Introduction
Throughout time, people have attempted to destroy the nation of Israel, the “apple of God’s eye.” It was because from the Jews, came the covenants, promises, the law, and the messiah—the savior of the world. God’s chosen people are the enemy of Satan, the prince of this world, and the conflict started back in Genesis 3:15. While a remnant from Judah returned to the land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, other Jews remained in the cities of their captivity. Some were welcomed as valued members of their communities, but others were despised and hated. Some were even targeted for extermination. The book of Esther tells a story of an attempted extermination. It records a ten-year span during the 58-60 year interlude
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However, these also fall short because the syntax and grammar of their writings are different from what makes up Esther. Whoever the author was, the book of Esther was probably written shortly after the reign of Ahasuerus, no earlier than 465 B.C. The author writes of the rule of Ahasuerus and the deeds of Mordecai (10:2) in the past tense, indicating the book was not composed during Ahasuerus’ reign.
Historical Background The events of Esther span a decade during the reign of Ahasuerus, who succeeded his father Darius as ruler of the Persian Empire in 486 B.C. During his reign (486-465 B.C.), Ahasuerus continued his father’s campaign against Greece for its role in the Ionian revolt. After suffering defeat, he retired to Susa, one of the four capitals of the Persian Empire. Around 483 B.C. he held an extravagant feast in Susa to celebrate his achievements and ten years later, he executed Haman for his evil schemes (1:3; 7:9).
Historical Accuracy Some critical scholars question the historical accuracy of Esther on various accounts. One difficulty is that neither Vashti nor Esther is mentioned outside the Bible. However, historians do note that following his unsuccessful campaign against Greece (482-479 B.C.), Ahasuerus sought refuge in his harem. This coincides with the elevation of Esther (2:17). Furthermore, the word translated queen (1:9; 2:22) may refer merely to a principal wife rather than to a woman who ruled beside the King. Thus, the
Running a successful empire is not easy thing to do; Persian kings faced many problems such as advisors abusing their power and social issues. Advisors of Persian kings had a great deal of influence on the kings and were trusted with power over the empire. These attributes that came with the job of being an advisor to a Persian king created an opportunity for corrupt advisors to do as they saw fit; right or wrong. In the Book of Esther one of king Achashvairosh’s advisors Haman took advantage of his power and influence over the king to authorize the eradication of all the Jews in the empire and pillage of their property. The reason that this came about is that “All of the king’s servants in the king’s court would kneel and bow in religious worship to Haman, because the king had commanded it, but Mordechai would neither bow nor kneel.” (Five Years Later, 2)
Also seen in the Old Testament, Esther parallels Joseph by assimilating from being a passive commoner to a queen, the highest royal position for a woman. Her life entirely changes when she marries King Ahasuerus
The book of Esther is full of mysteries that has grasped the attention of Biblical scholars and audiences throughout ages and still presents some challenges to the contemporary audiences. It is important to understand the purpose and theme of the book in order to better understand the text in its context. Many Christian scholars and audiences’ alike eisegesis the text instead of using exegesis therefore there have been many misconceptions regarding Esther. The book of Esther is a very important book for it is the only book in the bible to be without the name of God in its entire text. Though there is no reference to God or Torah in the text does not necessarily mean that God is not revealed through circumstances and challenges faced by His
To begin with Esther was a jewish girl that was hiding her jewish identity(Esther: Bible). She became Queen of the Persian Empire because of her youth and beauty and married King Ahasuerus. Esther's cousin, named Mordecai, was trying to gain power from Haman who was an enemy of Israel. Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman. Haman got angry and made a plan to put Mordecai to death along with all
The book of Esther tells the faithfulness of one woman and her uncle. It is only one of two books that contain the heroism and bravery of a woman heroine. The story of Esther accomplishes two profound things, the first: “To demonstrate God’s providential care of his people, even those outside the land of Israel, and 2) to commend the observance of the feast of Purim by relating how it originated” (Breneman 289).Unlike the rest of the Bible the story of Esther does not directly state or talk about God, but instead shows God’s plans for all of our lives and how in all frightening moments of life, He remains faithful to those who trust and have faith in Him. “In spite of the omission of any name for deity, there is no other book in all the
Jewish history and its overall themes are expressed through The Book of Esther, which is in The Holy Bible. This sacred text takes place in 486 BC, when King Xerxes I ruled Persia. This story is an historical interpretation of the life of Queen Esther along with the lives of the Jewish people. Even though The Book of Esther is only ten chapters, it contains many rich themes. Also, the characters exercise many different traits such as: fortitude, empathy, and divine providence. The Book of Esther explores many themes, such as faith, manipulation, and courage in order to show the Jews, who are living in exile, that it is possible to gain success in the country of one’s exile without showing one’s true identity.
Esther was an orphan who was raised by her cousin Mordecai (Leath, 2010). There came a time that she would go from orphan to queen. Esther lived in Persia, where King Ahasuerus ruled. A day arrived that Queen Vashti refused to obey King Ahasuerus and was soon replaced by Esther (Leath, 2010). During this time, the King held ultimate power and everyone was subject to the king’s authority. Consequently, Queen Vashti displayed disobedience by not obeying the King and was punished by being removed as queen (Leath, 2010). However, the removal of Queen Vashti paved the way for Esther and she was purposefully placed in position as queen. This seized
Esther knows that she should feel grateful for what has been given to her, but she can’t bring herself to fell anything. These thoughts cause her great internal conflict. This demonstrates how much the disease has taken control of her to leaving her helpless. She knows what she wants to fell, but her mind is not responding and is keeping her from these
Very popular among the Jewish people, Esther was one of the very last books to be accepted into the bible, and was accepted only because of its relationship with the festival of Purim. The Lord is not mentioned once in this book of the bible, and the only Jewish religious practice talked about is fasting. (Esther 4:16). The rabbis were conflicted by Esther’s failed ways to live as a Jew. She had sexual relationships and married a man and lived in the Persian society, and did not follow the Jewish laws. In addition, Esther had been taken to assignment by both female and male presenters for her willingness to participate in Persian customs, and by Christian commentators for her noticeable murderous in destroying people. (Esther 9:1–15). All these disapprovals, however are unsuccessful to grasp the true purpose of the book.
• In chapter 1-2, Esther becomes the queen of Ahasuerus of Persia. She was personally chosen by the King. “The king loved Esther more than all the women, and she found favor and kindness with him” (2:17), probably because of her beauty and intelligence.
The events in New York introduce us to the beginning of Esther’s psychological transformation. The story first inaugurates with the
The book of Esther is a story of a young, beautiful, Jewish girl who ultimately became queen. At the time, King Ahasuerus reigned over the Persian Empire. He threw lavish banquets for his officials as well as all the people in Susa. The night of the seventh banquet, he called for Queen Vashti so he can flaunt her in front of the people but she refused to come. He sought council on how to handle the queen’s actions, he gave a decree and then ordered her to leave the kings presence and her position is to be given to someone more deserving.
Esther was constantly pushed around by men, which was a stereotype in the 1950’s that men controlled the women and were always in charge. Esther had a relationship with a man named Buddy Willard who was expecting that she was just going to marry him. Men believed that they had everything a woman may desire, but actually they did not. Women were forced to marry men because of their fortune or family relations.
The book of Esther starts by saying King Ahasuerus ruled over one hundred and twenty seven provinces, which gave him reign over many people. Throughout the book of Esther it never mentions the type of leader
A woman’s virginity was considered to be precious as pureness was really important for a girl. Women were only allowed to have sex after marriage; whereas men could have sex before marriage. According to Esther, her virginity is a big factor that is weighing her down. The conflict between losing her virginity before marriage or after marriage causes her to become confused about what would