Sep 17, 2012 today we continue our series, esther actually, with a look at the cultural, historical, and religious context that produced the book of esther. Jan 28, 2019 book history is a dynamic and rapidly growing area of interdisciplinary study that explores the book as an artefact in material culture. Book history and material culture the university of edinburgh. The book of esther is a 20 movie starring jen lilley as queen esther and joel smallbone as king xerxes. It recounts the deliverance of the jews from persecution in the persian empire, a deliverance accomplished by the timely actions of two jewish members of the foreign court.
Tradition intended the book of esther to be accepted as an accurate. This unlikely contestant for a beauty pageant was crowned queen of persia and renamed esther, meaning star. Book of esther overview insight for living ministries. Intro to esther biblica the international bible society. We are first introduced to her as she is taken into the palace by the persian king ahasuerus to become his new wife esth 2. The book of esther begins with the queen of king ahasuerusvashtisnubbing the kings request to meet with her. The future of europe was settled in two decisive battles fought during this period of time. Esther is one of the few women in the bible to have a book named after her. Even the name of the book, esther, is significant because that name when translated from the persian means something hidden. The book of esther records the historical account of persian king ahasuerus xerxes i during the 5th century bc. Recently, the historicity of the biblical book of esther whether the book is historically true has been called into question an a most bold and audacious manner. Unlike daniel, there seems to be no concern on the part of esther to keep the dietary laws. We certainly know that many, perhaps most, midrashim were intended to relay allegorical religious messages and not to decsribe historical facts, as commentators such as maharal and maharsha demonstrate at length.
The human author of esther opens the book with the same hebrew formula. It is one of the five scrolls megillot in the hebrew bible. But it shows clearly that, even when god is most hidden, he is still working to protect his chosen people. Margaret george, author of mary, called magdalene a triumph of historical imagination and a mustread for loversand lovers of jewish history. God is not mentioned by name in the book of esther.
The doctrinal prophetic application mention the different between the three applications. The blend of these literary features with a historical setting and a theological purpose, however, suggest that the genre of the book of esther is unique to itself. He apparently intends his readers to think the story he is about to tell relates to actual historical events. One day the king of the persian empire, xerxes i, threw a lavish party. The first chapter of daniels book stands strong as accurate historical narrative finding archaeological support of nonbiblical origin. A 1975 article by cary moore in the biblical archaeologist notes even though the book of esther claims to be a strictly historical account, ever since the work of j. The megillah reads more like a political thriller than a historical record or even a religious tale. Listen to chuck swindolls overview of esther in his audio message from the classic series gods masterwork.
The book of esther, also known in hebrew as the scroll, is a book in the third section of the jewish tanakh and in the christian old testament. The author of esther patterned much of his material on the events of the joseph story see notes on 2. Join beth in a very personal examination of the old testament story of esther as she peels back the layers of history and shows how very contemporary and applicable the story is to our lives today. The scene is laid in shush an the palaee during the reign of a king who is designated in the english version as. In other languages, the heart may be the emotional arena of the soul, and, in still others, heart may refer to the emotional part of the soul in reference to love. Even if the story is just a parable, its lessons remain equally strong. The book of esther has great historical value because it falls in a period of history where some of the decisive events that would determine the future destiny of western civilization. Robert baralhistorical booksthe book ofesther1282007 adpage 3 i.
The background of the book of esther is so full of accurate persian. Many liberal scholars argue that the book of esther is a work of fiction like the apocryphal books of judith and tobit. The story itself is implausible as history and, as many scholars now agree, it is better viewed as imaginative storytelling, not unlike others that circulated in the persian and. Herodotus account of amestris as queen, not vashti or esther. The book of esther provides one possible answer to that question, tough cookie though it is. Semler in 1773, that claim has increasingly been rejected, to the point that in the twentieth century only a handful of critical scholars have strenuously argued for the books. Esther is a book in the old testament of the bible.
Ii the differentiation between an historical nucleus and a novelistic elaboration yet does not do justice to the composite literary nature of the book of esther, in which further elements can be discerned. Book history is a dynamic and rapidly growing area of interdisciplinary study that explores the book as an artefact in material culture. Not one time does the name of god appear in the book of esther. The book was originally written in hebrew, but the ancient greek translation known as the septuagint abbreviated lxx is also a very important witness to the text. If it is historical, then why dont ancient historians. The beautiful esther, who also has the hebrew name hadassah which means myrtle esther 2. The political machinations of halannah, hamans niece and the concubine who would be queen, are the epicenter of the novel, which pivots on harem life, bringing a lessfrequentlyseen perspective to the. The story gives us six powerful lessons about courage. Lewis bayles paton, in 1908, wrote fourteen pages outlining the argu ments for and against historicity and concluded that the book is not historical. She was a jewess named hadassah the myrtle, but when she entered the royal harem she received the name by which she henceforth became known esther 2. Few scholars believe that the book is historical and prefer to see it as historical fiction, a narrative about jewish existence in the persian diaspora.
Moore devoted eleven pages to the issue and arrived at the same conclusion. Today we continue our series, esther actually, with a look at the cultural, historical, and religious context that produced the book of esther. Harem politics, antisemitism, and an audacious jewish heroine combine to make this story from the later persian period early 4th cent. Historical background the book of esther may be placed historically between the events recorded in ezra and nehemiah. Baumgarten discusses some historical and chronological problems to accepting esther as veritable history.
Even though the book of esther claims to be a strictly historical account, ever since j th. A history of controversy the book of esther is a fascinating story that has a lot of stuff going on that isnt readily apparent to the reader. The book contains some accurate historical details about the persian empire, but a few exaggerations. Waldman and appeared in volume one of the graphic canon, edited by russ kick and published by seven stories press.
Much could be said about this topic of course, but based on some of my favorite commentaries, ive identified three influences that, for the purposes of our discussions here, should be introducedpurim, persia, and patriarchy. The events in the book of esther occurred from 483 bc to 473 bc, during the first half of the reign of king xerxes, who chose esther as his queen. T he book of esther presents itself to us as a true narrative of a momentous episode in the histor. During this time the enemies of israel hired counselors to bring false accusations to the ears of the different persian kings. Moore divided the arguments against the historicity of the book into three groups. This book completes the historical books of the old testament. Book history and material culture the university of. The king had been persuaded by haman to kill every jewish person in his province. The book of esther is a hodgepodge of different genres. The other king who some historians believe to be the ahasuerus of the book of esther is the persian king xerxes.
Of course, thats not the only reason to study themalthough god clearly means for us both men and women to pay attention to the crucial role of women in the big story of redemption. The book of esther 6 powerful life lessons from the bible. Historical novels are always about the time in which theyre written. Not only is it a great story with all the drama and. Esther is encouraged by mordicai to conceal her jewishness. But many prominent historians do, so the challenge that the book of esther is ahistorical lacks force. The great prophets of israel taught us moral, not historical. The narrative takes a turn when mordecai inflames the wrath of the kings highest. Esther, theology of bakers evangelical dictionary of. What i intend to show here is that there is ample basis to support the claim that the book of esther is historical and accurate. Today, that query may not loom quite as large in america, but it definitely does in many other places throughout the world the middle east, burma, the congoand about a dozen or more other places. Esther, book of the seventeenth book of the ot in the traditional english order.
The book of esther page 2languages the literal, physical heart in literature is a reference to the thinking portion of a persons soul. The doctrinal picture in the placement of the book of esther in scripture 1. Its tough being a woman leader kit by beth moore helps a leader facilitate this womens bible study experience and contains all that is needed to conduct the 10 weeks of group sessions. Helping us to understand the current communications revolution, it reminds us that ideas circulate through a material world of things, from medieval manuscripts to contemporary ereaders. There is nothing close to a consensus, however, as to what historical event provided the basis for the story.
Whereas, for instance, the great jewish medieval scholar maimonides 151204 ranked esther immediately after the pentateuch in. Esther is a broken and flawed figure struggling to capture the attentions of king xerxes while fighting her feelings for one of his soldiers. On the other hand it does not conform to this genre as it is found in the bible for one main reason. The seventeenth book of the ot in the traditional english order. Now he needs to pick a new queen and eventually manages to select esthera comely, young secretly jewish woman who is a part of his harem. Esther is an entertaining historical story that also reveals important truths about how and why the jews survived such an overwhelming threat. As we look at the historical arc of scripture, we find that this deliverance was crucial. The book is never alluded to in the new testament or dead sea scrolls, and even comments about it by the church fathers are rare. The gilded chamber is a world unto itself and one well worth entering. On the one hand it is written as a historical narrative with intimate knowledge of the persian court. Violence and the survival of israel in the book of esther.
The details provided speak greatly of an author who knew the times and these historical events welldetails that would have been much more difficult for an alleged secondcentury author to accurately recount. Archaeology and the book of esther andrews university. Shea in this study of esther for the anchor bible series, c. Yet, as we read the megillah, some people ask whether the story is historically accurate. Add to that a flavor of steampunk youve likely never tried before, blend it all up but keep it kosher. This is a broad strategy to historical attacks on jewish traditions. The story forms the core of the jewish festival of purim, during which it is read aloud twice. The book may have been composed as late as the first half of the 2nd century bce, though the origin of the purim festival could date to the babylonian exile 6th century bce. However, according to coogan, considerable historical inaccuracies remain. What is book of esther about and why should i care. The book of esther in the bible is a dramatic account which can give us insight into gods special and purposeful plan for our lives.
They are listed, at least as it seems, in chronological dating order. There is nothing like it in ancient literature, and in the bible, only the story of joseph comes close andrew e. The author also displays an accurate knowledge of persian customs and palaces. The book is named for the star of the story, a young jewish girl named hadassah who was taken from her guardian, mordecai, and forced to compete for the affection of the king. Feasting is another prominent theme in esther, as shown in the outline below. Feb 09, 2020 the book of esther records the historical account of persian king ahasuerus xerxes i during the 5th century bc. Much could be said about this topic of course, but based on some of my favorite commentaries, ive identified three influences that, for the purposes of. Esther, a beautiful young jewish woman, becomes the wife of the. When it comes to genre, esther is one of the hardest books to place. Ahasuerus, king of persia, is better known as xerxes i who reigned 486465 bc.
The historical accuracy of the book of esther has caused considerable speculative controversy. Its also heavy on action, drama, and game of thronesstyle intrigue, while being notably lacking in legal codes, commandments, theologyall that kind of thing. This story seems to have been known in several different versions, or to have gone through a number of different stages in its development before it. Historians have long questioned the historicity of the events described in esther. The book of esther is not a historical document in the usual sensebut that doesnt undermine its importance as a religious book in the jewish canon. We are shown a persian emperor, ahasuerus loosely based on xerxes, 485464 b. When esthers parents died, the orphaned child was adopted and raised by her older cousin mordecai.
For many christians, the book of esther is the basis for a jewish festival that found no counterpart in the christian calendar. But this allegorical identification defies the historical clues which are in the. This is one book of the bible you could easily read while marinating in a bubble bath, without feeling particularly. In the biblical book that bears her name, esther is a beautiful young jewish woman who lives with her cousin and foster parent, mordecai, in the persian royal citadel of susa. It relates the story of a hebrew woman in persia, born as hadassah but known as esther, who becomes queen of persia and thwarts a genocide of her people. Queen esther and her cousin and foster father, mordecai. Moore devoted eleven pages to the issue and arrived at. The book of esther, by emily barton the new york times. What did mordecai bring to the gate with him to prove the validity of his. The providence of god is abundant throughout the book. Semler in 1773, that claim has increasingly been rejected, to the point that in the twentieth century only a handful of critical scholars have strenuously argued for the book s. Esther lived in ancient persia about 100 years after the babylonian captivity.
Some may respond that the book can be true even if it is not historically accurate. The book of esther tells a story of the deliverance of the jewish people. In 2012, a graphic adaptation of the book of esther was illustrated by j. Their main argument against the historicity of esther is that the events recorded in it are not explicitly recorded in any other ancient source. To begin a study on the doctrinal typology in esther, we need first understands its.
The book of esther has a james bondish, tickingtimebomb plot. The book of esther takes place in susa modern day iran in the court of a persian king, xerxes or ahasuerus. The book of esther, also known in hebrew as the scroll megillah, is a book in the third section ketuvim, writings of the jewish tanakh the hebrew bible and in the christian old testament. It relates the story of a hebrew woman in persia, born as hadassah but known as esther, who becomes queen of persia and thwarts a genocide.
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