Through The Bible

Session #15 – Esther

May 1, 2002

Esther has had a rough time in canonical history.

• The Qumran community, where we have some of our best textual manuscripts, didn’t have a manuscript Esther. It seems they had no use for it.
• Luther wanted it taken out of the canon because he said it, “...Judaized too much...”

The text itself of Esther has been the subject of much debate.

• The Hebrew version is in tact.
• The Greek version (Septuagint) is much longer.
• Which one is more accurate and the right one?
• One rule of thumb in Biblical studies when deciding about different manuscripts: the shorter and more difficult text is often the original. Longer and more explanation often means someone has been trying to smooth things out.

What is the purpose of Esther?

• Open this up to the class.
• Is it simply to tell a good story?
• Esther is one of the two books of the Bible where God is not mentioned. In fact, the only religious activity that is really mentioned comes in 4.16 where Esther declares a fast.
• Is it history to tell of what life was like in the Persian Empire?
• Is it to explain the origins and beginnings of the Purim festival?

Purim – what do we know about it?

Regrettably, it’s one we know little about but the most common views are as follows:

• Jewish commemoration of deliverance festival.
• Deliverance from what?

- captivity of Jews in Edom (dates do not correspond)

- Maccabean victory (dates do not correspond)

- Left with Babylonian ties

Authorship and Date:

• Don’t know. Most likely late in 4^th century BC by unknown author.
• In 2.6 we see that the date of the writing of Esther must have come after the exile.

The theology of Esther

• Hotly debated issue
• Book often rejected as ‘subchristian.’
• While it doesn’t mention God by name, it has a certain theology of its own.

- There’s an ethic to Esther where we hope justice will win out in the end, and it seems to – at least from a Jewish perspective.

- Mordecai shows us a great courage in the face of persecution and threat. A good Jew can only worship the covenant God.

- Have you heard it said, “The Lord helps those who help themselves”? This seems to be at work here. Contrast what we see in Esther with Isaiah 30:15 and Zechariah 4:6.

- While God’s name is not mentioned in the book, God is present on every page.

God in the shadows and seemingly absent but present is one of the great benefits from Esther.