Religious Studies: The Book of Esther

Religious Studies: The Book of Esther

Introduction

The book of Esther is found in the Old Testament between Nehemiah and Job. However, its appearance is based on the religious background or the church, for that matter. For instance, the book follows Ecclesiastes and Lamentations in the Jewish Bible, and it is only read during the Purim festival, which is celebrated in commemoration of the Jews’ rescue from Haman’s plot. However, in the protestant religion, the book of Esther appears between Nehemiah and job, while in the Roman Catholic Church, it seems between Judith and job.  The primary author of the book of Esther, however, is unknown as it is not clear as to who wrote the book. Many types of research have claimed that the author might have been a Jew who was very familiar with the ways of the Persians. From the description of the Persian traditions and detailed court life present in the book, the author might have been a Jewish eye witness to everything that was happening at the time. However, others claim that the author was Mordecai, while others claim it was one of his younger believers as well. As that remains on the debate, there is much biblical criticism used to analyze the book of Esther, as will be discussed further in the paper. The paper will also focus on the main theological themes present in the text, as well as how to interpret the book of Esther for today’s readers.

Background information

The book is centred when the Jewish people lived under the Persian Empire. It was a festive season known as the holiday of Purim. The text elaborates on how the Jews came to celebrate the feast of Purim. It centres a young beautiful Jewish wife, Esther, who the wife to king of Persia, Xerxes, and her cousin Mordecai. Mordecai angers Haman, the king’s second in command, by refusing to bow to him. This makes Haman so angry that he orders the execution of all the Jews. On hearing this, Esther finds means of communicating with the king to save her people from such fate. She goes against the rules of Persia concerning a wife visiting the king’s chambers without being summoned, which was forbidden. Due to the love the king had for her, he pardons her and gives her a chance to speak. Esther invites the king and Haman to a festival she plans to throw for them since it was a festive season. Haman, not knowing what was in store for him, becomes excited, thinking the king had favoured him. On arrival at the small feast, Esther, on her knees, talks to the king about Haman’s plot against her people. The king, with anger, banishes Haman to a death sentence without trial. He had built a gallows where Mordecai was to be hanged, and it ended up being his gallows. The Jews were saved from their deaths and destroyed their enemies during the day set for their annihilation. Esther becomes the heroine of the Jewish people when she goes against all the rules to save them from the doomed fate they had been sentenced to by Haman.

The theological content of the book of Esther

The book of Esther has been analyzed by many religious personnel and sites basing on its events. Some researchers claim that the events were symbolic as they tried to elaborate what each event meant in the book. There are some biblical resources related to the book that talks about the critical methods used to analyze the book, some major theological themes present in the text, among others.

Significant theological themes in the book of Esther

One of the significant issues in the book is God’s protection of Israel. Despite God not being mentioned throughout the text, His grace upon his people is evident in the book. Throughout biblical history, the Israelites have always been treated unfairly and unjustly, and the book of Esther is one clarification of that. Haman had planned to doom all the Jews to their deaths during the festival. On hearing this, the Jewish people fasted and prayed to God to deliver them from the disaster that was to befall them. Mordecai, dressed as a beggar, cried and pleaded with God to save them all. Eventually, a young maiden from the Jewish community is selected to be the king’s bride and ends up saving the whole race. God chooses Esther to enter the palace and represent his people. Esther goes against all the rules of the Persian traditions and risks her own life for her people. As she tried to get her way to the king’s chamber, the Jews kept praying, and with their prayers and tears, God delivers them all from their planned deaths.

Another theme present in the text is feasting, as the whole book revolves around the Purim festival that was held in Susa city of Persia. The book begins with king Xerxes I having a party, he gets drunk and kicks the queen out for disobeying him. Esther plans a little party for the king and Haman, but she gets scared and does not speak to the king on what she wanted to say. She plans another party where she eventually tells the king about Haman and his plot against her people. Then there is the final feasting, which is considered as the double celebration of Purim. The last feast was primarily celebrated by the Jews who had just been delivered from the jaws of death. They finally defeated their enemies with the help of a young maiden, thus felt delivered and feasted largely. Up to date, the Jewish religion still celebrates this festival in remembrance of the deliverance during the time of the Persian Empire.

The themes in the text all have some standard features. First, they all claim how powerful God is and the love he has for his people of Israel. Throughout biblical history, God has always promised freedom to the people of Israel, even though he puts them through a lot before they earn the privilege. In the story of Moses, he delivers them from the Egyptians after centuries of slavery in the land. In the story of Joseph, He delivers them from hunger and other calamities. In the story of Esther, He delivers them from the jaws of death, plotted against them by Haman. The themes also portray God as being graceful and merciful, as when the Jews fasted and prayed to him for deliverance, he listened and used Esther to accomplish his salvation upon his people.

On the community’s relationship with God, the themes show a strong bond. In the text, the Jews are portrayed as being religious as they fast and pray for their deliverance from God. Their relationship with God is strong as they depend on him to save them. When he eventually does, they feast and celebrate on his name. On a personal relationship with God, the book of Esther elaborated this through Esther and Mordecai. Mordecai could not cease praying and asking Esther to deliver them from the disaster that was to occur their people. He never lost hope on God and knew that he had a plan for them. When Esther got chosen to be the king’s wife, Mordecai reminded her that she was placed there for a reason, as it was the only time she would be able to save them all. Esther believed God had a plan for her to save his people, and as she went against all the rules, she knew he would not let her fall. She gained more courage knowing that the Jews were fasting and praying for her to deliver them all.

Critical methods used to examine the book of Esther

Different religious scholars have biblically criticized the book of Esther over the years. Biblical criticism is the rules and discipline applied to stud the composition, text and historical questions that have arisen about the Old and New Testament. It is used to lay down some groundwork for meaningful translation and interpretation of the Bible. There are five major biblical criticisms, the first one being textual criticism. This method is concerned with how the text was initially written, and its different versions. Some research claims that the book of Esther must have been written before the fall of the Persian Empire to Greece as it lacks some Greek words and the style used to write is of Hebrew dialect.

The other method is philological criticism, and like the textual criticism, it entails the study of the language used to write the Bible, and the accurate vocabulary and grammar at the time it was written. The book of Esther was initially written in the Hebrew language and later moved into the history books of the Greek Septuagint. Some biblical scholars consider the book as being secular since it lacks words like God, prayer and the Temple. When it moved into the Greek library, some passages were added, which included the missing terms from the original copy.

The third critical method is literary criticism that focuses on the different literary genres portrayed in the text with some hidden meanings. This criticism unveils the secret symbolic acts present in a passage in the Bible. Some theological scholars believe that the Bible is symbolic, and each event represents something. In the Book of Esther, many scholarly critics have come up with theories following the events in the book. The festival of Purim, for instance, represented the freedom and deliverance of the Jewish people. Thus it is being celebrated up to date by the Jewish religion. As the text progresses, the author keeps mentioning the conflict between the Israelites and the Amalekites that was on-going. This conflict began during the exodus, and it has been so throughout the biblical history of the Israelites. The author refers to the Amalekites as the significant obstacles to God’s people and their freedom. However, when Haman falls in the hands of the Jews, and they are released from captivity, he is seen as the last effort of the Old Testament to destroy them. Also, the conflict is in close range with the freedom the Israelites had been promised and were waiting for. When Haman dies, the Jews finally get the rest they needed from their enemies (9:16,22).

Traditional criticism traces the development of the oral traditions of the people in the text. In the book of Esther, there is a mention of a particular Persian culture that forbade the queen from seeing the king unless she is summoned. When Esther got married into the palace, she knew that she could not wait to be asked as her people did not have that much time. She went against the rules and walked into the king’s secret chambers. Such actions led to execution without question, as the law stated, not unless she got pardoned by the king. Some theological critics have claimed that this law was unethical as when one is married to the king; she becomes the queen thus should be allowed everywhere the king is. She does not need to be summoned to show her presence. In most kingdoms, the queen was ever-present where the king was. Thus this led to the book of Esther being criticized.

Lastly, in the form criticism, which classifies the text basing on the preliterary form like parables and hymns? The book of Esther has been ranked as being more of a historical book. It only tells the story of how the Jews were delivered from a massacre that was upon them. The book is not a parable or a song, but the story of a young heroine, Esther, whom God used to save his people. It does not have any hidden messages. The flow of events just tells a story—also a reason behind the celebration of the Purim festival to date.

How to interpret the text for today’s readers

The book of Esther can be interpreted in the sense that today’s readers can relate to it. For one, the deliverance of the Jewish people by God can give someone today hope and strength to keep believing in God despite hardship. One can learn that with prayer and patience, God can accomplish anything for anyone who seeks him in times of need. The Jews prayed without seizure when they heard of their fate, and God did not let them down. The same case to anyone today, with hope and patience, God can also deliver them.

Esther’s choice to act in the presence of the king despite the traditions saved all the Jews. If she had not acted upon her decision, her people would have perished all. For today’s readers, Esther’s bravery shows that one should learn to act upon a decision made if it is for the best of them and everyone else. Therefore, one should know that a lack of action can turn out to be more dangerous than the act itself.

In conclusion, the book of Esther is a historical book that tells the story of a young Jewish maiden who became a heroine at the end. She took a significant risk that could have caused her life and acted upon her decisions, thus saving a whole race from execution. It also gives the historical background of why the Purim festival is still being celebrated up to date by the Jewish religion.

Bibliography

Berg, Sandra Beth. The Book Of Esther: Motifs, Themes And Structure. Dissertation Series 44. Missoula, Montana: Scholars Press, 2009.

Fuerst, Wesley J. “Esther.” The Books of Ruth, Esther, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Songs, Lamentations. The Cambridge Bible Commentary on the New English Bible. 66 Vols. Eds. P. R. Ackroyd, A. R. C. Leaney, and J. W. Packer. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015.

Gibbs, Paul T. “Literature in Adventist Schools.” Seventh-Day Adventists on Literature. Ed. Robert Dunn. Riverside, California: Loma Linda University Department of English, 1974. 113-130.

Gordis, Robert. “Religion, Wisdom and History in the Book of Esther–A New Solution to an Ancient Crux.” Journal of Biblical Literature Sept. 2001: 359-388.

Jones, Bruce. “Two Misconceptions about the Book of Esther.” Catholic Biblical Quarterly 39 (2017): 171-181.