scholars date the book of judith’s authorship to approximately 100 bce. the jewish annotated apocrypha, new revised standard edition. despite judith being fictional and excluded from the bible, the text, however, may provide insight into the ten commandments’ reception during this particular period at which the macabees ruled and the temple in jerusalem was operational.
the book of judith’s tale is one of a heroic and beautiful widow- judith- who essentially saves the jewish nation from an assyrian attack. this is accomplished by seducing and beheading the enemy army’s general.
the book of judith speaks of the king of assyria, nebuchadnezzar, who ruled over nineveh. while the text discusses the usual politics and conquests that occurred in antiquity, it also refers to nebuchadnezzar as “the lord of the whole earth.” judith 2:5 he pronounces that he would be coming after them (his enemies) and would “cover the whole face of the earth with the feet of his troops. judith 2:7.
the israelites, in judea, were concerned over the assyrian king’s offensive. “they were greatly terrified at his approach; they were alarmed both for jerusalem and the temple of the lord their god.” judith 4:2. the high priest joakim took precautions with respect to the invasion “and every man of israel cried out to god with great fervor, and they humbled themselves with much fasting. ” judith 4:9. it was reported that “the lord heard their prayers and had regard for their distress.” supra at 4:13.
the book of judith reflects a time in history in which national leadersalluded to possessing god-like qualities. judith describes the assyrian king as one having dominion over the entire earth and capable of delivering a flood-like wrath over the planet to destroy his enemies. these allusions mirrored the jewish people’s beliefs at the time with respect to the god of israel. with the book of judith, there is the sense that, for the israelites, the lord, and not any king, was the people’s true leader.
one can argue that the first of the ten ommandments played a large role within this particular period. the commandment reflects how the god of the ten commandments was a deliverer from bondage. judith’s accounting that the lord hearing the israelites’ prayers is reminiscent of the time in the book of exodus in which the master of the universe hearing of the children of israel’s cries from egypt. exodus 3:7
thus, during the time that the book of judith was written, one could argue that the ten commandments, in part, related to deliverance within a geopolitical construct. unlike the secular governments of present time, god-like leaders imposed their will upon others.
in sum, one can extrapolate the notion that, for a period of time in which the judean body politik was god-based, the first of the ten commandments served to establish the master of the universe not only as the divine ruler but also as the nation’s deliverer in troubling times. thus, moving forward from mt. sinai, the children of israel had an expectation of this relationship. from the book of judith, one could surmise that they viewed the strength of their relationship with the master via their piety and devotion to him.
thus, while the ten commandments is a timeless document, thoughout time each commandment’s meaning can shift.
be well!!
The Ten Commandments Project 