JU'DITH Heb. fem. of Whip/a, Judah). A -Jewish heroine. who has given her mows to one of the hooks of the Apocrypha. According to the story in this book, Nebuchad nezzar, the Assyrian King. after the conquest of the Modes sent Holofernes with a large army against Palestine. The general demanded the destruction of the temple at Jerusalem. and the people prepared to resist him. When Bethulia was attneked. the people were so famished that their leaders had to promise surrender within five days. During this time Judith, described as a rich young widow of the tribe of Judah. left Bethulia, eame to the en nip of Ifolofernes, and eaptivated the general by her great beauty. A banquet was given in her honor. and as ITolofernes lay drunk she eat off his head. On the death of the leader the Assyrian army was thrown into a panic, and thousands were killed by the Jews. The story is purely legendary. although the author introduces several historical personages into his tale, such as Holofernes, a satrap tinder Artaxerxes, and Bagoas, a contemporary of Holofernes. Accord
ing to Torrey (Journal of the _Ameri•an Oriental tiociety, vol. xx., pp. 100-172), the form BctInalia is a disguise for Shechem. The purpose of the book, which was originally written in Hebrew, is similar to that of Tobit (q.v.), viz. to encourage the pious Jews to remain steadfast, and, despite all temptations and sufferings, to maintain their confidence in Yahweh. Willrich, in a recent study (Judaica, p. 33), fixes the date of composition between n.•. 157 and 153; others place it in the Roman period, and see in (lie general tenor refer ences to the conditions prior to Pompey's appear ance at Jerusalem, B.C. 63. It is to be noted that the Hebrew versions known, of which there are several, do not represent the original text, hut are comparatively late productions based upon the Greek text. Consult the commentary of Fritzsche (Leipzig, 185:3) ; and also Kautzsch, Apokryphen. vol. i. (Tiibingen. 1900) ; Wace, Apocrypha, vol. i. (London, 1880).