Commentaria in Judith
“AND ROLLED AWAY HIS HEADLESS BODY.”—In Greek: and rolled his body from the bed, namely to the floor. Hence Vagao, coming afterwards, saw his body lying on the ground, bloody and gory in its own blood. Judith did this so that, when the Hebrews burst out of the city, the Assyrians, fleeing to Holofernes and seeing him headless on the ground, might be stupefied with fear and stiffen, so as not to dare to take arms and resist the Hebrews.
11. “AND AFTER A WHILE SHE WENT OUT,”—because she sat for a little to take breath: for she had exerted all her strength and spirit in cutting through the thick neck of Holofernes; and the fear of danger, lest the deed become known, had cut off her breath, so that she needed to recover it by sitting and breathing. At the same time she did it, that if any blood had clung to her garment she might wipe it off; and especially that she might at once give the highest thanks to God for an enemy so happily slain.
15. “FOR THEY HOPED (that is, feared). So the Poet says:
And hope (that is, fear) the gods mindful of right and wrong.
“THAT SHE WOULD COME,”—but was held captive by the Assyrians. At the unusual news of Judith’s return, therefore, all ran together excited; both to see her of whom they had despaired, and to hear from her what she had done, and what hope shone on the besieged reduced to extremities.
“[HIS HANDMAID] TO BE DEFILED.”—Judith swears that she was guarded by an Angel from all the wantonness and lust of the Assyrians; because it seemed incredible to the Hebrews that so beautiful a woman should escape the hands of so unchaste men. And certainly humanly this was impossible; but to God and the Angels it was possible and easy. Judith knew that a tutelary Angel had been with her, whether 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 at every hour and place was to be done and said by her; or because the Angel gave her other signs of his presence and direction, that she might courageously undertake so heroic a deed and not doubt of its happy success. So an Angel appeared visibly, and directed St. Cecilia with her spouse St. Valerian to chastity and martyrdom, as also SS. Julian and Basilissa, St. Frances of Rome, and like eminent saints, especially virgins.
Moreover Serarius, Salianus and others judge that this Angel was one of the first and principal ones, on account of the greatness of the business, on which the salvation of the whole people and Church of God turned. Hence some think he was St. Michael. For he of old was protector of the Synagogue, as now of the Church; others think it was St. Gabriel, who, as he has his name from fortitude (for Gabriel in Hebrew is the same as the strength of God), so is present at and presides over the generous and brave works of Heroes and Heroines (such as this of Judith), as is plain from Daniel 10:20, where he says: “Now will I return to fight (for the Hebrews) against the prince of the Persians.” 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 1 on the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, where, taking mystically the throne of Solomon flanked by two lions as the Blessed Virgin: “The two lions,” he says, “are the Archangel Gabriel and John the Evangelist, of whom one was appointed guardian of the right hand of the Virgin, the other of the left. For Gabriel guarded her mind, John her flesh, with watchful solicitude.” Judith, likewise, was here a lioness mauling Holofernes: a lion therefore, Gabriel, was born for her, to guard her chastity most strongly, and strengthen her right hand in the slaying of the tyrant.
Others assign this honour of Judith’s victory to St. Raphael. For he is the president of holiness and leader of ways and travellers, as also guardian of chastity, as I said on Tobias. He therefore would have led Judith, chaste, sound and holy, out and back. Moreover that Angels are present with and preside over saints and chaste persons purposing heroic things is plain from what I noted on Exodus chapter 23, verse 20 and following, and Daniel chapter 10, verse 20.
21. “GIVE ALL OF YOU GLORY TO HIM.”—See here the modesty, gratitude, constancy and piety of Judith, who ascribes all the glory of her fortitude and victory not to herself but to God. Moreover the Hebrews were accustomed, on receiving some signal benefit, to sing together, in thanksgiving, Psalm 117: “Give glory to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endureth for ever,” as we sing: “We praise Thee, O God.”
23. “AND OZIAS THE PRINCE OF THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL SAID TO HER: BLESSED ART THOU, O DAUGHTER, BY THE MOST HIGH GOD, ABOVE ALL WOMEN UPON THE EARTH.”—To this the Archangel Gabriel alluded in saluting the Blessed Virgin: “Hail, full of grace, blessed art thou among women.” For Judith was a shadow and type of the Blessed Virgin; whence follows:
25. “BECAUSE HE HATH SO MAGNIFIED THY NAME THIS DAY, THAT THY PRAISE SHALL NOT DEPART FROM THE MOUTH OF MEN” (the Greek has: thy hope, that is, the memory and praise of thy hope, by which, hoping in God, thou didst win so great a victory for Israel).—Such precisely is the name of the Blessed Mary, of which blessed Peter Chrysologus, sermon 146: “This name,” he says, “is akin to the prophets, this a salvation to those born again, this an ensign of virtue, this the glory of modesty, this the token of chastity, this a sacrifice of God, this the virtue of hospitality, this the company of holiness: rightly, then, this name of the mother of Christ is maternal.” So Chrysologus. Methodius, oration on the Presentation: “Thy name, Mother of God, is filled on every side with divine blessings and graces.” And St. Bernard, homily 9 on *Missus est*: “If the winds of temptation rise,” he says, “if you run upon the rocks of tribulation, look to the star, call on Mary: if anger, or avarice, or the allurement of the flesh shake the little ship of the mind, look to Mary; if, troubled by the enormity of your crimes, confounded by the foulness of conscience, by the terror of judgment, you begin to be disturbed or swallowed up and saddened in the abyss of despair: in dangers, in distresses, in doubtful things think of Mary, call upon Mary, let her not depart from your mouth, let her not depart from your heart.” So Serarius, Sanchez and others.
“FOR THAT (this is a Hebraism) THOU HAST NOT SPARED THY LIFE (offering and exposing it to evident peril of death), FOR THE DISTRESS AND TRIBULATION OF THY PEOPLE (that is, of thy nation, namely that thou mightest free thy country and fellow citizens from siege and destruction), BUT HAST PREVENTED OUR RUIN,”—forestalling and averting it, lest the city and commonwealth of Israel should fall.
29. “THEN ACHIOR SEEING THE HEAD OF HOLOFERNES, BEING SEIZED WITH A GREAT FEAR (from horror of the severed head of Holofernes, all bloody and gory), FELL ON HIS FACE UPON THE EARTH, AND HIS SOUL SWOONED AWAY.”—In Greek: he fainted, or his spirit was loosed, that is, he suffered a swoon of mind, struck with amazement at so unhoped-for and unexpected a thing, with various movements of emotion flowing together into his heart. For the fear of death hanging over him and expressly announced to him departed, and confidence succeeded; sadness fled, joy entered; distrust gave place to admiration, and together with the contemplation of this prodigy faith, hope, charity and the gifts of the Holy Spirit expelled unbelief, as will soon be said. So Salianus.