With the severed head of Holofernes in armor embedded between the letters of the name Judith

The author is unknown. The story surrounds the persecution of the Jews by Antiochus IV. Epiphanes, who died 164 BC; the book originated approx. 150 BC. It was written in Palestine during the Greek period, in Greek or Aramaic. Judith is not based on any historical event. The story has a very, very large number of inaccuracies and mistakes. The author is very carefree with dates and time periods. The book is a “midrash” and therefore has a didactic character. Nebuchadnezzar is the archetypical enemy, a composite of all enemies of the chosen people. Strong apocalyptic elements (revelation) (end times). Eschatological texts fill the story.
God’s final word forms the prefix. The Vulgate differs very strongly from the Greek translations. Hieronymus likely used an ancient Latin translation (original is lost) and probably corrected it according to an Aramaic paraphrasing. God’s people prevail through the hands of a woman. Judith’s weapons are: fasting, praying, and legal purity, but are not to be evaluated according to Christian norms. The book’s message rests on the revelation of God’s plan. Victory over the power of the evil one = Holofernes, Nebuchadnezzar’s military leader.