The image at right is early 17th-century painter Simon Vouet's version there.

The story is told in the Book of Judith, found in the Old Testament of Roman Catholic and Orthodox Bibles (but not in Jewish scriptures).

Over time historians have debated the validity of the story, but it has generally been accepted as a parable:

King Nebuchadrezzar, ruler of the Assyrians (historically the ruler of Babylon), ordered his general Holofernes to attack the nations that didn’t support his war against Media. All others submitted except the Israelites.

Holofernes proceeded to surround the Israelites near Jerusalem in Bethulia.

A Jewish widow, Judith, played a major role in saving the town from Holofernes. She entered his camp, pretending to have betrayed her people. Holofernes invited her into his tent and after he passed out drunk, she beheaded him.

After Judith brought the head of Holofernes home, the Bethulians defeated Holofernes’ army and the town rejoiced.

Now while I found various artistic renditions of the story, I also discovered different facts of the story online.

According to Wikipedia, Bethulia was a “Jewish city.” But MSN Encarta said Bethulia was a “Palestinian town.”

Ironically, two encyclopedias can’t agree if a city from over 2,000 years ago belonged to the Palestinians or Israelites in a story found in Christian Bibles.

As I clicked through Wikipedia, I learned that Nebuchadrezzar destroyed temples in Jerusalem. The online encyclopedia also said he is viewed negatively by Christians and Jews, but seen as a great leader in Iraq.

Saddam Hussein even named an army unit after him, according to Wikipedia.

All I was looking for was verification of an ancient story told by a tour guide in Vienna. Instead I found early hints and even conflicting historical accounts of the clashes in the Middle East that continue to this day.