Cornelius a Lapide
Table of Contents
Synopsis of the Chapter
Judith, praying, beheads Holofernes and carries the head to Bethulia. Wherefore Ozias the prince, Achior, and all the rest glorify God and sing a hymn to Judith.
Vulgate Text: Judith 13:1-31
1. And when evening came, his servants hastened to their lodgings, and Vagao shut the doors of the chamber and departed. 2. And they were all weary from wine: 3. and Judith was alone in the chamber. 4. Now Holofernes lay upon his bed, overcome by excessive drunkenness. 5. And Judith told her maid to stand outside before the chamber and keep watch. 6. And Judith stood before the bed, praying with tears and the movement of her lips in silence, 7. saying: Strengthen me, O Lord God of Israel, and in this hour look upon the works of my hands, that as You have promised, You may raise up Jerusalem Your city: and that what I have believed could be done through You, I may accomplish. 8. And when she had said this, she went to the pillar that was at the head of his bed, and loosened his dagger which hung tied upon it. 9. And when she had drawn it, she seized the hair of his head and said: Strengthen me, O Lord God, in this hour. 10. And she struck twice upon his neck, and cut off his head, and took down his canopy from the pillars, and rolled his headless body off. 11. And after a short time she went out and gave the head of Holofernes to her maid, and ordered her to put it in her bag. 12. And the two went out according to their custom, as if to prayer; and they passed through the camp, and going around the valley, came to the gate of the city. 13. And Judith said from afar to the guards of the walls: Open the gates, for God is with us, who has wrought power in Israel. 14. And it came to pass, when the men heard her voice, they called the elders of the city. 15. And all ran together to her, from the least to the greatest: for they had feared she would not return. 16. And lighting torches, they all gathered around her: and she, ascending to a higher place, ordered silence to be made. And when all had fallen silent, 17. Judith said: Praise the Lord our God, who has not forsaken those who hope in Him; 18. and in me His handmaid He has fulfilled His mercy, which He promised to the house of Israel: and He has slain by my hand the enemy of His people this night. 19. And bringing forth the head of Holofernes from the bag, she showed it to them, saying: Behold the head of Holofernes, the commander of the army of the Assyrians, and behold his canopy, in which he reclined in his drunkenness, where the Lord our God struck him by the hand of a woman. 20. And as the Lord lives, His angel has guarded me both going hence, and remaining there, and returning from there hither, and the Lord has not permitted me His handmaid to be defiled, but without the stain of sin has called me back to you, rejoicing in His victory, in my escape, and in your liberation. 21. Give thanks to Him, all of you, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever. 22. And all, adoring the Lord, said to her: The Lord has blessed you by His power, because through you He has brought our enemies to nothing. 23. And Ozias, the prince of the people of Israel, said to her: Blessed are you, daughter, by the Lord the Most High God, above all women on the earth. 24. Blessed be the Lord, who created heaven and earth, who directed you to wound the head of the prince of our enemies: 25. because today He has so magnified your name, that your praise shall not depart from the mouths of men who shall be mindful of the power of the Lord forever, because you did not spare your life, on account of the distresses and tribulation of your people, but averted ruin before the sight of our God. 26. And all the people said: So be it, so be it. 27. And Achior was called and came, and Judith said to him: The God of Israel, to whom you gave testimony that He takes vengeance on His enemies, has this night cut off by my hand the head of all unbelievers. 28. And that you may prove that it is so, behold the head of Holofernes, who in the contempt of his pride despised the God of Israel, and threatened you with destruction, saying: When the people of Israel are captured, I will command your sides to be pierced with the sword. 29. And when Achior saw the head of Holofernes, anguished with fear, he fell on his face upon the ground, and his soul was in turmoil. 30. And after he had recovered his breath and been revived, he fell at her feet and worshipped her, and said: 31. Blessed are you by your God in every tent of Jacob, for in every nation that hears your name, the God of Israel will be glorified on your account.
Verse 1: His Servants Hastened to Their Lodgings
1. HIS SERVANTS HASTENED TO THEIR LODGINGS, — lest, being drunk and tottering in their step, they be seen by the people and mocked, but might sleep in their beds at home and sleep off the wine and debauchery. 'For they were all weary from wine,' verse 3; Vatablus says, because all were exhausted from long drinking. God's providence brought this about, so that all, overcome by wine, departed and sought sleep, lest anyone stay awake and hear what Judith was contriving. See here again how improvident are gluttony and drunkenness, causing everyone to fall asleep, so that not a single guard stands watch before Holofernes' door (as is customary).
Verse 5: Judith Told Her Maid to Stand Watch
5. AND JUDITH TOLD HER MAID TO STAND OUTSIDE BEFORE THE CHAMBER AND KEEP WATCH, — lest anyone approach the chamber too closely and hear what she was doing inside the chamber in slaying Holofernes. The Greek has more fully: And Judith told her maid to stand outside his chamber and to watch for her exit, as every day. For she said she would go out to her prayer. And she spoke to Bagoas according to these words. And all departed from the presence of their lord, and no one remained in the chamber, from the least to the greatest.
Verse 6: Praying With Tears
6. PRAYING WITH TEARS. — For she was undertaking an unheard-of deed full of danger, exceeding the strength and courage of a woman: therefore she begged God for strength and boldness with tears, saying: 'Strengthen me, O Lord God.' The Greek has more fully: O Lord God of all power, look in this hour upon the works of my hands for the exaltation of Jerusalem; for now is the time to take up Your inheritance, and to carry out my plan for the crushing of the enemies who have risen against us.
Verse 8: And His Dagger
8. AND HIS DAGGER. — In Greek: And his acinaces, that is, a Persian sword, short and curved, such as the swords of the Turks now are, commonly called scimitars. From this it is clear that Holofernes was a Persian, as Cedrenus relates.
Verse 9: She Seized the Hair of His Head
9. SHE SEIZED THE HAIR OF HIS HEAD, — so that she might strike him more surely and forcefully, lest he, by some movement and stirring of the body that occurs in those sleeping, should deflect or weaken the blow: with her left hand therefore she held his hair, to keep his head immobile for receiving the blow of her striking right hand. Moreover, Xenophon teaches in book 1 of the Cyropaedia, and Herodotus in book 1, that the Persians were accustomed to wear their hair long, where he calls the Persians komētas, that is, long-haired and combed.
Verse 10: She Struck Twice Upon His Neck
10. AND SHE STRUCK TWICE UPON HIS NECK, — not with the point but with the edge, to cut off the head of the one lying down and snoring: therefore she drove the scimitar into Holofernes' neck with all her strength, and with the second blow cut the head from his shoulders (1).
Hence the Greek has: And she struck his neck twice in her strength. It is remarkable that St. Augustine in sermon 228 reads 'three times' instead of 'twice.' In a similar way, Attila, the most arrogant king of the Huns, who called himself the scourge of God and led into battle seven hundred thousand armed men, and even compelled the emperor Theodosius to pay him tribute, and in his ambition devoured the empire of the whole world, was killed by a woman at the hand of God who humbles the proud. Hear Baronius for the year of Christ 454: 'In this year, while Aetius was still living, Attila, says Marcellinus, was stabbed to death at night by a woman's hand with a knife, at the urging of Aetius.' Thus the terror of the world, who despised all men, was killed by the hand of a single woman. So also Abimelech, king — or rather tyrant — of the Shechemites, was killed by a woman who crushed his brain with a fragment of a millstone, Judges 9:53.
AND SHE CUT OFF HIS HEAD, — to carry it with her and fix it to the walls of Bethulia as a trophy, and thus to strike the Assyrians with terror and compel them to flight, as indeed happened: thus Judith the sober slew the drunkard, the chaste slew the unchaste, the faithful slew the faithless, the just slew the unjust, the humble slew the proud, the pious slew the impious; indeed more truly, sobriety slew drunkenness, chastity slew lust, faith slew perfidy, justice slew injustice, humility slew pride, piety slew impiety.
So St. Fulgentius, letter 2 On the State of Widowhood: 'When at last Holofernes had besieged Bethulia with an innumerable army, and all the strength of the Israelites languished in confusion, chastity went forth to assault wantonness, and holy humility advanced to the destruction of pride. He fought with weapons, she with fasting; he with drunkenness, she with prayer. Therefore what the entire people of Israel could not do, the holy widow accomplished by the virtue of chastity. One woman beheaded the commander of so great a host and restored unhoped-for freedom to God's people.'
Hear St. Ambrose, book 3 of On Duties, chapter 13: 'Her first triumph was that she brought back her unimpaired modesty from the tent of the enemy. Her second, that a woman won a victory over wine, and routed peoples by her counsel. The Persians shuddered at her boldness. Surely (as they marvel at those two Pythagoreans), she did not dread the danger of death; nor that of shame, which is more serious for virtuous women: she trembled neither at the stroke of a single executioner, nor at the weapons of an entire army. A woman stood amid the ranks of warriors, amid victorious arms, fearless of death. As far as the greatness of the danger was concerned, she went forth to die: as far as faith was concerned, to fight. Judith therefore followed what was honorable, and while pursuing it, found what was useful as well.' He adds the reasons for her honor, or manifold virtue, saying: 'For it was honorable to prevent the people of God from surrendering to the profane, to prevent them from betraying their ancestral rites and sacraments, to prevent sacred virgins, venerable widows, and chaste matrons from being subjected to barbarian impurity, to prevent the siege from being ended by surrender. It was honorable to prefer to risk herself for all, so that she might free all from danger. How great the authority of honor, that a woman should claim for herself the counsel on the greatest affairs, and not entrust it to the leaders of the people! How great the authority of honor, that she should presume God as her helper! How great the grace, that she should find Him!'
Tropologically, your Holofernes is gluttony, pride, lust, avarice, anger, sloth. Overcome and slay these generously, and you have slain your Holofernes. Allegorically, Holofernes is a type of the Devil, whose head the true Judith, that is, the Blessed Virgin, crushed according to the oracle pronounced by God in Genesis 3. Judith felled Holofernes, the terror of the East, in single combat, as in a duel, with his own scimitar, without a wound, as if in play, and what was more difficult, brought back her chastity intact from the midst of the camp of the unchaste, triumphing with rich spoils. But the Blessed Virgin has laid low countless legions of demons in single combat, and continues daily to lay them low, and has celebrated and celebrates the triumph of chastity not only in herself but in all the virgins and chaste followers who are hers: indeed — what surpasses all the laws of nature — she is at once a Virgin and the Mother of God; and one person rejoices in a threefold title: 'At once daughter of God, spouse, and parent.'
The Assyrians acclaimed Judith: 'There is no such woman on the earth.' And: 'Your name will be renowned throughout the whole earth.' The Church daily acclaims the Blessed Virgin in its hymns: 'All generations shall call you blessed.' Judith was of admirable beauty, so that all were astounded at her. The Church sings to the Blessed Virgin: 'Grace is poured forth upon your lips; you are made beautiful and sweet in your delights, O holy Mother of God'; indeed Christ Himself in the Canticle: 'You are all beautiful, my beloved, my fair one, my dove.' Moreover, the beauty of Judith excited Holofernes to lust: but the beauty of the Blessed Virgin excited those who beheld her to chastity.
Hear St. Ambrose, book On the Formation of Virgins, chapter 7: 'So great was her grace (he says, speaking of the Virgin), that not only did she preserve in herself the grace of virginity, but also conferred the mark of integrity upon those whom she visited. She visited John the Baptist, and it was not undeservedly that he remained intact in body, whom in three months the Mother of the Lord trained with a certain oil of her presence and an ointment of integrity.' So St. Ambrose, and St. Thomas in 3 Sentences, distinction 3, Question 2, reply 4: 'The beauty of the Blessed Virgin excited those who beheld her to chastity.'
The Assyrians feared and fled from Judith: the Blessed Virgin is feared by all demons and the impious. Hence St. Bernard, cited by St. Bonaventure in the Mirror of the Blessed Virgin, chapter 9: 'Visible enemies do not fear a copious battle line of others as much as the powers of the air fear the name, the patronage, and the example of Mary: they melt and perish like wax before the fire, wherever they find frequent remembrance of this name, devout invocation, and diligent imitation.'
Judith, shut up in her oratory, reconciled God to Israel by her fasts, hairshirts, prayers, and tears: the Blessed Virgin, shut up in her chamber, and beseeching God with fasts and unspeakable groanings for the reconciliation of the world, merited to receive the Angel of peace as attendant, who would announce to her that she was the mediatrix of this peace through the Incarnation of the Word within her.
The people acclaimed the victorious Judith: 'You are the glory of Jerusalem, you the joy of Israel, you the honor of our people; because you have acted manfully, and your heart has been strengthened.' The Fathers, Doctors, and all the Orthodox sing the same — and far greater things — to the Blessed Virgin.
AND SHE TOOK DOWN THE CANOPY, — together with the head, so that from it those who knew Holofernes would recognize that the head was his, and not that of some servant or slave; and also so that the canopy, woven with so many gems, might serve as both spoil and trophy of so great a victory. AND SHE ROLLED HIS HEADLESS BODY OFF. — In Greek: and she rolled his body from the bed, namely onto the floor. Hence when Vagao came later, he saw the body lying on the ground, bloody and gore-stained in its own blood. Judith did this so that when the Hebrews burst forth from the city, the Assyrians fleeing to Holofernes and seeing him headless on the ground, would be stunned and frozen with fear, and would not dare to take up arms and resist the Hebrews.
Verse 11: After a Short Time She Went Out
11. AND AFTER A SHORT TIME SHE WENT OUT, — because she sat down briefly to catch her breath: for she had exerted all her strength and energy in severing Holofernes' thick neck; and moreover the fear of danger, lest the deed become known, had constricted her breathing, so that she needed to recover it by sitting and resting. She also did this so that if any blood had adhered to her garment, she might wipe it off; and especially, so that she might immediately give the highest thanks to God for an enemy so happily slain.
Verse 15: For They Had Feared
15. FOR THEY HAD FEARED (that is, 'feared.' So the Poet says: 'And hope for [that is, fear] gods mindful of right and wrong.') THAT SHE WOULD NOT RETURN, — but was being held captive by the Assyrians. Therefore at the unexpected news of Judith's return, all were stirred and ran together; both to see her, about whom they had despaired; and to hear from her what she had accomplished, and what hope might shine upon the besieged who had been reduced to extremity.
Verse 20: As the Lord Himself Lives
20. AS THE LORD HIMSELF LIVES (that is, I swear by the life of God), HIS ANGEL HAS GUARDED ME BOTH GOING HENCE, AND REMAINING THERE, AND RETURNING FROM THERE HITHER, AND THE LORD HAS NOT PERMITTED ME HIS HANDMAID TO BE DEFILED. — Judith swears that she was guarded by the Angel from all the insolence and lust of the Assyrians; because it seemed incredible to the Hebrews that so beautiful a woman could escape the hands of such unchaste men. And certainly by human means this was impossible; but for God and His Angels it was possible and easy. Judith knew that her guardian Angel had been present — either because she saw him in visible form; or because she continually heard his inspirations, by which she felt herself admonished and directed in all things, so that she knew what she should do and say at every hour and place; or because the Angel gave her other signs of his presence and direction, so that she might courageously undertake so heroic a deed and not doubt its happy outcome. So the Angel visibly appeared to and directed St. Cecilia with her spouse St. Valerian toward chastity and martyrdom, as well as St. Julian and Basilla, St. Frances of Rome, and similar outstanding saints, especially virgins.
Moreover, Serarius, Salianus, and others think this Angel was one of the first and principal Angels, on account of the magnitude of the affair, on which the salvation of the whole people and the Church of God depended. Hence some think he was St. Michael. For he was formerly the protector of the Synagogue, as he now is of the Church. Others think he was St. Gabriel, who, just as he has his name from strength (for Gabriel in Hebrew means the same as 'the strength of God'), so is present and presides at the generous and courageous deeds of heroes and heroines (as was this deed of Judith), as is clear from Daniel 10:20, where he himself says: 'Now I will return to fight (for the Hebrews) against the Prince of Persia.' Hence Gabriel was the messenger of the Incarnation of the Word (which was the greatest work of divine power and strength), and therefore the guardian of the Blessed Virgin, Mother of God.
Hear Blessed Peter Damian, sermon 5 on the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, where, taking Solomon's throne flanked by two lions as a mystical figure of the Blessed Virgin: 'The two lions,' he says, 'are the Archangel Gabriel and John the Evangelist, of whom one was appointed guardian of the Virgin's right side and the other of her left. For Gabriel guarded her mind, and John her body, with watchful care.' Likewise a lioness here was Judith, tearing Holofernes apart: and so Gabriel was born as her lion, who most bravely both protected her chastity and strengthened her right hand in the slaying of the tyrant. Others assign this honor of Judith's victory to St. Raphael. For he is the patron of holiness and the guide of journeys and travelers, as well as the guardian of chastity, as I said in the commentary on Tobit. He therefore led and brought back Judith chaste, safe, and holy. Moreover, that Angels are present and preside when saints and chaste persons undertake heroic deeds, is clear from what I noted on Exodus chapter 23, verses 20ff. and Daniel chapter 10, verse 20.
Verse 21: Give Thanks to Him, All of You
21. GIVE THANKS TO HIM, ALL OF YOU. — See here the modesty, gratitude, constancy, and piety of Judith, by which she ascribes all the glory of her courage and victory not to herself but to God. Moreover, the Hebrews were accustomed, upon receiving some notable benefit, to sing Psalm 117 as a thanksgiving: 'Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever,' as we sing the 'Te Deum laudamus.'
Verse 23: Blessed Are You, Daughter, Above All Women
23. AND OZIAS, THE PRINCE OF THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL, SAID TO HER: BLESSED ARE YOU, DAUGHTER, BY THE LORD THE MOST HIGH GOD, ABOVE ALL WOMEN ON THE EARTH. — To this the Archangel Gabriel alluded when saluting the Blessed Virgin: 'Hail, full of grace, blessed are you among women.' For Judith was the shadow and type of the Blessed Virgin; hence it follows: 25. BECAUSE TODAY HE HAS SO MAGNIFIED YOUR NAME, THAT YOUR PRAISE SHALL NOT DEPART (the Greek has 'your hope,' that is, the memory and praise of your hope, by which, hoping in God, you won so great a victory for Israel) FROM THE MOUTHS OF MEN. — Such precisely is the name of Blessed Mary, about which Blessed Peter Chrysologus says in Sermon 146: 'This name,' he says, 'is the twin of prophecy, it is salvation for the reborn, the mark of virtue, the glory of modesty, the sign of chastity, the sacrifice of God, the virtue of hospitality, the assembly of holiness: rightly therefore is this the maternal name of the mother of Christ.' So Chrysologus. Methodius, in his oration on the Presentation: 'Your name, O Mother of God, is filled on every side with divine blessings and graces.' And St. Bernard, homily 2 on 'The angel was sent': 'If the winds of temptation arise,' he says, 'if you run upon the rocks of tribulation, look to the star, call upon Mary: if anger, or avarice, or the enticement of the flesh has shaken the little ship of your mind, look to Mary; if, troubled by the enormity of your crimes, confused by the foulness of your conscience, terrified by the dread of judgment, you begin to be disturbed or swallowed up by the abyss of despair, and to be sad: in dangers, in distresses, in doubtful matters, think of Mary, call upon Mary — let her not depart from your lips, let her not depart from your heart.' So Serarius, Sanchez, and others.
BECAUSE (that is, 'on account of which' — it is a Hebraism) YOU DID NOT SPARE YOUR LIFE (offering and exposing it to evident danger of death), ON ACCOUNT OF THE DISTRESSES AND TRIBULATION OF YOUR PEOPLE (that is, your nation, namely to free your homeland and fellow citizens from siege and destruction), BUT YOU AVERTED RUIN, — forestalling and turning it aside, lest the city and commonwealth of Israel should fall.
Verse 29: Achior Saw the Head of Holofernes
29. AND WHEN ACHIOR SAW THE HEAD OF HOLOFERNES, ANGUISHED WITH FEAR (from the horror of Holofernes' severed head, bloody and gore-stained on every side), HE FELL ON HIS FACE UPON THE GROUND, AND HIS SOUL WAS IN TURMOIL. — In Greek: 'his spirit failed,' or 'was undone,' that is, he suffered a fainting spell, stunned by the astonishment of so unexpected and unhoped-for an event, as various agitated emotions flowed together into his heart. For the fear of death, which had hung over him and been expressly announced to him, was departing; confidence was taking its place; sadness was fleeing, joy was entering: distrust gave way to admiration, and together with the contemplation of this prodigy, faith, hope, charity, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit were driving out his unbelief, as will presently be said. So Salianus.