Judith in this book is iconic of all of Israel's struggles against surrounding nations.

By the time of its writing,

Israel had been dominated by the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians and the Greeks. The name "Judith"
means "Jewess." The character of Judith is therefore representative of the whole nation of Israel. In an almost
constant battle against the surrounding nations, the Israelites depended on the Lord for their survival and
sustenance.

Judith represents the best hopes and intentions of the Israelites-the vanquishing of the oppressors and the
freedom of the land of Israel. The story revolves around Judith, a daring and beautiful widow, who is
upset with her Jewish countrymen for not trusting God to deliver them from their foreign
conquerors. The Book has 16 Chapters.

The Book of Judith can be divided into Two Main Sections:

A."Threat against Israel by King Nebuchadnezzar II"(Chapter 1-7)
B. "Judith and her Valant Effort to Save the Jewish People"(Chapter 8-16)

"Threat against Israel by King Nebuchadnezzar II"(Chapter 1-7)

The story includes Nebuchadnezzar's powerful military takeover of the nations. When his army
approaches Israel, the nation shakes in fear. His Assyrian General Holofernes eventually comes to
the village of Bethulia where the Jewish leader Achoir has failed and the people want to
surrender to Babylon.

"Judith and her Valant Effort to Save the Jewish People"(Chapter 8-16)"
Chapter eight then introduces Judith and her plans to save Israel. A widow once married to a man named
Manasses, she leaves the village with her maid to befriend Holofernes. Judith befriends this enemy leader
and promises to provide him information regarding the Israelites. However, after he becomes drunk in his
tent, Judith is permitted to visit and beheads him when he passes out. She returns to her village with his head
and is celebrated by the Jewish people. The enemies flee in defeat. Many seek Judith for marriage, but she
remains unmarried.

Why is the book of Judith written?

-The Book of Judith is written because it relates to the story of God's deliverance of the Jewish people with
the help and by the hand of a female Heroine Judith.

Who are the Authors of the Book of Judith?

The author of the Book of Judith is unknown. In Commentariorum in Aggeum . chapter I, verse 6,
Saint Jerome seems to believe that Judith wrote it herself but he provides no convincing proof of
his assertion. Others hold that the high priest Joachim or Eliakim, who are both discussed in the
Book of Judith, was the author. These claims, however, are nothing more than simple conjectures.
Others attribute the Book of Judith to Joshua, son of Josedek. The author, whoever he may have
been, does not seem to have been a contemporary of Judith. In ch. XIV, v.6, the author says that
the Achior family still remained in Israel during his/her time and also states that one still
celebrated Judith’s victory in Israel in ch. XVI, v. 31. These two statements imply that the events
recounted in the Book of Judith had taken place long before it was written.
It is not clear whether the Book of Judith was originally written in Hebrew or in Greek. The oldest
existing version is in the Septuagint, and might either be a translation from Hebrew or composed
in Greek. Details of vocabulary and phrasing point to a Greek text written in a language modeled
on the Greek developed through translating the other books in the Septuagint.

Important Cahracters:
a.Judith- The Heroine. A daring, beautiful, and wise widow who save Israel from Conquerers.
b.Holofernes-An Assyrian General, known for been beheaded by Judith.
c.King Nebuchadnezzar- A villain who ruled over the Assyrians and the King of Babylon.

Important Lessons
-Faith/Trust God
- Based from the story the Jewish People didn't trust or doesn't have Faith in God that's why Bad
things happened to them.
-Tough/Brave/Strong
- we should be strong just like the Heroine Judith did to save her countrymen. In life being
brave,tough, or strong is important especially if you're facing obstacles or hardships in life.
What do you want the class to realize from these book?
-What i want the class to realize is that, If you feel weak,sad, or feeling down, be brave and be
strong because you have God that you can trust and be there for you.

Book of Esther
In the biblical book named after her, Esther is a young Jewish woman living in the Persian
diaspora who finds favor with the king, becomes queen, and risks her life to save the Jewish
people from destruction when the court official Haman persuades the king to authorize a pogrom
against all the Jews of the empire.

The Path to Becoming Queen

Esther first appears in the story as one of the young virgins collected into the king’s harem as
possible replacements for Vashti, the banished wife of King Ahasuerus (Xerxes I, reigned 485—465
B.C.E.). She is identified as the daughter of Avihail (Esth 2:15) and the cousin and adopted
daughter of Mordecai, from the tribe of Benjamin (Esth 2:5–7). Not much is revealed about her
character, but she is described as beautiful (2:7) and obedient (2:10), and she appears to be pliant
and cooperative. She quickly wins the favor of the chief eunuch, Hegai, and, when her turn comes
to spend the night with the king, Ahasuerus falls in love with her and makes her his queen. All this
takes place while Esther keeps her Jewish identity secret (Esth 2:10, 20).

After Esther becomes queen, her cousin Mordecai becomes involved in a power struggle with the
grand vizier Haman the Agagite, a descendant of an Amalekite king who was an enemy of Israel
during the time of King Saul (1 Sam 15:32). Mordecai refuses to bow before Haman, and this so
infuriates Haman that he resolves not only to put Mordecai to death, but also to slaughter his
entire people. He secures the king’s permission to do this, and a date is set, Adar 13 (this episode
determines the date of the festival of Purim, a popular Jewish festival). When Mordecai learns of
Haman’s plot, he rushes to the palace to inform Esther, weeping and clothed in sackcloth (Esth
4:1–3).

Esther Saves the Jews from the Plot Against Them

At this point in the story, Esther’s character comes to the fore. When she first learns of Haman’s
plot and the threat to the Jews, her reaction is one of helplessness. On pain of death she cannot
approach the king without being summoned, and the king has not summoned her in thirty days,
implying that she has fallen out of favor (Esth 4:11). However, following Mordecai’s insistent
prodding, she resolves to do what she can to save her people, ending with the ringing declaration
“After that I will go to the king, though it is against the law; and if I perish, I perish” (Esth 4:16).
The pliant and obedient Esther has become a woman of action.
Esther appears unsummoned before King Ahasuerus, who not only does not kill her but promises
to grant her as-yet unarticulated request. In a superb moment of understatement, Esther asks the
king to a dinner party (Esth 5:4). The king, accompanied by Haman, attends Esther’s banquet and
again seeks to discover her request, which she once more deflects with an invitation to another
dinner party. Only at the second dinner party, when the king is sufficiently beguiled by her
charms, does she reveal her true purpose: the unmasking of Haman and his plot. She reveals, for
the first time, her identity as a Jew and accuses Haman of the plot to destroy her and her people.
The volatile king springs to the defense of the woman to whom he was indifferent three days
earlier, Haman is executed, and the Jews receive permission to defend themselves from their
enemies, which they do with great success (Esther 7–9). The book ends with Mordecai elevated to
the office of grand vizier and power now concentrated in the hands of Esther.

Why is the Book of Esther Written?

The purpose of the Book of Esther is open to different interpretations. It can be understood as
commending human responsibility instead of misguided dependence on God: the Jews in the
book must take matters into their own hands to preserve their existence, rather than wait for God
to act. Alternatively, despite not mentioning God directly, the many apparent “coincidences” in
the book have often been seen as alluding to God working behind the scenes of history. Still
another interpretation of the book views its message as an implied critique of diaspora Jews who
have become assimilated to the culture around them, disregarded traditional Jewish law, and
neglected God, yet are nevertheless destined to overcome their enemies.

Author and Dates of The Book of Esther:

This book was written by an unknown author some time after the reign of Xerxes (post-465 B.C.)
and before the conquests of Alexander the Great (pre-331 B.C.).

Themes of The Book of Esther:

God’s Providence – his presence and control of the circumstances in our lives.
God’s Protection – the unfailing protection of God’s people.
Significance – leading a life that makes a difference.

Important Characters:
•Esther is a young Jewish woman living in the Persian diaspora who finds favor with the king,
becomes queen, and risks her life to save the Jewish people
•Mordecai was also the good Mentor,cousin and guardian of Esther
•Xerxes was a king in the Persian Empire during Israel’s post-Exilic period
•Haman the main antagonist in the story
•Vashti a brave woman who risked her life based on her conviction and said 'No' to the king's
request.
•Zeresh was the wife of Haman, portrayed by the midrash as even more wicked than her
husband.

Important Lessons in the Book

*God Places mentors in our life to teach us wisdom
- We all have Mentors in our life that will guide and teach us like our Family, Good Friends, and
others that will impact our life in a good way.
*Our Strength does not come from us
- God and also Our Significant others are our source of strength. They are the ones who encourage
us in our difficult or tough times.

What do you want the class to realize from the Book?

- Remember that we are not alone in this world. We have our own Significant others an d also
God with us. If we are struggling in life we have them to rely on as a support to fight our own
Battles in life.