Esther In The Jewish Myth : The Book Of Esther

The Persian Empire is arguably one of the greatest and largest empires ever in the history of the world. It was in place from approximately 550 to 334 BCE in Asia Minor and Persia. Throughout the time the empire was in place there were multiple kings that ruled it changing the cultures of the people living in the empire. The Book of Ester is a book from the Hebrew Bible written during the fourth century BCE that tells the story of a Persian king Achashvairosh. In the story information is given on how Persian Kings were able rule their vast empire for such a long period of time. The Persian Kings that ruled the Persian Empire were able to do their job successfully, deal with problems they faced, and keep their empire culturally vast because

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

Esther’s faith was tested and strengthened at a young age when her cousin, Mordecai, became her spiritual guide. Even when Esther became Queen of Persia, Mordecai was still there to help guide her in the right direction. Wayne Grudem, who is the editor of The Holy Bible: English Standard Version for Crossway Bibles, talks about how God is not mentioned in the book, but He clearly designed all of its events. Although God is not a character in The Book of Esther, his actions are still visible and He appointed Esther to save His covenant people. Despite fear, Esther knew that by putting her faith in God was the only way she could save the Jews. In The Book of Esther, the meaning of God’s sovereignty is shown. Koeller, who is the author of Esther in Ancient Jewish Thought,

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

She was sold in a slave auction, along with a few other slaves, few other slaves, and purchased by the slave owner Joseph Parish. The walk about the plantation was a long one as the very people she loved so dearly was forced to be only a batch of memories, she knew that she would never see her mother, or father again. The last words of her mother repeatedly played over, and over in her head as she walked with the other newly bought slaves on the way to the cotton plantation. Be strong my child, know that this is what you were born to do, but promise me, if you bear a child of your own, please make them free, said Esther 's mother as she had her daughter stripped right out of her arms. Her father would console her mother as the very thing her family hoped, and prayed wouldn 't happen, happened. This wasn 't new to Esther as both her parents brought her into the world of slavery, they all knew that possibly one day their family could be split up. The first couple of weeks without having her parents by her side were difficult, without having their guidance. She was lost. Even though tears may have flown down her face that did not stop her from doing her duties as a field slave. Day in and day out, Esther picked hundreds of pounds of cotton a day, outdoing the rest of the slaves. This would later grab the attention of one the plantation 's overseers, Seth Parish. My, my, my, you all let this young, beautiful, negro girl out pick you all by the

She disappears and runs away from her family to be with a soldier. The patriarch requires the woman to obey the man, whether it be her father or her husband. She becomes pregnant and is abandoned by her lover. The child dies leaving Esther completely alone. She shows herself as an incapable mother as she fails to nurture her child. She then becomes a prostitute to support herself as she has been exiled from society and rejected by her family. This is act is a clear breech of the patriarch, law, religion, and family ISAs. As an alcoholic, she returns to Manchester in attempts to help Mary avoid her fallen behaviour. “Prejudice (or policy) has endeavoured, and indeed too successfully, to last an odium on what is called a masculine woman; or, to explain the meaning of the word, a woman of enlightened understanding”(Robinson 72). Her actions in resisting the church’s ideology of a chased modest woman proves defiance is unacceptable. She seems to be a lively and unstoppable person which forces the community to punish and exploit her by sending her to prison. Prostitution is exposed and problematized which makes Esther an abject by society. Robinson notes, “were a woman to attempt such an expedient[sin], however strong her sense of injury, however invincible her fortitude, or important the preservation of character, the would be deemed a murdress”(Robison 5). Society continuously attempts to reform Esther through ISAs into an appropriate lady; however, she dramatically objects by preforming the

• 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 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.

At first read the book of Esther is a story of a Queen who was able to achieve a heroic act that saved her people from being destroyed. However as you examine the story it’s more than a historic story of triumph, but through the actions of the characters in the story it becomes a blueprint for many aspects of leadership. By examining the different dimensions of the leadership traits of King Ahasuerus, Haman, Mordecai and Esther will represent the different facet of developing into a leader.

The Book of Esther narrates the difficulties of the people of Israel during the Babylonian Captivity. Despite heavy persecutions, the Israelites kept alive their unique identify through their laws and customs, and through their trust in God. They provide Christians today with a proven method for surviving hostility: protect your traditions and laws, and have faith in the almighty power of God.

although some do believe that Esther’s guardian, Mordecai, wrote it. This story is very unique considering it is the only biblical book that does not mention God by name, but shows how God can also work “behind the scenes”. This story does a great job of showing the providence and protection provided by God. Esther is a Jewish maiden who was taken from her caring uncle and placed in King Ahasuerus’s palace with the intentions of satisfying the king’s sexual desires. One day during one of the many feasts the king had put on, he called his wife, Queen Vashti, to stand in front of everyone at the gathering but demanded she only wear her crown and nothing else. Of course, Queen Vashti refuses to stand nude on public display. The king, who never takes no for an answer, immediately dethrones his queen and banishes her form the kingdom. Like most humans King Ahasuerus power seems to get to his head, because banishing his Queen for such a petty reason is a very unnecessary move. The king wastes no time and after a whole year of preparation, he plans to spend one night with every women that filled his harem and from that selection who would pick his Queen. When it was Esthers turn to visit the king he very promptly decided to crown her because he saw how beautiful she was both inside and out. Very soon after Esther was crowned, the king appointed a man by the name Haman to oversea his affairs. Haman had strong hatred

In the book of Esther the big idea is salvation and deliverance comes not so much by human effort but by God’s divine providence. While God is not directly mentioned by name we are given many clues to his presence and participation in the events of the book. Even before we are introduced to the villain, Haman, and made privy to his plan to exterminate Mordecai and the Jews (Esther 3:1-3) we witness God’s divine providence in placing Esther and Mordecai into a position of influence to thwart Haman’s murderous plan. This providence first appears in chapter 1 with the undoing of Queen Vashti (1:10-22), it continues in the next chapter with the decision to hold a contest among virgins to replace her (2:1-8), and it concludes with Mordecai overhearing