The Book of Judith and History

DEFENSE

The alleged error is itself a cue to the audience, telling them what kind of book they are reading.

The book is about a devout woman named Judith, which means “Lady Jew.” She battles a general sent by Nebuchadnezzar—the greatest single individual enemy of Israel. He is depicted as the leader of the Assyrians—the other great enemy of Israel.

Let’s transpose this into a modern context: In the twentieth century, Adolf Hitler was regarded as the greatest individual enemy of America, while the Soviet Union was the other great enemy of America. Beginning in the 1940s, there were also comic book superheroines such as Miss America and Liberty Belle, who were personifications of America’s fighting spirit.

Suppose you read a story about Miss America battling a general sent to conquer America by Adolf Hitler, leader of the Soviet Union. You would know immediately that what you were reading was not intended as a historical account but as some kind of parable.

Similarly, Jews in the ancient world would recognize that Judith is a parabolic rather than a historical work. People then knew Nebuchadnezzar was the king of the Babylonians, not the Assyrians, just as people today know Adolf Hitler was the leader of Germany, not the Soviet Union. This is why Nebuchadnezzar is pictured as king of the Assyrians right at the beginning—so the reader will know he is read- ing a parable. The book shouts “Parable!” from its first verse.

People today may not recognize this because they are less familiar with the ancient world and the sophistication of ancient literature, but it would have been clear to the original audience.

Thus John Paul II stated: “The Books of Tobit, Judith, and Es- ther, although dealing with the history of the Chosen People, have the character of allegorical and moral narrative rather than history properly so called” (General Audience, May 8, 1985).