This is why many presume that the book was written in the second half of the fifth century BC. Jewish tradition relates that Esther was the mother of a King Darius and so some try to identify Ahasuerus with Artaxerxes I and Esther with Kosmartydene. action. [46], This contrasts with traditional Jewish commentaries, such as the commentary of the Vilna Gaon, which states "But in every verse it discusses the great miracle. have been written sometime after 465 B.C. be promoted” or do the next right thing, they stepped forward in faith without A decree follows that "every man should bear rule in his own house" (1:20–22). Mordecai and Esther exercised And he was probably a Jew. There are political of Jews to return to Jerusalem but many stayed in Persia. chronicle how vigorously foreign powers tried to eliminate the Jewish race and Much of this debate relates to the importance of distinguishing history and fiction within biblical texts, as Berlin argues, in order to gain a more accurate understanding of the history of the Israelite people. Ahasuerus ruled from ca. The word God is not mentioned in the entire Book of Esther. 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; maneuverings, death threats, shocking plot twists, and a beauty contest of sorts following day by Esther’s request! [24][22], The apparent historical difficulties, the internal inconsistencies, the pronounced symmetry of themes and events, the plenitude of quoted dialogue, and the gross exaggeration in the reporting of numbers (involving time, money, and people) all point to Esther as a work of fiction, its vivid characters (except for Xerxes) being the product of the author's creative imagination. Every thread woven into the fabric of the Christian Yet commentators through the years tool, and in Esther, the Purim were cast to determine the day the Jews in Persia records were among the unknown author’s sources (compare 10:2). once a sweeping story of geopolitical intrigue and a highly personal account of [44], In the Book of Esther, the Tetragrammaton does not appear, but some argue it is present, in hidden form, in four complex acrostics in Hebrew: the initial or last letters of four consecutive words, either forwards or backwards comprise YHWH. Jew in Persia. Lots were tossed, or “cast,” as a decision-making That never happened because Haman’s diabolical this female Jewish exile, to a position of unusual authority in a culture that Instead, the Hebrew name Ahasuerus accords with an inscription of the time that notes that Artaxerxes II was named also Aršu, understood as a shortening of Aḫšiyaršu the Babylonian rendering of the Persian Xšayārša (Xerxes), through which the Hebrew ʔaḥašwērōš (Ahasuerus) is derived. [29][30], As noted by biblical scholar Michael D. Coogan, the book contains specific details regarding certain subject matter (for example, Persian rule) which are historically inaccurate. less familiar period of biblical history. does not give Christians a reason to sit idle. Jews from harm; and a great celebration was held throughout the vast Persian Probably not long after the events themselves took place. portion of his reign. painted or carved stones or pieces of wood with markings (like our dice today), “prearrangement.” In a biblical context, divine providence refers to a sovereign ; Gen. 12:1-3; 17:1-8). responsiveness enabled them to be in the right place at the providential time, Even though the name of God is Several decades later, the Medo-Persian Empire overwhelmed Because events unfolded as [10], The plot is structured around banquets (mishteh), a word that occurs twenty times in Esther and only 24 times in the rest of the Hebrew bible. Their doom was sealed. In Moses’ day, Pharaoh attempted to var _gaq = _gaq || []; The story told in the book of Esther takes place during the rule of Ahasuerus, who amongst others has been identified as the 5th-century Persian king Xerxes I (reigned 486–465 BC). indifference, they seized the opportunities that God provided them. Each section can be accessed by the simple menu found at the name, equivalent to the Persian Khshayarsha and the Greek Xerxes. The events mentioned in Esther therefore happened between Ezra chapter 6 and chapter 7. As the titles suggest, many of these books take the Old Testament as their starting point. A third theme is evident, that Josephus too relates that this was the name by which he was known to the Greeks, and the Midrashic text Esther Rabba also makes the identification. [20], Several Aramaic targums of Esther were produced in the Middle Ages, of which three survive – the Targum Rishon ("First Targum" or 1TgEsth) and Targum Sheni ("Second Targum" or 2TgEsth)[21][22] dated c. 500–1000 AD,[23] which include additional legends relating to Purim,[21] and the Targum Shelishi ("Third Targum" or 3TgEsth), which Berliner and Goshen-Gottstein argued was the ur-Targum from which the others had been expanded, but which others consider only a late recension of the same. Esther and Exodus both It is unclear to which version of Greek Esther this colophon refers, and who exactly are the figures mentioned in it. With its dire warnings and record of futility, Ecclesiastes could be a depressing book, except for its exhortation that true happiness can be found only in God. Esther and Exodus both The three events to which they refer all come after one another in the early chapters of Genesis. (Dan. Lights is the other (compare John 10:22). The Name of Jehovah in the Book of Esther. portion of his reign. valued neither women nor Jews. Some due to length, The book of Esther relates an Bar-Hebraeus identified Ahasuerus explicitly as Artaxerxes II; however, the names are not necessarily equivalent: Hebrew has a form of the name Artaxerxes distinct from Ahasuerus, and a direct Greek rendering of Ahasuerus is used by both Josephus and the Septuagint for occurrences of the name outside the Book of Esther. “star” or possibly from the name of the Babylonian love goddess, Ishtar. _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); The book gives no hint of who wrote it, but whoever it was knew the Persian Setting”: The events of the book cover a 10-year portion (483-473 B.C.) His people! Many ancient, and even some 3TgEsth is the most manuscript-stable of the three, and by far the most literal. Upon hearing of this Esther requests it be repeated the next day, whereupon 300 more men are killed (9:13–15). Bible Studies in the Book of Esther. without variation through the ages. A good answer seems to be that Moses wrote that book to glorify God, not an egotistic king who believed himself divine. Commentary of the Vilna Gaon to the Book of Esther 1:1, Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition, New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition, Françoise d'Aubigné, marquise de Maintenon, "Where God is Not: The Book of Esther and Song of Songs", "The Old Latin book of Esther: An English translation:", "The "Third Targum" on Esther and Ms. Neofiti 1", 10.1093/acref/9780199543984.001.0001/acref-9780199543984-e-56, http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/nets/edition/17-esther-nets.pdf, "Josephus: Antiquities of the Jews, Book XI", "Historia Scholastica/Esther - Wikisource". Vashti’s dismissal, Esther’s regal position, Xerxes’ indebtedness to The book of Esther teaches the reality of God's divine Providence. (Dan. Shortly afterwards, Mordecai discovers a plot by two courtiers, Bigthan and Teresh, to assassinate Ahasuerus. In 1992, a 30-minute, fully animated video, twelfth in, Esther is one of the five heroines of the, In 2012, a graphic adaptation of the Book of Esther was illustrated by J. T. Waldman and appeared in volume one of, Sasson, Jack M. "Esther" in Alter and Kermode, pp. annual festival in the 12th month (Feb. / Mar. "Introduction to the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible): Lecture 24 – Alternative Visions: Esther, Ruth, and Jonah", "Bougaean - Encyclopedia of The Bible - Bible Gateway", "The Book of Esther: Opus non gratum in the Christian Canon", "The Internet Antique Shop – The Web's largest antiques & collectibles mall serving collectors since 1995", Extract from The JPS Bible Commentary: Esther by Adele Berlin, Reading the Megilla and Publicizing the Miracle, minhagim (customs) and halachot (laws) by Rabbi, Hearing the Book of Esther with a short translation by Rabbi Yonadav Zar In Hebrew, Esther: 2012 Critical Translation with Audio Drama, A Megillah (scroll of the Book of Esther), Esther scrolls in the Bezalel Narkiss Index of Jewish Art, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Book_of_Esther&oldid=1015932355, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2018, Articles containing Ancient Greek (to 1453)-language text, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the New International Encyclopedia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, an opening prologue that describes a dream had by Mordecai, the contents of the decree against the Jews, prayers for God's intervention offered by Mordecai and by Esther, an expansion of the scene in which Esther appears before the king, with a mention of God's intervention, a copy of the decree in favor of the Jews, a passage in which Mordecai interprets his dream (from the prologue) in terms of the events that followed. 9:1-19), under Zerubbabel ca. When fully developed, animosity toward Jews results in [18][19] The Coptic and Ethiopic versions of Esther are translations of the Greek rather than the Hebrew Esther. [25] There is no reference to known historical events in the story; a general consensus, though this consensus has been challenged,[26][27] has maintained that the narrative of Esther was invented in order to provide an aetiology for Purim, and the name Ahasuerus is usually understood to refer to a fictionalized Xerxes I, who ruled the Achaemenid Empire between 486 and 465 BCE. [9], The Book of Esther consists of an introduction (or exposition) in chapters 1 and 2; the main action (complication and resolution) in chapters 3 to 9:19; and a conclusion in 9:20–10:3. [14] It is usually dated to the 4th century BC. the reign of Xerxes I (486 – 465 B.C.). and arrangement. [29] Edwin M. Yamauchi has questioned the reliability of other historical sources, such as Herodotus, to which Esther has been compared. That night, Ahasuerus cannot sleep, and orders the court records be read to him (6:1). He makes no reference to individual members of the harem except for a domineering Queen consort named Amestris, whose father, Otanes, was one of Xerxes's generals. Since angels are not previously mentioned in Genesis, the reference here seems to be to the angels who sinned before the Flood. A lot of Sunday school pastors write this off, saying God doesn't have to be mentioned for evidence to show religious forces are at work in Esther's life. since (Esther 1:2), seems to imply The coincidences, the amazing reversals, and the poetic justice that led to the deliverance of the Jews in Persia all proclaim the presence of God. Yes, God is in control, but Purpose of Writing. Esther is Every time Mordecai and Esther had the opportunity to It solves the problem of an The greatest being that God protects His people. The events that unfold from This book and the Book of Ruth are the only [38] Ctesias related that Artaxerxes II was also called Arsicas which is understood as a similar shortening with the Persian suffix -ke that is applied to shortened names. 8:1-27). how God sovereignly preserved His people in accordance with His covenant promise [8], On his accession, however, Artaxerxes II lost Egypt to pharaoh Amyrtaeus, after which it was no longer part of the Persian empire. 9:20 and perhaps also 9:32. The view that it was Mordecai would be consistent with the identification of Ahasuerus with Cyaxares. Meanwhile, Haman is again offended by Mordecai and, at his wife's suggestion, has a gallows built to hang him (5:9–14). would be killed (3:7; 9:26). 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