Editing Book of Judith (section)

====In Judaism====
While the author was likely Jewish, there is no evidence aside from its inclusion in the [[Septuagint]] that the Book of Judith was ever considered authoritative or a candidate for canonicity by any Jewish group.<ref>Senior, Donald & Collins, John J., ''The Catholic Study Bible: The New American Bible'', Oxford University Press, 2011, p. 222, [https://books.google.com/books?id=sBl0U5RgAFQC]</ref><ref name="Gera 2010" /> The [[Masoretic Text]] of the [[Hebrew Bible]] does not contain it; it is not found among the [[Dead Sea Scrolls]] or any early Rabbinic literature.<ref name="Gera 2010">{{cite book|title=The Sword of Judith: Judith Studies Across the Disciplines|url=https://archive.org/details/swordjudithjudit00brin|url-access=limited|year=2010|publisher=Open Book Publishers|isbn=978-1906924157|pages=[https://archive.org/details/swordjudithjudit00brin/page/n47 29]–36|author=Deborah Levine Gera|author-link=The Jewish Textual Traditions|editor=Kevin R. Brine|display-editors=etal}}</ref><ref name="Flint">Flint, Peter & VanderKam, James, ''The Meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls: Their Significance For Understanding the Bible, Judaism, Jesus, and Christianity'', Continuum International, 2010, p. 160 (Protestant Canon) and p. 209 (Judith not among Dead Sea Scrolls), [https://books.google.com/books?id=SBMXnB4CRpUC]</ref> Speculated reasons for its exclusion include the possible lateness of its composition, possible Greek origin, apparent support of the [[Hasmonean dynasty]] (to which the early rabbinate was opposed), and perhaps the brash and seductive character of Judith herself.<ref>Sidnie White Crawford, ''The Book of Esther in Modern Research'', pp. 73–74 (T&T Clark Int'l 2003); {{ISBN|082646663X}}.</ref>

After disappearing from circulation among Jews for over a millennium, however, references to the Book of Judith and the figure of Judith herself resurfaced in the religious literature of [[Crypto-Judaism|crypto-Jews]] who escaped Christian persecution after the capitulation of the [[Caliphate of Córdoba]].<ref name="Gera 2010" /> The renewed interest took the form of "tales of the heroine, liturgical poems, commentaries on the Talmud, and passages in Jewish legal codes."<ref name="Gera 2010" /> Although the text does not mention [[Hanukkah]], it became customary for a Hebrew [[midrash]]ic variant of the Judith story to be read on the [[Shabbat]] of Hanukkah as the story of Hanukkah takes place during the time of the Hasmonean dynasty.<ref>Joel Lurie Grishaver (2001). ''Hanukkah: The Family Guide to Spiritual Celebration''. Jewish Lights Publishing. {{ISBN|1-58023-122-5}}.</ref>

That midrash, whose heroine is portrayed as gorging the antagonist on cheese and wine before cutting off his head, may have formed the basis of the minor Jewish tradition to eat dairy products during Hanukkah.<ref name="Gera 2010" /><ref>Noam Zion & Barbara Spectre (eds.). ''A Different Light: The Hanukkah Book of Celebration''. Devora Publishing. p. 241. {{ISBN|1-930143-31-1}}</ref> In that respect, [[History of the Jews in Europe|the Jewry of Europe]] during the [[Middle Ages]] appear to have viewed Judith as the [[Maccabees|Maccabean]]-[[Hasmonean]] counterpart to [[Esther|Queen Esther]], the heroine of the holiday of [[Purim]].<ref>Kevin R. Brine, et al., The Sword of Judith: Judith Studies Across the Disciplines, p. 30 (Open Book Publishers 2010).</ref><ref>Zion & Spectre, at p. 241.</ref> The textual reliability of the Book of Judith was also taken for granted, to the extent that biblical commentator [[Nachmanides|Nachmanides (Ramban)]] quoted several passages from a [[Peshitta]] (Syriac version) of Judith in support of his rendering of [[Deuteronomy]] 21:14.<ref name="Gera 2010" /><ref>R. Nosson Scherman, ''The Torah: With Ramban's Commentary Translated, Annotated, and Elucidated'', Vol. VII, p. 524 (Mesorah Pubs. 2008) {{ISBN?}}</ref>