Esther

Esther
אֶסְתֵּר‎
Queen Esther (1879) by Edwin Long
Born	Hadassah (הדסה‎) Achaemenid Empire
Title	Queen of Persia and Medes
Spouse	Ahasuerus of Persia
Parent	Abihail (biological father) Mordecai (adoptive father)

Esther^[a] (originally Hadassah) is the eponymous heroine of the Book of Esther. The story the book tells is as follows: Ahasuerus, the king of the Persian Achaemenid Empire, falls in love with the beautiful Jewish woman Esther and makes her his Queen.^[1] His grand vizier, Haman, is offended by Esther's cousin and guardian, Mordecai, who refuses to prostrate himself before Haman. Haman plots to have all the Jews in Persia killed, and convinces Ahasuerus to permit him to do so. However, Esther foils the plan by revealing Haman's eradication plans to Ahasuerus, who then has Haman executed and grants permission to the Jews to kill their enemies.^[2]

The Book of Esther provides the traditional explanation for the Jewish holiday of Purim, celebrated on the date given in the story for when Haman's order was to go into effect, which is the day that the Jews killed their enemies after the plan was reversed. Since the 1890s, several academics have “agreed in seeing [The Book of] Esther as a historicized myth or ritual” and generally concluded that Purim has its origin in a Babylonian or Persian myth or festival (though which one is a subject of discussion).^[3][4]

The book exists in two related forms: a shorter Biblical Hebrew-sourced version found in Jewish and Protestant Bibles, and a longer Koine Greek-sourced version found in Catholic and Orthodox Bibles.^[5]

Name

When she is introduced, in Esther 2:7, she is first referred to by the Hebrew name Hadassah,^[6] which means "myrtle tree."^[7] This name is absent from the early Greek manuscripts, although present in the targumic texts, and was probably added to the Hebrew text in the 2nd century CE at the earliest to stress the heroine's Jewishness.^[8] The name "Esther" probably derives from the name of the Babylonian goddess Ishtar or from the Persian word cognate with the English word "star" (implying an association with Ishtar) though some scholars contend it is related to the Persian words for "woman" or "myrtle".^[9]

Narrative

In the third year of the reign of King Ahasuerus of Persia the king banishes his queen, Vashti, and seeks a new queen. Beautiful maidens gather together at the harem in the citadel of Susa under the authority of the eunuch Hegai.^[1]

Esther, a cousin of

Following Esther's coronation, Mordecai learns of an assassination plot by Bigthan and Teresh to kill King Ahasuerus. Mordecai tells Esther, who tells the king in the name of Mordecai, and he is saved. This act of great service to the king is recorded in the Annals of the Kingdom.

After Mordecai saves the king's life,

On the thirteenth day of Adar, the same day that Haman had set for them to be killed, the Jews defend themselves in all parts of the kingdom and rest on the fourteenth day of Adar. The fourteenth day of Adar is celebrated with the giving of charity, exchanging foodstuffs, and feasting. In Susa, the Jews of the capital were given another day to kill their oppressors; they rested and celebrated on the fifteenth day of Adar, again giving charity, exchanging foodstuffs, and feasting as well. ^[10]

Early 3rd century CE Roman painting of Esther and Mordechai,
Dura-Europos synagogue, Syria.

The Jews established an annual feast, the feast of Purim, in memory of their deliverance. Haman having set the date of the thirteenth of Adar to commence his campaign against the Jews, this determined the date of the festival of Purim.^[11]

Historicity

Although the details of the setting are entirely plausible and the story may even have some basis in actual events, there is general agreement among scholars that the book of Esther is a work of fiction.^[12][b] Persian kings did not marry outside of seven Persian noble families, making it unlikely that there was a Jewish queen Esther.^[13][5][c] Further, the name Ahasuerus can be translated to Xerxes, as both derive from the Persian Khshayārsha.^[14][15] Ahasuerus as described in the Book of Esther is usually identified in modern sources to refer to Xerxes I,^[16][17] who ruled between 486 and 465 BCE,^[14] as it is to this monarch that the events described in Esther are thought to fit the most closely.^[15][18] Xerxes I's queen was Amestris, further highlighting the fictitious nature of the story.^[13][5][d]

Some scholars speculate that the story was created to justify the Jewish appropriation of an originally non-Jewish feast.

The Book of Esther begins by portraying Esther as beautiful and obedient, though a relatively passive figure. Throughout the story, she evolves into a character who takes a decisive role in her own future and that of her people.^[22] According to Sidnie White Crawford, "Esther's position in a male court mirrors that of the Jews in a Gentile world, with the threat of danger ever present below the seemingly calm surface."^[23] Esther is compared to Daniel in that both represent a "type" for Jews living in Diaspora, and hoping to live a successful life in an alien environment.

According to Susan Zaeske, by virtue of the fact that Esther used only rhetoric to convince the king to save her people, the story of Esther is a "rhetoric of exile and empowerment that, for millennia, has notably shaped the discourse of marginalized peoples such as Jews, women, and African Americans", persuading those who have power over them.^[24]

Persian culture

Modern day

Throughout history, many artists have created paintings depicting Esther. Notable early portrayals include the Heilspiegel Altarpiece by Konrad Witz^[1] and Esther Before Ahasuerus by Tintoretto (1546–47, Royal Collection) which show Esther appearing before the king to beg mercy for the Jews, despite the punishment for appearing without being summoned being death. This scene became one of the most commonly depicted parts of the story.

Esther's faint had not often been depicted in art before Tintoretto. It is shown in the series of cassone scenes of the Life of Esther attributed variously to Sandro Botticelli and Filippino Lippi from the 1470s. In other cassone depictions, for example by Filippino Lippi, Esther's readiness to show herself before the court is contrasted to Vashti's refusal to expose herself to the public assembly.^[27][28]

Esther was regarded in Catholic theology as a

The story of Esther is also referenced in chapter 28 of 1 Meqabyan, a book considered canonical in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.^{[citation needed]}

Music

• Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Historia Esther, H.396, for soloist, chorus, strings and continuo, 1677.
• George Frideric Handel, Esther, with a libretto based on a play by Jean Racine, 1718 and 1732.
• Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre
  , Esther, for soprano and continuo, 1708.

See also

• Shushandukht
• Esterka

Notes

References

Citations

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Solle 2006, p. 107.
2. ^ "Esther 7:2". www.sefaria.org.
3. Ishtar Myth, and the Zagmuk
   Feast, respectively, they all agreed in seeing Esther as a historicized myth or ritual. More recently, however, a Persian origin for Purim has been gaining support among scholars.”
4. ^ Moore, Carey A. “Esther, Book of,” ed. David Noel Freedman, The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 637-638 “Certainly a pagan origin for Purim would also help to explain the "secular" way in which it was to be celebrated, i.e., with uninhibited and even inebriated behavior (cf. above Meg. 7b). Then too, a pagan origin for the festival would also help to explain the absence of various religious elements in the story…. But even more recently scholars are again looking to Palestine for the origin of the festival… Its Lack of Historicity: [R]are is the 20th-century scholar who accepts the story at face value.”
5. ^ ^{a b c} Hahn & Mitch 2019, p. 71.
6. ^ McKenzie 1995, p. 330.
7. ^ "H1919 - hăḏasâ - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (kjv)". Blue Letter Bible. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
8. ^ Macchi 2019, p. 123.
9. ^ Macchi 2019, p. 141.
10. ^ Hirsch, Prince & Schechter 1936.
11. ^ Crawford, Sidnie White. "Esther: Bible", Jewish Women's Archive.
12. ^ Tucker 2004.
13. ^ ^{a b} Fox 2010, pp. 131–140.
14. ^ ^{a b} Baumgarten, Albert I.; Sperling, S. David; Sabar, Shalom (2007). Skolnik, Fred; Berenbaum, Michael (eds.). Encyclopaedia Judaica. Vol. 18 (2nd ed.). Farmington Hills, MI: Macmillan Reference. p. 216.
15. ^ ^{a b} Larkin, Katrina J.A. (1996). Ruth and Esther (Old Testament Guides). Sheffield, UK: Sheffield Academic Press. p. 71.
16. ^ Crawford, Sidnie White (1998). "Esther". In Newsom, Carol A.; Ringe, Sharon H. (eds.). Women's Bible Commentary. Louisville: Westminster John Knox. p. 202.
17. ISBN 978-9004187375
    .
18. ^ Moore, Carey A. (1971). Esther (Anchor Bible). Garden City, NY: Doubleday. p. xxxv.
19. ^ Macchi 2019, p. 40.
20. ^ ^{a b} Johnson 2005, p. 20.
21. ^ Kalimi 2023, p. 130.
22. ^ Coogan et al. 2007.
23. ^ Crawford 2003.
24. ^ Zaeske 2000, p. 194.
25. ^ Vahidmanesh 2010.
26. ^ Schaalje 2001.
27. ^ Baskins 1995, p. 38.
28. ^ Wind 1940–1941, p. 114.
29. ^ Baskins 1995, p. 37.
30. ^ Bergsma & Pitre 2018.
31. ^ Baskins 1995, p. 40.
32. ^ Whitaker & Clayton 2007.
33. ^ Metropolitan Museum of Art.
34. ^ Harris & Platzner 2007, p. 375.
35. ^ Vanderkam & Flint, p. 182.
36. ^ EC Marsh: LXX.

Bibliography

• Baskins, Cristelle L. (1995) [First published 1993]. "Typology, sexuality and the Renaissance Esther". In Turner, James (ed.). Sexuality and Gender in Early Modern Europe: Institutions, Texts, Images.
  ISBN 978-0-521-44605-1
  .
• ISBN 978-1-642-29048-6
  .
• Browning, W. R. F., ed. (2009). "Ahasuerus". A Dictionary of the Bible (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.
  ISBN 978-0-19-954398-4
  .
• Coogan, Michael David; Brettler, Marc Zvi; Newsom, Carol Ann; Perkins, Pheme (2007). The New Oxford Annotated Bible. Oxford University Press.
  ISBN 978-0-19528880-3
  .
• JSTOR 24610146
  .
• Crawford, Sidnie White (2003). "Esther". In Dunn, James D. G.; Rogerson, John William (eds.). Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible. Wm. B. Eerdmans.
  ISBN 978-0-80283711-0
  .
• Dalley, Stephanie (2007). Esther's Revenge at Susa: From Sennacherib to Ahasuerus.
  ISBN 978-0-199-21663-5
  .
• "Esther", LXX, EC Marsh.
• "Esther Before Ahasuerus (Tintoretto)". Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
• Fox, Michael V. (2010). Character and Ideology in the Book of Esther (2nd ed.).
  ISBN 978-1-608-99495-3
  .
• Hahn, Scott; Mitch, Curtis (2019). Tobit, Judith, and Esther.
  ISBN 978-1-621-64185-8
  .
• Harris, Stephen; Platzner, Robert (2007). The Old Testament: An Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. McGraw-Hill Education. p. 375.
  ISBN 978-0072990515
  .
• Hirsch, Emil G.; Prince, John Dyneley; Schechter, Solomon (1936). "Esther (Hebrew, אֶסְתֵּר; Greek, Εσθήρ)". Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls Co.
• Howard, David M. Jr. (2007). An Introduction to the Old Testament Historical Books.
  ISBN 978-1-575-67447-6
  .
• ISBN 978-1-13946934-0
  .
• Johnson, Sara Raup (2005). Historical Fictions and Hellenistic Jewish Identity. University of California Press.
  ISBN 9780520928435
  .
• Kalimi, Isaac (2023). The Book of Esther between Judaism and Christianity.
  ISBN 978-1-009-26612-3
  .
• Koller, Aaron (2014). Esther in Ancient Jewish Thought.
  ISBN 978-1-107-72980-3
  .
• ISBN 978-0-31086487-5
  .
• Leith, Mary Joan Winn (2011). "Esther". In
  ISBN 978-0-195-37737-8
  .
• Levenson, Jon D. (1997). Esther: A Commentary. Westminster John Knox.
  ISBN 9780664228873
  .
• Littman, Robert J. (January 1975). "The Religious Policy of Xerxes and the Book of Esther". The Jewish Quarterly Review. 65 (3): 145–155.
  JSTOR 1454354
  .
• Macchi, Jean-Daniel (2019). Esther.
  ISBN 978-3-170-31028-5
  .
• McDonald, Lee Martin (2006). The Biblical Canon: Its Origin, Transmission, and Authority.
  ISBN 978-1-441-24164-1
  .
• McKenzie, John L. (1995). The Dictionary Of The Bible. Simon and Schuster.
  ISBN 9780684819136
  .
• Meyers, Carol (2007). "Esther". In Barton, John; Muddiman, John (eds.). The Oxford Bible Commentary.
  ISBN 978-0-199-27718-6
  .
• JSTOR 24609021
  .
• Miller, Tricia (2015). Jews and Anti-Judaism in Esther and the Church.
  ISBN 978-0-227-90258-5
  .
• Polish, Daniel F. (1 September 1999). "Aspects of Esther: A Phenomenological Exploration of the Megillah of Esther and the Origins of Purim". Journal for the Study of the Old Testament. 24 (85): 85–106.
  S2CID 143019872
  .
• Phillips, E. A. (2008). "Esther 6: Person". In
  ISBN 978-0-830-81783-2
  .
• Schaalje, Jacqueline (June 2001). "Ancient synagogues in Bar'am and Capernaum". Jewish Magazine.
• Silverstein, Adam J. (2014). "The Samaritan Version of the Esther Story". In Ahmed, Asad Q.; Sadeghi, Behnam; Hoyland, Robert G.; Silverstein, Adam (eds.). Islamic Cultures, Islamic Contexts: Essays in Honor of Professor Patricia Crone.
  ISBN 978-9-004-28171-4
  .
• Silverstein, Adam J. (2018). Veiling Esther, Unveiling Her Story: The Reception of a Biblical Book in Islamic Lands.
  ISBN 978-0-192-51773-9
  .
• Solle, Dorothee (2006). Great Women of the Bible: In Art and Literature. Fortress Press. p. 107.
  ISBN 0800635574
  .
• Soomekh, Saba (2012). From the Shahs to Los Angeles: Three Generations of Iranian Jewish Women between Religion and Culture.
  ISBN 978-1-438-44385-0
  .
• Testen, David (October 1998). "Semitic Terms for 'Myrtle': A Study in Covert".
  S2CID 161499240
  .
• Tidball, Dianne (2001). Esther, a True First Lady: A Post-Feminist Icon in a Secular World.
  ISBN 978-1-85792671-2
  .
• Tucker, Gene M. (2004) [First published 1993]. "Esther, The Book of". In Metzger, Bruce M.; Coogan, Michael D. (eds.). The Oxford Companion to the Bible. Oxford University Press.
  ISBN 978-0-19-504645-8
  .
• Vahidmanesh, Parvaneh (5 May 2010). "Sad Fate of Iran's Jews". Payvand. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
• Vanderkam, James; Flint, Peter. The Meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls. p. 182.
• Whitaker, Lucy; Clayton, Martin (2007). The Art of Italy in the Royal Collection; Renaissance and Baroque. Royal Collection Publications.
  ISBN 978-1-902163-291
  .
• S2CID 192310493
  .
• S2CID 163266181
  .
• ISBN 978-0-310-53182-1
  .
• Yamauchi, Edwin (1997). Persia and the Bible. Baker Academic.
  ISBN 978-0-801-02108-4
  .
• Zadok, Ran (1984). "Historical Background of the Book of Esther". Biblische Notizen. 24: 18–23.
• Zadok, Ran (1986). "Notes on Esther". ZAW. 98: 105–110.
• Zaeske, Susan (2000). "Unveiling Esther as a Pragmatic Radical Rhetoric". Philosophy and Rhetoric. 33 (3 On Feminizing the Philosophy of Rhetoric): 193–220.
  S2CID 171068760
  .

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Esther (Biblical figure).