Book of Esther

Roll of the Book of Esther, in Fez, Morocco, 13th or 14th century. Preserved at the Museum of Arts and Civilizations in Paris. Traditionally, the Esther Book roll has a single roller or cylinder that, before beginning the reading of the text, is positioned on the left side of the reader (since the Hebrew language is read from right to left).

The Book of Esther (Hebrew מְגִילַת אֶסְתֵּר, Megillat Esther—"Scroll of Esther") is an ancient Hebrew book and is part of the Ketuvim (Writings), the third section of the Tanakh. The original Hebrew text is universally considered canonical. For Judaism, it constitutes an external and independent book of the Torah (Pentateuch). For Christianity, it is part of the books of the Old Testament. In turn, later additions in Greek were accepted as deuterocanonical by the Catholic Church, while Protestant, Anglican and Restorationist Churches exclude them from the Bible, based on Jewish usage.

Canonicity

Meguilat Ester o Rollo de Ester. Ashkenazi art. Hebrew miniature manuscript with the Book of Esther; Germany, c. 1700. Text read during Purim.

The Book of Esther survives to this day in two substantially different forms: a Hebrew text (the shorter form, considered by most scholars to be original), and a Koine Greek text (also in two fairly divergent: that of the Septuagint or Bible of the Seventy, and that of Luciano de Antioch, free translations of the Hebrew that add to this six long sections considered deuterocanonical). century I d. C., but finally it was widely accepted among the Jews and, later, it was not objected to by the Protestants either.

The Greek additions to the Hebrew version of the Book of Esther were questioned by Jerome of Estridon who, when translating this book, collected the Greek sections at the end of his work: the Vulgate. But they were finally admitted as canonical by the Council of Trent, along with other books in the same situation (such as the books of Tobias and Judith), in response to the Protestant Reformation.

In summary, the book is considered universally canonical in its Hebrew original, the only version accepted by Jews and Protestants. Later additions in Greek were accepted as deuterocanonical by Catholic and Orthodox Christians, but are considered apocryphal by Protestants, Anglicans, and Restorationists.

Traditionally, scrolls containing the Book of Esther feature a single roller or cylinder on the left side, unlike most Bible scrolls, such as handwritten copies of the Pentateuch (Torah) which have two cylinders, one on each side.

Style and organization

First chapter of the Book of Esther in a scroll in Hebrew.

The Book of Esther shows considerable nationalism and uses direct language, little given to metaphors. Contrary to other biblical books, Esther does not cite sources or adhere strictly to the Hebrew doctrine (including the concept of Covenant), nor to God as an essential source of the spirituality and religious life of the Jewish people (despite seeing his act implicitly). In such a way that the name of God does not appear in the book, an extraordinary case in a sacred book for Judaism and Christianity. Because of this, Judaism does not include it in the main body of the Torah, but instead preserves it as a physically separate text from the Mosaic Law. There are only two books in the Bible where this fact is verified: the Book of Esther, and the Song of Songs.

The story of Esther is a drama, not in the Greek sense (man's struggle against fate), but in the Hebrew: a story that shows God's providence.

Its author

The events of Esther are believed to have taken place in the days when the mighty Persian empire was at its height, spanning about 18 years into the reign of Ahasuerus (Xerxes I). That period, which extends to around 475 B.C. C., is indicated by testimony from Greek, Persian and Babylonian sources.

The Book of Esther is traditionally attributed to Mordecai, an eyewitness and one of the main protagonists of the story. Already for modern critics, the Book of Esther was written by an unknown Jew, in Susa (Persia) or in Israel, during the period from the end of the fifth century to the end of the II a. C.. On the other hand, the translation and additions in Greek were possibly made shortly before the year 114 a. C.

Characters from the Book of Esther

He's crowning Esther. «So he placed the royal crown on his head» (Esther 2:17)

Esther and Mordecai write the letters to the Jews, century V a. C. Oil by Aert de Gelder, 1675. Collection Hirsch, Argentina.

This biblical book mentions:

Assurance

Great King of Persia, unanimously identified with the historic Jerjes I. This king ruled from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces. Asherus proclaimed Esther reign instead of Queen Vashti, who had refused to go out to show his beauty to the peoples and princes, for the Bible says that Vashti was beautiful in appearance.

Mardoqueo

It was the son of Yair (Jair), the son of Shimei (Simey), the son of Kis (Cis), of the tribe of Benjamin. The Bible mentions in Esther 2:7 that He had raised Hadassa, who is Esther, the daughter of his uncle, because he had no father or mother; and he was a young man in a beautiful way and in a good way; and as his father and mother died, Mordecai had taken her for his daughter.

Ester

It was Abihail's daughter, Mardoqueo's uncle.Having become an orphan of her parents, her cousin Mardoqueo adopted her and raised her as her daughter. It was moza of beautiful shape and good look. His Hebrew name was Hadassa (which means myth) but was changed to Esther, who is of Babylonian origin and means ‘star’. She was proclaimed queen instead of queen Vasti, for she won the grace of all who saw it.

Hamán

It was son of Hamdathah (Hamedata), of the country of Agag. King Ahasuerus raised him to power, and placed him above all his other servants. Hamán began to hate Mordecai because he did not kneel or bow before him, just as The king sent it.That is why he sought to destroy the Jews, without knowing (and that would be the final cause of his perdition) that Esther himself was Jewish. Hamn is also a descendant of Agag, king of Amalek, who was killed by the prophet Samuel. Since then, the descendants of King Agag committed to annihilating all the Jews.

Vasti

He was King Ahasuerus' first wife. In the Book of Esther, she was banished by her refusal to appear at the king's banquet. In fact, while the king kept a magnificent banquet for his princes, nobles and servants, she gave a separate banquet for women. On the seventh day of the banquet, when the king’s heart was “great for wine”, the king commanded his chambelans to summon Vasti to stand before him and his guests with the royal crown, and thus show his beauty. Vasti didn't want to go, which caused the king's anger. He then asked his advisers to decide how Vasti should be punished for his disobedience. Memucán, chief spokesman for the seven princes of Medo-Persia, told him that Vasti had not only offended him as king, but also all Persia's husbands, whose wives could be encouraged by Vasti's actions to disobey her husbands. Memuchan encouraged Ahasuerus to fire Vashti and find another queen, and the princes agreed with him. Assuero took Memuchan's advice and ended up choosing Esther as queen. In the Midrash, Vasti is described as a bad, vain woman. His Hebrew name is ה.

Religious teaching

In religious terms, the Book of Esther is more neutral than the other historical books. However, just as Judith tried to prove God's intervention in the Jewish victory over Assyria, here Esther tries to imbue the warriors with confidence in the final victory of Judaism thanks to God's help.

He permanently uses the Hebrew logical mechanisms: if God loves the just, the just must finally triumph over the wicked (Mordecai's admonition to Esther: cs. 13-17; understanding of the characters that God guides events: 1: 14-16). Furthermore, God's action always operates according to his own Law.

Literary genre: Esther as the climax of the historical books

With the exception of King Ahasuerus, none of the main characters appearing in the book (the two queens Vashti and Esther, Mordecai, and the minister Haman) appear in any known historical sources. Nor is any of the events narrated in it documented, and it is known, on the contrary, that the Persian Empire was very tolerant of the religious practices of its subject peoples (the Bible itself specifically praises King Cyrus on several occasions) and the extermination of the Jews that Haman intended would be strange. However, there is no strong evidence to refute his veracity either, since King Ahasuerus is recognized in other sources.

On the subject of literary genre, the opinions of specialists cover the entire scale, from pure myth to strict history. Numerous critics (such as the case of Johannes Schildenberger, Hermann Gunkel, Otto Eissfeldt André Barucq, etc.) are in favor of an intermediate opinion, that is, that the book contains historical elements mixed with literary embellishments inserted more or less generously. The Greek additions in particular have the aspect of literary creations. The historical inaccuracies and other characteristic features of folklore show that the author did not intend to write history in the strict sense, but there is no reason to rule out the possibility that there is a historical core in that story; the generally accurate description of Persian life supports that possibility.

Location of the Book of Esther in the Catholic Bible

In the Catholic Bible, the location of the Book of Esther varies from version to version. For example, in the Jerusalem Bible, and in Torres-Amat it is located between the Book of Judith and I Maccabees, while in the Latin American Bible it is located between the Book of Lamentations and the Book of Tobias.

Esther's story in film and television

Among other films, in 1998, Antena 3 television in Spain together with other European television channels such as the Italian Rai produced a film entitled: Esther: the Queen of Persia. It was in a collection of movies about the Bible that were broadcast that year. This movie was directed by Raffaele Mertes. Screenplay: Sandy Niemand. Cast: Louise Lombard, F. Murray Abraham, Jürgen Prochnow, Thomas Kretschmann, Ornella Muti, Frank Baker, John Hollis, Umberto Orsini. Below is the list of the films that tell the story of Esther:

Cinema

• 1916 - Esther, United Kingdom
• 1948 - Queen Esther (EUA)
• 1960 - Esther and the King /Esther and the King (EUA, Italy)
• 1986 - Esther /Esther Forever (Israel, Austria, United Kingdom)
• 1992 - Queen Esther (EUA) [Cortometraje Animación]
• 2006 - One Night with the King /One night with the King /Esther of Susa, One night with the King /The Queen of Persia (USA)
• 2013 - The Book of Esther /The book of Esther (EUA)

Television

Movies for TV:

• 1979 - The Thirteenth Day: The Story of Esther (EUA) [TV-Movie]
• 1998 - Esther /Esther: Queen of Persia / Queen Esther (Italy, USA, Germany) [TV-Movie]

TV series:

• 1978-1979 - Greatest Heroes of the Bible /Great Bible Heroes (EUA) [TV-Series]
• 1992-1995 -Animated Stories from the Bible (EUA) [TV-Serie Animation]
• 1994-1998 - Mysteries of the Bible /Meisters of the Bible (EUA) [TV-Documentary series]
• 1998 - A História de Ester (Brazil) [TV-Serie]
• 2010 - A História de Ester (Brazil) [TV-Serie]