An in-depth discussion regarding the reading of the biblical Book of Esther and how it represents a challenge to patriarchal authority in ancient Jewish society.

Written in 2006; 22,296 words; 41 sources; MLA; $ 249.95

This study provides a critical analysis of how the biblical Book of Esther can be regarded as both a challenge to, but more dominantly a reinforcement of, patriarchal authority in ancient Jewish society. The paper also discusses what the text's implications were for the ancient Jewish people as well as its legacy today.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: Introduction
Aims of the Study
Research Questions
Hypothesis
Rationale in Support of the Study
Potential Contributions of the Study
Chapter 2: Discourse Analysis of the Book of Esther
Chapter 3: Sources of Power in the Ancient Near East
Power in the Ancient Near East
Feminism and Patriarchality in the Ancient Near East Society Chapter 4: Language/Power Theory Analysis of the Esther Text and Its World of Text Production
Chapter 5: Discussion
Chapter 6: Contribution of the Study

"From this perspective, Esther's courage and ingenuity enabled the Jews of Persia to be saved from Haman's plot to massacre them. There are also some delicious parts of the tale where irony plays an important part, such as when Haman is forced to provide the lavish parade in honor of Mordecai and ends up being hung on the same gallows that he constructed for Mordecai's execution. From another perspective, there is a sufficient amount of bloody violence, intrigue and dirty dealings in the Book of Esther to keep even a modern Mickey Spillane fan happy. In fact, some authorities have even suggested that the name Esther derived from the Hebrew word 'seter' (hidden), a foreshadowing of her ability to disguise her Jewish identity until she had won the heart of King Ahasuerus and was therefore in a position to save her people from destruction (Eisenberg 261).
Furthermore, the secular character of the Book of Esther (the divine name is never mentioned) and its strong nationalistic overtones made its admission into the biblical canon highly questionable for both Jews and Christians. From still another perspective, and apparently in response to the conspicuous absence of any reference to God in the book, the redactors of its Greek translation in the Septuagint interspersed many additional verses throughout the text that were intended to emphasize Esther's and Mordecai's religious devotion; these so-called Additions to the Book of Esther do not appear in the Hebrew Bible, but are treated as canonical in Roman Catholic Bibles, and are placed in the Apocrypha in Protestant Bibles (Faherty 2-3) (see Additions to the Book of Esther at Appendix A). In his book, Invitation to the Apocrypha, Harrington (1999) reports that, "The Hebrew Esther is canonical for Jews and Protestants. In the Roman Catholic and Greek and Russian Orthodox churches, the expanded Greek version with the additions is the canonical form. The canonical status of Esther was debated in antiquity among both Jews and Christians. It is the only book in the Hebrew Bible not represented among the Dead Sea Scrolls. Indeed, the revised and expanded Greek version of Esther was most likely produced to make the book more acceptable" (53)."

Tags: King, Ahasuerus, Persia, Jewish, legacy, writing, haman, adar, talmud, greek

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