1) If one could prove the story of Judith from proven, certain histories, then it would be a noble, fine book, which should also be in the Bible, but it hardly rhymes with the histories of the Holy Scriptures, especially with Jeremiah and Ezra, which are connected to
show how Jerusalem and the whole land were destroyed and then poorly rebuilt in the time of the Persian monarchy, which held all the land around.
2 Against this this book writes in the first chapter that the king Nebuchadnezzar at Babylon
*) This preface is found in Walch, in the Leipzig edition, vol. XII, p. 47 and in the Erlanger, vol. 63, p. 89. **) This preface is found in Walch, in the Leipzig edition, vol. XII, p. 48 and in the Erlanger, vol. 63, p. 91.
The story is said to have taken place before the Jades Prison and before the Persian monarchy. Again, Philo says that it happened after the return and return of the Jews from Babylon under King Ahasuerus, at which time the Jews had neither built a temple nor Jerusalem, nor had they a regiment. Remains therefore the error and doubt, both of the tides and names, that I can't rhyme it together anywhere.
Some want it to be not a story, 1) but a spiritually beautiful poem of a holy, spiritual man, who wanted to paint and model the whole Jewish people's happiness and victory against all their enemies, miraculously bestowed by God at all times, just as Solomon also poems and sings about a bride in his Song of Songs, and yet does not mean a person or story, but the whole people of Israel, and as St. John in Apocalypsis and Daniel paint many pictures and animals, so that they do not mean such persons, but the whole Christian churches and kingdoms. John in Apocalypsi, and Daniel paint many pictures and animals, yet they do not mean such persons, but the whole Christian churches and kingdoms. And Christ, our Lord, Himself likes to use parables and such poems in the Gospel, and compares the Kingdom of Heaven to ten virgins; item, a merchant and pearls, a becker, a mustard seed; item, fishermen and nets; item, shepherds and sheep, and so on.
4 Such opinion pleases me almost well, and I think that the poet has knowingly and with diligence put the error of the tide and names in it, to admonish the reader that he should consider and understand it for such a spiritual, holy poem.
1) History - fact that has happened.
(5) And the names rhyme finely with this. For Judith is called Judea (that is), the Jewish people, so a chaste, holy widow, that is, God's people are always a forsaken widow, yet chaste and holy, and remain pure and holy in the word of God and right faith, chastening themselves and praying. Holofernes is called profanus dux, vel gubernator, pagan, godless or unchristian lord or prince; these are all enemies of the Jewish people. Bethulia (which city is also not known anywhere) is called a virgin, indicating that at that time the believing pious Jews were the pure virgin, without all idolatry and unbelief, as they are called in Isaiah and Jeremiah; thereby they also remained invincible, even though they were in trouble.
6) And it may be that they played such poems, as one plays the Passion with us, and other holy stories, 2) so that they taught their people and the youth, as in a common picture or play, to trust God, to be pious, and to hope for all help and comfort from God in all hardships, against all enemies etc.
(7) Therefore it is a fine, good, holy, and useful book for us Christians to read. For the words spoken by the persons here are to be understood as if they were spoken by a spiritual, holy poet or prophet from the Holy Spirit, who presents such persons in his play and preaches to us through them. And so the wisdom of Philoui, which chides the tyrants and praises God's help, which he shows to his people etc., belongs to this book as a song to such a play; which may well be called a common example of the same book.
2) In the original: ander Heiligen Geschicht. This has resolved the Weimar Bible just as we have given it after Walch.