The Book of Esther

The Book of Esther has a simple plot: the Jews in exile in the Persian Empire are threatened with annihilation; the beautiful orphan Esther, secretly a Jewess and guided by her uncle Mordecai, becomes a member of the king’s harem; soon after she is crowned as queen; she uses shrewd argument to ensure the annihilation of the enemies of the Jews and the promotion of Mordecai.

This folk-history is set in Susa, the winter residence of the king of the Persian empire, near the border of modern-day Iran and Iraq, some two and a half thousand years ago.  King Ahasuerus (think of Xerxes) was the most powerful man on earth, ruling all the lands from India to Ethiopia. He made Esther his queen and listened to her voice, albeit that she risked her own death by daring to make such intercession.

The story of Esther is told among Jews as the background to the ‘Day of Mordecai’ and the feast of Purim.  The Christian Church included Esther in its canon of inspired writings only after several centuries of debate and with some hesitancy.  The version we know today consists of the original Hebrew story, with some pious insertions from a later Greek account.

The Book of Esther is undoubtedly controversial. By today’s standards, it is politically incorrect. Rulers are corrupt, enemies are massacred, women are exploited. But the Book of Esther continues to be a point of reference for political and feminist theologies. In particular, it underscores the history of persecution and resilience in the Middle East and it raises questions about gender and power.

There are many unusual features to this story. First, it cannot be read as a modern piece of history: for example, Mordecai is said to be part of the original group of Jews carried away by King Nebuchadnezzar to captivity in Babylon in 598 BCE. But the events described in the Book of Esther occur in 484 BCE, more than a century after the exile to Babylon!

Secondly, God is never mentioned in the original Hebrew version of the Book of Esther. There are no prayers, no blessings, no divine interventions. History is assumed to be the theatre of God’s activity. Just as in the story of Joseph in exile in Egypt, or as in the story of Daniel in captivity in Babylon, history is seen to display God’s fidelity, even in the most appalling times.

The Book of Esther is a story of hope. A woman, an orphan, a member of a despised and displaced minority, is able to argue for justice and to change the destiny of her people.

Esther’s voice is brave, precise, and not without humour. At the risk of instant death, she seeks an audience with the king. When asked what her petition is, she replies, ‘Let life be given me – that is my petition – and the lives of my people, that is my request.’ She concedes with irony that if the Jews were just to be kept as slaves, she would not protest, but she then argues that if all the Jews in the empire were to be killed, the King would be unable to make good the losses he would sustain.

Esther’s voice expresses the hope and intent of individuals and peoples denied the fullness of life, apparently powerless, yet achieving justice.

­­­­­For a simple text of the Book of Esther, go to
http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Esther+1

For a detailed commentary, see Lewis Bayles Paton, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Esrher at http://books.google.com/books?id=6EySmXMiCmQC&printsec=frontcover&dq=esther+%2B+exegesis#PPP1,M1

For an example of feminist readings of Esther, see Athalya Brenner, A Feminist Companion to Esther, Judith and Susanna at http://books.google.com/books?id=C3vtU7zQwEYC&pg=PA88&dq=esther+%2B+irigaray

For an example of feminist readings of Esther, see Susan Zaeske, ‘Unveiling Esther as a Pragmatic Radical Rhetoric’, in Philosophy and Rhetoric 33.2 (2000): 193-220 at

http://muse.uq.edu.au/journals/philosophy_and_rhetoric/related/v033/33.3zaeske.html

For pictures of the Scroll of Esther,

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