The Character Of Esther : Hidden Beauty By Sara Esther Crispe

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

The second person that illustrated the theme of the book was Esther’s mother Raya. Raya showed this by always keeping a positive attitude, which raises the spirits around her. For instance, in the novel her husband went off to war, his entire battalion was wiped out and everyone had given up hope of him returning except for her. She kept saying, “Be sure to get some farmer’s cheese, the kind he adores.” Her positive attitude paid off in the end after everyone thought she was grief ridden she proved them wrong when he returned. In addition, her positive attitude did pay off again when he husband was thought to be lost in a when he did not return for work. Everyone was starting to be worried and lose hope but she continued to hope and believe and tell the others to and he returned again. That is how Raya illustrated the theme of the book by maintaining her positive attitude and encouraging others around her with it.

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

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.

Esther refuses to allow society to control her life. Esther has a completely different approach to life than the rest of her peers do. The average woman during this time is supposed to be happy and full of joy. Esther, on the other hand, attempts to repress her natural gloom, cynicism, and dark humor. This eventually becomes too hard for her and causes her emotions to go crazy. She begins to have ideas

The events in New York introduce us to the beginning of Esther’s psychological transformation. The story first inaugurates with the

Esther’s mother and society’s expectation as a woman, which is to be a good wife and a mother, suffocate and demoralize Esther’s dream as a professional writer. Esther’s mother wants her to “...learn shorthand after college, so I’d have a practical skill as well as a college degree” (Plath 40). Her mother believes that Esther cannot further advance her education as a writer and simply wants her to be a secretary since professional career for women was uncommon and discouraged because it disturbs the role as a married woman. These pressures often obliged her to fall into the societal expectations, to give up her higher education, and to marry somebody. However, she knew that the marriage and the babies were not for her, “because cook and clean and wash were just about

The Book of Esther: How Does It Fit Into the Bible? Shannon Bonilla Research Paper Submitted to Professor Armida Belmonte Stephens for the course of BTS 1850 Introduction to the Bible at North Park University Chicago, Illinois November 4, 2014 The Bible consists of many stories regarding the chosen people of God. In the past, there has been much debate on the books that should be included in the Bible.

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.

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.

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