The book was probably written in the third or second century B.C. 9:1) in the lives of individuals and communities. The work is a composite of reversals (cf. the effect of Vashti’s disobedience in 1:17– 18), and huge ironies (e.g., Haman in 6:6, 10). There are many exaggerations, and even sarcastic implausibilities (cf. 5– 6 is particularly fast) Mordecai passes from the threat of death ( 5:9– 14) to royal honors ( 6:10– 11) within twenty-four hours. Further artificialities are clear in the way characters are paired (e.g., Mordecai and Esther) and in the delays and the speed of the action (Esther delays the banquet in 5:3– 8, but the tempo of chaps. A whole series of banquets structure the work: two by the king, one by Vashti, three by Esther, and the joyful banqueting that ends the book. Its fictional character can be illustrated by many examples of literary motifs: the use of extensive conversation to move the plot along the motif of concealment (Esther is a Jew, related to Mordecai, but Haman does not know it, even as he comes to her banquet in chap. The book is a free composition, not a historical document. The book ends with Mordecai as the king’s chief minister. When he learns of the edict against the Jews, he encourages Esther to confront the king. At that point, she transforms her status as queen from a position of personal privilege to one of power and public responsibility.Įsther’s uncle, Mordecai, appears first as an adoptive father, whose solicitude for Esther leads him to the king’s gate, where he foils a plot to assassinate the king. 4), she rises to the challenge to risk her life for the salvation of her people. As a girl she is recruited for the king’s harem because of her physical beauty. The book confronts the modern reader with important themes, the evils of genocide and racism.Įsther’s character matures over the course of the narrative. This deliverance is commemorated by the inauguration of the Jewish festival of Purim on the fourteenth and fifteenth of Adar (mid-February through mid-March). Their influence and intervention allow the Jews to turn the tables on their enemies and rout their attackers. The threat is averted by two Jews, Esther and Mordecai. We are shown a Persian emperor, Ahasuerus (loosely based on Xerxes, 485–464 B.C.), who makes momentous decisions for trivial reasons, and his wicked minister, Haman, who takes advantage of the king’s compliance to pursue a personal vendetta against the Jews by having a royal decree issued ordering their destruction. The Book of Esther tells a story of the deliverance of the Jewish people.
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