According to the concept of many Westerners, the images printed on the J, Q, and K cards of the Western deck all represent real famous characters. In it, the woman on the Q card is Mrs. Judith – a beautiful widow, multi-talented.
The Playing Card Factory page says that the story of Judith appears in works about the Septuagint. The Septuagint is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible (completed between 300 and 200 BC); It is also the basis of the Old Testament.
According to the contents of the Book of Judith, a famous work on the Septuagint, the story of Judith’s life begins under King Nebuchadnezzar (from 605 – 562 BC) – ruler of a Hebrew-speaking land with name ᴀssyria (which is northeastern Syria, northern Iraq … and some areas on the northwestern edge of Iran at the present time). At that time, King Nebuchadnezzar thought that the Israelites (mostly Jews) were showing disrespect by not worshiping him, so he ordered General Nebuchadnezzar to go on an expedition to find a way to deal with them.
Receiving orders, General Holofernes brought his army to besiege the Israeli region of Bethulia. Despite their efforts to protest and pray, as they gradually fell short of food and water, the elders announced that they would try to wait another five days before making a decision whether or not to surrender. At this time, Judith – a widow living in Bethulia has secretly planned to sabotage the plot of General Holofernes.
Judith was originally a beautiful woman and she used her beauty to fulfill her purpose. Judith had carefully planned how to deal with enemy champions. She took off her widow’s dress, washed herself clean and put perfume on her body, then put on a gorgeous dress and many jewels. Next, Judith and her maid brought a package of oil pots, roasted cereals and home-prepared dishes… and went out of the city.
Leaving the city of Bethulia, she and her maidservant were discovered by a group of ᴀssyrian soldiers and approached to ask questions. Being a clever man, Judith cleverly replied that he was of the Hebrew race but fled here to inform General Holofernes how to make the people of Bethulia surrender easily.
Perhaps captivated by the beauty and sincerity of Judith’s words, about 10 soldiers escorted her to the famous general’s barracks. When General Holofernes appeared, he could not help but be surprised by the beautiful beauty of the woman in front of him.
At the time of being asked why she was here, Judith said that she believed that the people in the city of Bethulia had done things that were contrary to God, and that God had sent her here to help his soldiers. ᴀssyria. After this conversation, she and the maidservant were kept in the barracks and ate the food they brought. On the fourth day, General Holofernes plotted to get Judith, so he ordered his bodyguards to invite her to the party.
Knowing that the other party was trapped, the famous widow immediately changed into a splendid outfit and beautiful makeup to fascinate her opponent. By the time General Holofernes was intoxicated, she took the sword hanging from the bed to take down the enemy general. Knowing that the plan was successful, she and her maid went to the prayer area and then escaped from the barracks, trying to return to their homeland.
At the moment of announcing that they had just defeated the leader of the enemy army, the entire population of the city of Bethulia knelt down to bow to the supreme God, and at the same time expressed their admiration for the beautiful widow.
As for the ᴀssyrian soldiers, when they heard that their leader was no longer in the world, they immediately fell into panic, disoriented and fled. At this time, the people of Bethulia pursued with swords until there were no more enemies in the land of Israel. Also from here, the widow with amazing beauty and superhuman courage Judith was greatly worshiped by the people of Bethulia.
It is known that the story of Judith has also become the inspiration for many later works of art. And you, how do you feel about the above story?