Among the Jews, the book of Judith is considered 2 among the apocrypha; its warrant for affirming those [apocryphal texts] 3 which have come into dispute is deemed less than sufficient. Moreover, since it was written in the Chaldean 4 language, it is counted among the historical books. But since the Nicene Council is considered to have counted this book among the number of sacred Scriptures, I have acquiesced to your 5 request (or should I say demand!): and, my other work set aside, from which I was forcibly restrained, I have given a single night's work 6, translating according to sense rather than verbatim. I have hacked away at the excessively error-ridden panoply of the many codices; I conveyed in Latin only what I could find expressed coherently in the Chaldean words. Receive the widow Judith, example of chastity, and with triumphant praise acclaim her with eternal public celebration. For not only for women, but even for men, she has been given as a model by the one who rewards her chastity, who has ascribed to her such virtue that she conquered the unconquered among humanity, and surmounted the insurmountable.
PRAEFATIO HIERONYMI IN LIBRUM JUDITH.
3. illa, i.e. the apocryphal texts.
4. By 'Chaldean' he means Old Aramaic.
6. "Night's work" = lucubratiuncula.
This text was translated and placed in the public domain by Andrew S. Jacobs, 2004. All material on this page is in the public domain - copy freely. Greek text is rendered using unicode.