Esther
Introduction
September 9, 2011
Episcopal Church of the Resurrection
Background: Marc Chagall, 1960, Ahasuerus Sends Vashti Away
Overview of Esther
• On the surface:
– Read like a romance novel: young and beautiful heroine,
wicked and scheming villain, wise father-figure, comical
ruler, good triumphs over evil, everyone lives happily
ever after
• Beneath the surface:
– Racism, genocide, pride, vanity, justice
• Purpose?
– “An entertaining story written for an oppressed minority
that ties what was probably originally a pagan holiday
into a Jewish context.”
Perceptions of Esther
• “No other book in the Hebrew Bible has received
such mixed reviews from Jews and Christians alike.”
• Martin Luther:
– “I am so hostile to this book that I wish it did not exist,
for it Judaizes too much, and has too much heathen
naughtiness.”
• Not till 3rd Century AD did Jews recognize it as
canonical
• Very popular among regular people. Not popular
among religious officials
Popular with the People, Criticized by
Theologians
• No mention of God, prayer, temple, religious
activity
• Esther marries a gentile, eats non-kosher,
assimilates among Persians
• Jewish is ethnic, not religious identity
• Additions try to change this
• But, God seems to be operating behind the
scenes –feels modern in this sense
Author
• Unknown
• May have been Persian Jew living in Diaspora trying to
live full Jewish life
• This could account for neglect of traditional Jewish
themes as it tries to establish Diaspora tradition of
Purim
• Writer demonstrates knowledge of Persian court
• Women sometimes represented marginalization of
Diaspora Jews who had to accommodate alien
environment
• Likely the author used some existing blocks or narrative
to create a single story, writing by single author
Audience
• “The audience the book addresses appears to be
Jews who live in close proximity to foreign rulers
and must learn to make their own way in a society
in which they are a minority and in which there is
always danger of persecution and oppression.”
– Women’s Bible Commentary, 131
• Audience may have been more ethnically than
religiously Jewish
Genre
• Esther is not history. It is a novella, set within a
historical framework
– Xerxes’ queen was Amestris, not Vashti
• No stylistic traits of oral tradition. It was written
• Purpose: demonstrate retributive justice, need for
oppressed people to be bold and shrewd
• Includes satire, irony, farce and tragedy
• Story has symmetrical reversal of fate for the villain
and hero, so it reads like a morality tale
• Jewish Bible places Esther in the “Writings”
alongside Psalms, wisdom books and late literature
like Daniel, Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah
The Setting
• Set in royal court of Sura in the Persian empire
during the reign of Xerxes I, 486-465 B.C.
• Takes place within Jewish Diaspora during
exile
Very Rough Outline of Jewish History
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1800s-1600s BC? – Time of Patriarchs
1400s BC? – Israelites in Egypt
1300s BC? – Moses and Exodus
1200s BC? – Conquest of Canaan
877-836 BC? – King David
825 BC? – First temple completed
796 BC – Israel splits into two kingdoms
722 BC – Assyrians conquer northern Israel
612 BC – Babylonians defeat Assyrians
486-465 BC – Reign of Xerxes I, setting for Esther
422 BC – Babylonians Conquer Israel, destroy temple
Late 4th/Early 3rd Century BC – Esther likely written
370 BC – Jews return from Babylonian exile
312 BC – Greeks conquer Israel
Late 3rd Century BC – Greek version of Esther lengthened by 107 verses
167 BC – Maccabean revolt begins
63 BC – Romans invade Israel
37 BC – Herod the Great begins rule
67 AD – Jews revolt against Rome
70 AD – Romans sack Jerusalem, destroy temple
Placing Esther
• Must have been written after Xerxes’ reign: 486-465 BC
• Author unfamiliar with particulars of Xerxes, so it might
be distant from Xerxes’ time
• Lacks Greek influence and language, so it was likely
written before 312
• Generally positive towards Gentiles and foreign rulers,
unlike later books
• Probably written in Persia, since it has no interest in
Jerusalem or the Temple
• Shows knowledge of Persian court customs that would
have been unfamiliar in Israel
Relationship to OT
• Persian king is mentioned 190 times. God is
mentioned 0 times
• No mention of basic Jewish themes like: law,
covenant, prayer, diet, Jerusalem
• Composition resembeles Daniel and Judith
• Allusions to Joseph story, Exodus, conquest, Saul and
Naboth
• Quotes eremiah, Zephaniah, Isaiah, Zechariah
• Includes maxims from proverbs
• Many parallels to Daniel –Jewish hero surviving by
wits among gentiles
Women in the Bible
• Only two books in the Bible, Esther and Ruth, are
named for women
• Many women in the Bible go un-named
• Women treated as property, forced into marriage, used
as concubines
• Purity laws biased against women
• Women had little power outside of home
• Women did tremendous amount of labor
• Most (though not all) divine imagery is male
• Esther was powerless in her context because she was a
female Jew, yet used manipulation to save her people
Sex and Violence
• Esther, the hero, is a concubine who marries a
non-Jew to become queen. This violated
Jewish ethics on several fronts
• Mordecai has over 75,000 people killed when
he takes his revenge on the persians
• Haman’s children are all executed
Purim
• Probably originated as Babylonian or Persian holiday adapted
by Diaspora Jews
• Lesser holiday than those proscribed by Torah
• Esther is read in aloud. At mention of Haman, kids rattle
noise-makers and boo
• Orthodox Jews often get very drunk
– Tradition says one should drink until he can no longer distinguish
the phrases "Cursed is Haman” and "Blessed is Mordecai”
• Customary to send food gifts to friends, give to charity and
eat a festive meal
• Often people put on costumes in celebration an to
commemorate God “disguising” his presence behind events
• Purim spiel is a comical dramatization of the story with music
and dancing and far-ranging stories
• Celebrated on 14th day of Adar – Usually in March
Additions to Esther
• Written for Greek speaking Jews in 2nd or 1st
Century BC
• Much of the translation is faithful to the original
Hebrew version, but six additional sections were
added
• Additions contradict the Hebrew often
• Goal is to transform the book into a conventional
tale of divine intervention and exceptional Jewish
piety
• “God” and “Lord” are used more than 50 times in
the additions and inserted into original text
Additions to Esther
• Addition A: Mordecai’s dream and discovery of
plot against king
• Addition B: Royal edict by Haman decreeing
extermination of Jews
• Addition C: Prayers of Mordecai and Esther
• Addition D: Esther appears unsummoned before
king
• Addition E: Royal edict dictated by Mordecai
countering Haman’s decree
• Addition F: Interpretation of Mordecai’s dream
Schedule
• September 8
– Introduction
• September 15
– Esther 1:1-2:4, Parties, Politics and Power
– Esther 2:5-3:15, Personnel, Programs – and Pogroms
• September 22
– Esther 5:9-6:14, Plots, Parades and Providence
– Esther 7:1-8:17, Counterplots and Counter-Edicts
• September 29
– Esther 9:1-10:3, Dueling Decrees and Purim Parties
– Additions to Esther