The three books, Tobit, Judith, and Esther, are religious stories that merely reflect an historical situation. We should not read them with the intention of learning about historical events. However, they are inspiring stories which bolster our faith and trust in God’s protective concern for our welfare. The authors wrote these books with that objective in mind.

   The Book of Tobit is named after its principal hero. It combines Jewish piety and morality with the type of oriental folklore which we see in such works as “The Arabian Nights” and Aesop’s “Fables.” More specifically, the book is related in literary style to the Babylonian “Wisdom of Ahiqar.” The hero Ahiqar (or Ahikar) becomes the nephew of Tobit in the biblical book for the author wishes to enhance the importance of the main character of the story.

  Tobit is a devout and wealthy Israelite, one of the captives deported to Nineveh in Babylon from the northern kingdom of Israel in 721 B.C. He has a number of misfortunes and is finally blinded. In a deep depression, Tobit prays for death. But remembering the large sum of money he had deposited previously in Media he sends his son Tobias to bring back the money. In Media, a young woman also prays for death because she had seven husbands, each killed in turn on his wedding night by the demon Asmodeus. Her name is Sarah.

  God hears the prayers of both Tobit and Sarah and sends the Angel Raphael who accompanies Tobit on the journey and brings about a happy marriage between Tobias and Sarah. When they return, Tobias cures his father’s blindness by following the advice of Raphael.

  The chief value of the Book of Tobit is the picture it gives of ordinary Jewish family life and piety in the period approaching the birth of Christ. It was written probably early in the[i] second century, B.C., but we do not know where or by whom. The primary aim of the author is to reassert the validity of the faith  when God has apparently abandoned His people.

  The Book of Judith was written by a Jew about  150. B.C., and probably in Palestine. The heroine of the story is Judith, the name means “Jewess.” It is a vivid story telling how, in a grave crisis, God delivered the Jewish people through the instrumentality of a woman. 

Scripture scholars see a parallel between Moses and Judith. As God had delivered His people through the leadership of Moses, so, also, He could save them through the devout widow, Judith.

  Any attempt to connect up historical events with events related in the Book of Judith have been unsuccessful except in a general way. Like the Book of Tobit, it is a religious story set on an historical stage. The story is a pious reflection on the meaning of the yearly Passover observance. God’s protective care as shown in the original Passover of the Red Sea is mirrored in the defeat of the mighty army of Holofernes through the courage of Judith.

   Holofernes aims to destroy all religions except that of his deified King Nebuchadnezzar . The Jews are besieged in Bethulia. They have no water and must surrender. Judith appears, a beautiful young widow, intelligent, devout, courageous.  She overcomes the cowardice of her own people. She dazzles the Assyrians and when left alone with the drunken Holofernes, she cuts off his head. Panic seizes the Assyrians who depart in haste leaving the Jews in possession of their land.

  The Book of Esther also tells of the deliverance of the Jewish nation by the actions of a woman. The story takes place in Persia during the period in exile in the fourth century or later when the people were back home in Palestine.

  Esther is a young Jewess who has become queen. She acts on the advice of her uncle Mordecai to defeat the plot of Haman the Agagite, a high court official. Haman plot was to destroy in a single day all the Jews living in the Persian Empire. Haman`s motive is hatred of Mordecai who refuses to render him homage The day of the proposed massacred is determined by lot. The outcome is the death of Haman, the promotion of Mordecai  to the position formerly  held by Haman, the massacre by the Jews of their enemies who were involved in Haman`s plot. To commemorate this triumph, the Feast of Purim is instituted and is to be celebrated each year. Thus the story tells about the origin of the Feast of Purim, a word meaning `lots,“ when the lot of destruction for the Jews was reversed to one of deliverance and triumph by Queen Esther  and her uncle Mordecai.

  The story of Esther shows the hatred which the Jews experienced in ancient times due to their non-conformity to local religions. Their exaggerated nationalism was a defensive weapon designed to help them survive as a people. The Book of Esther was intended as a source of consolation for the Jewish people, a reminder that God’s providence continually watches over them, never abandoning  them when they serve Him faithfully or turn to Him in sincere repentance. And let there be no doubt that God’s help can and does come to us at times through devout women like Judith and Esther.