Publisher: Yale University Press
- Publication Date: 1995
- Pages: 316