Judith: Speaking Freely with God

JUDITH REPRESENTS the true daughter of Israel, a strong woman who embodies the destiny of her people and leads them forward in the midst of the vicissitudes of history. She is a woman free in spirit, and she speaks out boldly (with parrhēsia). The sacred writer introduces Judith after describing a situation that threatens the future history of the Jewish people. The Assyrian army of Holofernes is besieging the mythical city of Bethulia, a type of Macondo.16 Deprived of access to water, the people call a meeting and demand that their leader, Uzziah, seek terms of surrender. Uzziah, however, tries to convince the people not to give in to the enemy; he pleads with them to continue the struggle a while more: "Have courage, brothers and sisters! Let us hold out for five more days. If these days pass by, and no help comes for us, I will do as you say" (Jdt 7: 30-31).

Judith is described as a widow of exceptional beauty and dignity whose husband died of heatstroke. In her grief, she dwells in a tent on the roof of her house and from there witnesses all the problems and the protests of her people. Judith's moral authority becomes manifest when she summons the city elders and tells them that their human prudence is foolishness to God: "Do not try to bind the purposes of the Lord our God; for God is not like man, to be threatened, nor like a human being, to be won over with pleading. " She then advises them enigmatically: "While we wait for God's deliverance, let us call upon him to help us, and he will hear our voice if it pleases him" (Jdt 8: 10-19).