By Scott Williams (Fall 2022)
The book of Judith was written originally in Hebrew. The poem was adapted from the Book of Judith in the “late 10th-century[by an] Anglo-Saxon abbot and writer” (Greenblat 109). The Hebrews in the poem are the good guys and the ones victorious against the Assyrians. Given the origins of the poem, it makes sense that the poem depicts the Hebrews in a positive, glorious light. The poem lacks “[m]uch of the geographic and political structures relevant to a Hebrew culture” (Greenblat 109). The Anglo-Saxon writers may have removed significant Hebrew cultural specifics so that an “Anglo-Saxon audience” would understand and relate to the story (Greenblat 109). Although the text is not immersed with Hebrew references, I believe the story still manages to be a Hebrew story. The poem still illuminates the Hebrews as God’s chosen people; shown via the description of Judith, and the past suffering of the Hebrews is mentioned as shown, “Very great victory is vouchsafed in return / For all the evils and ills you have suffered” (Faust et al., 1918)(Williams).
In the poem, Judith, the speaker introduces the main protagonist, Judith. Judith is a woman who needs help, she asks God to grant her protection against a grave threat, and God agrees to give Judith protection because she is worthy of it, for she was faithful to God. As stated, “There worthily she found Help at the hands of the Lord, when she had the highest need, Grace from God on high, that against the greatest of dangers”(Faust et al., 1918). In the next scene, Judith is at a feast with Holofernes and his warriors. Judith has been with the evil Holofernes and his men for four days. At the feast, Holofernes pours wine for his men and tells them to drink, and they oblige. As stated, “Holofernes then, I am told, / Called his warriors to a wine-feast and a wondrous and glorious / Banquet prepared… /That was the fourth day / Since the gentle Judith [arrived], … / Maddened by mead-drink; [Holofernes] demanded full oft / That the brave bench-sitters should bear themselves well. / So the hellish demon through the whole of the day / Drenched with drink his dear companions” (Faust et al., 1918). Afterward, Holofernes’ men arrive at Judith’s tent and escort her to their leader. Holofernes is drunk and plans to “defile” Judith. God keen to the plans of Holofernes, protects Judith from defilement. God uses his powers to restrain the drunkard Holofernes and puts him to sleep. As stated, “The ignoble one ordered / The blessed maiden /… to be fetched in all haste / To his hated bedside… the bright maiden he planned / With loathsome filth to defile, but the Father of heaven knew / His purpose, the Prince of goodness and with power he restrained him, / God, the Wielder of Glory. Glad then the hateful one / Went with his riotous rout of retainers / Baleful to his bedside” (Faust et al., 1918). Once Holofernes is in a deep slumber, Judith unsheathes her sword, and in two strikes, she beheads him ”(Faust et al., 1918). Holofernes’s soul descends to hellfire to be tortured for eternity. As stated, “the spirit went elsewhere Under the burning abyss where abandoned it lay, /Tied down in torment till time shall cease”(Faust et al., 1918). Judith and her servant put the head of Holofernes in a sack, and they tote it back to Bethulia (Faust et al., 1918). When the women arrive in Bethulia, Judith summons the people. Judith tells the people they will achieve victory (with God’s help) in their battle against Holofernes and the Assyrians. The warriors and townsfolk are joyful about the news (Faust et al., 1918). Judith holds up the head of the slain Holofernes to show the townsfolk (Faust et al., 1918). Judith then states that when the sun rises, the warriors will go to battle against their doomed foes (Faust et al., 1918). The Hebrew warriors enter the camp of the slain Holofernes and shoot arrows down at their opponents (Faust et al., 1918). One of Holofernes’ loyal followers goes to fetch him, and the man enters Holofernes’s tent and finds his headless body (Faust et al., 1918). The man is stricken with terror at the sight of his fallen leader. The man tells the warriors that their lord Holofernes has been beheaded and that their battle is doomed (Faust et al., 1918). At this news the warriors drop their weapons and flee (Faust et al., 1918). The Hebrew warriors followed the Assyrian warriors and slaughtered many of them, few Assyrian fighters survived (Faust et al., 1918). The Hebrews brought ”bracelets, heirlooms, trinkets” (Faust et al., 1918) and the armor of Holofernes to Judith as gifts (Faust et al., 1918). Judith gave all the thanks she received to God because he enabled her and the city folk’s success against the Assyrians (Faust et al., 1918). Because of Judith’s unwavering faith in God, she received glory, and paradise, in heaven and on earth, and victory against the Assyrians (Faust et al., 1918)(Williams).
Judith is a poem that lacks many of the typical poetic elements. Judith lacks a rhymic scheme. The rhymic pattern is not missed in the poem and may have been out of place, given the topic. Rhyming is generally playful and can add humor to a body of work, as stated “This method of rhyme can be used at times, but the poet should know that its effect is typically comic.”( Other Matters of Sound). The poem contains no alliteration, assonance, or consonance. All of the devices listed can detract from a poem, as stated, “when implementing any of these techniques that the goal of structure in a poem is to contain the poem… If the structure becomes too apparent…it detracts from the experience of the poem”( Other Matters of Sound). The poem contains vivid imagery which highlights key moments in the poem, like the death of Holofernes, as shown, ” Drunken and death-wounded. Not dead was he yet,/Nor lifeless entirely: the triumphant lady/More earnestly smote the second time/The heathen hound, so that his head was thrown/Forth on the floor; foul lay the carcass,/Bereft of a soul; the spirit went elsewhere/Under the burning abyss where abandoned it lay,/Tied down in torment till time shall cease,/With serpents bewound, amid woes and tortures,/All firmly fixed in the flames of hell,/When death came upon him. He durst not hope”(Faust et al., 1918). From the above quote, one can visualize Holfernes’s disgusting headless body. The use of the words foul and carcass makes the body of Holofernes seem like a butchered animal rather than a dead human man. As I read the text, I visualized a smoke-like apparition (the soul of Holofernes)descending to hell. I then visualized Holofernes being strapped down and tortured, surrounded by fire. The imagery surrounding the death of Holofernes makes his murder seem justifiable; after reading the above quote, I was glad Holofernes was dead. And the idea of Judith carrying around his head didn’t phase me; I only wanted to know where she was going next. The vivid imagery in the poem penetrates the reader’s mind and immerses them in the text, allowing them to become fully entrenched in the story. The lack of poetic devices in the poem is not missed and may have been out of place or overshadowed the messaging in the text.
In the text, religious belief functions as emotional reassurance and physical protection for the characters in the poem. Judith’s faith is the only protection she has and needs against Holofernes and his army. Judith is anointed by God and believes she cannot fail. Because Judith has God’s protection, she walks into Holofernes camp (Judith) fearlessly with plans to kill him.
When the drunk Holofernes summons Judith, she goes to his room, and when he falls asleep, she kills him. Because of Judith’s strong religious conviction, she has God’s protection, and as such, God is always with her and protects her against all evil that tries to harm her. When Holofernes tries to defile Judith, God restrains him as stated, “the bright maiden he planned/With loathsome filth to defile, but the Father of heaven knew/His purpose, the prince of goodness and with power, he restrained him”(Faust et al., 1918). Here one can observe how Judith’s religious belief functions as protection.
After Holofernes is asleep, Judith asks God for salvation and to strengthen her faith as she prepares to behead Holofernes, and God does just that as stated, ‘“Heed my prayer for salvation, /Noble Lord of nations; never have I had/More need of thy mercy; mighty Lord, avenge now/Bright-minded Bringer of glory, that I am thus baffled in spirit,/Heated in the heart.’ Her than the greatest of Judges/With dauntless daring inspired, as he doth ever to all/The sons of the Spirit who seek him for help,/With reason and with right belief. Then was to the righteous in mind, /Holy hope renewed; the heathen man then she took,/And held by his hair” (Faust et al., 1918).
God inspired Judith the same way he inspires all faithful beings with a reason for it that ask for his help. After she is given inspiration by God, Judith’s Holy hope is renewed, and she picks up Holofernes’s head and prepares to behead him. With God’s reassurance, Judith can behead Holofernes. In this scene, we see how religious belief functions as emotional reassurance to Judith. After Judith returns to her tribe with the head of Holofernes, they prepare for battle. And because the Hebrews are a faithful bunch, they have God’s protection in the battle, however, Holofernes men who worship not God but Holofernes, are doomed to die as stated “Your foes are all/ Doomed to the death, and dearly-won glory/ Shall be yours in battle…/ Put to sleep by the sword. Senseless on the path/ Lay those who in life, the loathsomest were /Of the tribes of the living” (Faust et al., 1918). One can interpret “Of the tribes of the living” to mean the tribe of Holofernes or loyal followers of Holofernes if one interprets that quote as such. One can conclude that God doomed the Assyrians to death because they followed a man, Holofernes, instead of him. And from this, one can see how one religious belief or lack thereof functions as protection for the characters in the text. I think with this theme, the author is attempting to show the importance and need for religion and the consequences of not having it to its readers.
Judith is a story about unwavering and unrelenting faith. In her religious belief, Judith finds the strength and courage to cut down evil, embark on missions, and lead the Hebrew army into battle. Judith saves her people from certain death because she believes God is guiding her. And with the belief that God is on her side, Judith feels that she and the Hebrew people’s victory and glory over the Assyrians is a guarantee, as stated, “Your foes are all/Doomed to the death, and dearly-won glory/Shall be yours in battle, as the blessed Creator/The mighty Master, through me has made known.'”(Faust et al., 1918). Although Judith’s guarantees are said to come from God, her belief that she cannot fail is ultimately the source of her success. Judith leads wars and embarks on her mission to kill Holofernes because she believes she cannot fail. Although God is said to be using Judith as a tool, an argument can be made that although God is with Judith, the actions of Judith and her people make their victory possible. I cannot say that Judith is a story that moved me personally, but I also cannot say that the story of Martin Luther, the protestant reformist moved me personally, but I do know that it moved Martin Luther King Sr. so abundantly he changed his and his son’s name. Martin Luther was a religious man, and Martin Luther King Sr. was as well. The story of Martin Luther and Judith are similar in that they are both about leveling a great evil in the name of religion. If King Sr. was able to find inspiration in the story of Martin Luther, others may be able to find similar inspiration in the tale of Judith.
I think a Jewish, Christian, or Muslim person might see themselves in Judith. And believe that their convictions are the will of God and pursue them fearlessly as Judith did. I think the pursuit of one’s convictions can lead to change and progress in the world. And currently, the world needs all the help it can get. The story of Judith is important today because it has the power to inspire people and create change.
In conclusion, the poem Judith is about a woman who saves her people from the Assyrians by beheading the leader of the Assyrian warriors. Judith and her people are given protection against the Assyrians because Judith has been a faithful follower of God. The people of Bethulia are grateful to Judith for saving them, and they give her gifts. Judith gives all the thanks she receives to God because, without God, Judith would not have conquered the Assyrians (Williams). The poem was adapted from the book of Judith in the 10th century by an Anglo-Saxon abbot and writer, and because of this, the poem lacks some elements of Hebrew culture. The poem’s lack of poetic devices is not missed and probably enables the message of the poem to stand out. The imagery in the poem allows the mind of the reader to be fully immersed in the text. In the poem the theme of religious belief functions as protection and emotional reassurance for the characters. The theme of religious belief is meant to convey the importance and power of faith to the reader. The story of Judith is important today because it has the power to inspire people and create change. Change and progress are in great demand in today’s world.
Works Cited
Faust, Cosette and Stith Thompson. Old English Poems. Scott, Foresman and Company, 1918, licensed under No Known Copyright.
Greenblatt, Stephen, ed. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012: 109.
“Judith < Deuterocanon – Old Testament – Holy Bible < Saint Takla Haymanot Church’s Website.” St, https://st-takla.org/pub_Deuterocanon/Deuterocanon-Apocrypha_El-Asfar_El-Kanoneya_El-Tanya__2-Judith.html.
“Other Matters of Sound.” Other Matters of Sound – Purdue OWL® – Purdue University, https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/creative_writing/pattern_and_variation_aural/other_matters_of_sound.html#:~:text=Alliteration%3A%20Repetition%20of%20sounds%20through,luscious%2C%20lucid%20and%20libidinous.%22.
Williams, Scott. Essay 1: Judith Summary. Unpublished, 2022.
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