In this series, we’ve been looking at women, who made a difference
in the world because they said ‘yes’ to God. Another woman from the Biblical
record who, though ordinary, reacted in an extra ordinary way is Judith. Her
story is found in the Apocrypha in the book that bears her name. She was one of the women we studied at the August women’s retreat.
The Apocrypha is books that didn’t make it into the
“canon”-the list of books chosen to go into the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament).
Fourteen of these books are found in the Septuagint translation of the Old
Testament. This was the translation done by 70 Jewish scholars in the 2nd
and 3rd Centuries BCE. The Roman Catholic church calls these books
deuterocanonical (or second canon) and includes them in translations of the
Bible like the Jerusalem Bible. Most Protestant churches do not include these
books at all, except in a separate section or separate book. The books in the
Apocrypha, in general, cover stories in the time between the end of the Old
Testament and the start of the New Testament. There are stories of the Maccabees
who reestablished the independence of Israel and formed the Hasmonean dynasty,
from which the Herods of the New Testament were descended. Additions to the
Book of Esther and Daniel are also in the apocryphal books, as are some other
assorted stories, including the Book of Judith.
The basic story is that Judith, whose husband has been
killed by the Assyrians, goes to the Assyrian camp with her maid. She pretends
to be an informant, gaining the trust of General Holofernes. Then one night, as
he lies drunk, she beheads him. Her action demoralizes the army who retreats
from Israel. Meanwhile, Judith returns
home with the head of Holofernes to prove that God has saved them by her hand.
The Book of Judith records that she was courted by many men, but chose to
remain single.
It is unlikely that Judith was a real person, although some
writers try to identify Judith with some historic female leader like Queen
Salome Alexandra who was the only female queen of Judea, and last ruler of the
independent nation. (76-67 BCE)
Throughout history, Judith has been depicted in art, like
this image of Judith with the Head of
Holophernes by Christofano Allori from 1613. I saw a special exhibit at the
Museum of Biblical Art in Dallas a couple years ago, featuring the story of her life, which was quite impressive although I don't recall the artist's name. (The museum also has a wonderful Via Dolorosa
sculpture garden, works by Ron DiCianni, and art pieces created from weapons of
war.)
Even if she was never a real live woman, Judith can teach us
about courage and acting to rectify injustice. We may not want to cut off someone’s
head, but we can speak out against evil. We may not have to pretend to be a traitor,
but we can confront wrong.
Some might say that Judith was ‘over the top’ in her
actions. As women, we are often urged to not be outspoken or take a stand. AnnVoskamp advises, “Don’t take it down a few notches. Take risks — and take all of you to the table. It can feel
terrifying — but it is far more terrifying to live anything less than being
fully seen…
Because the world’s much too apathetic, the world needs how you ferociously feel much. Because the world’s
much too distant and indifferent, the
world needs how you passionately and compassionately give much of your
attentive soul. Because the world has lost much of its heart, the world needs more of us to come with so
much of our heart instead of so little. And it’s better to feel much than
to feel much of nothing at all. It’s better to love with your whole broken
heart than to love anything half-heartedly. Those who are told they are too much — are those who awaken the world
in much needed ways.”
Is there something that you think needs to change? Maybe God
is calling you to take a stand.
Are you willing to take risks and give more of
your heart to ‘awaken the world’? 