Narrative And Other Readings In The Book Of Esther

Author : Else K. Holt
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 192 pages
File Size : 55,9 Mb
Release : 2021-04-08
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780567697622

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Narrative and Other Readings in the Book of Esther by Else K. Holt Pdf

This collection of essays considers the Book of Esther from a literary and sociological perspective. In part one, Else Holt outlines the main questions of historical-critical research in the Book of Esther. She also discusses the theological meaning of a biblical book without God, and examines how the book was transmitted through the last centuries BCE. She also explores how the Hebrew and Greek variants of the Book of Esther picture its main character, Esther, the Jewish queen of Persia. In part two, Holt offers deconstructive reading of themes hidden under the surface-levels of the book. Chapters include discussions of Esther's initiation into her role as Persian queen; the inter-textual conversation with two much later texts, The Arabian Nights and The Story of O; and the relationship between Mordecai, the Jew, and his opponent Haman, the Agagite, as a matter of mimetic doublings. The last part of the book introduces the sociological concept of ethnicity-construction as the backdrop for perceiving the instigation of the Jewish festival Purim and the violence connected to it, and looks at the Book of Esther as an example of trauma literature. The concluding chapter analyses the moral quality of the book of Esther, asking the question: Is it a bedtime story?

Author : Jonathan Grossman
Publisher : Penn State Press
Page : 264 pages
File Size : 49,6 Mb
Release : 2011-06-23
Category : History
ISBN : 9781575066585

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Esther by Jonathan Grossman Pdf

Using narrative devices such as allusions and free associations, multivalent expressions, and irony, the author of Esther wrote a story that is about a Jewish woman, Esther, during the time of the Persian exile of Yehudites, and the Persian king, Ahasuerus, who was in power at the time. At various junctures, the author also used secret writing, or we could say that he conveys mixed messages: one is a surface message, but another, often conflicting message lies beneath the surface. For instance, the outer portrayal of the king as one of the main protagonists is an ironic strategy used by the author to highlight the king’s impotent, indecisive, “antihero” status. He may wield authority—as symbolized by his twice-delegated signet ring—but he remains powerless. Among all the concealments in the story, the concealment of God stands out as the most prominent and influential example. A growing number of scholars regard the book of Esther as a “comic diversion,” the function and intention of which are to entertain the reader. However, Grossman is more convinced by Mikhail Bakhtin’s approach, and he labels his application of this approach to the reading of Esther as “theological carnivalesque.” Bakhtin viewed the carnival (or the carnivalesque genre) as a challenge by the masses to the governing establishment and to accepted social conventions. He described the carnival as an eruption of ever-present but suppressed popular sentiments. The connection between the story of Esther and Bakhtin’s characterization of the carnivalesque in narrative is evident especially in the book of Esther’s use of the motifs of “reversal” and “transformation.” For example, the young girl Esther is transformed from an exiled Jewess into a queen in one of the turnabouts that characterize the narrative. Many more examples are provided in this analysis of one of the Bible’s most fascinating books.

Author : Jonathan Grossman
Publisher : Eisenbrauns
Page : 255 pages
File Size : 53,7 Mb
Release : 2011
Category : History
ISBN : 1575062216

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Esther by Jonathan Grossman Pdf

Using narrative devices such as allusions and free associations, multivalent expressions, and irony, the author of Esther wrote a story that is about a Jewish woman, Esther, during the time of the Persian exile of Yehudites, and the Persian king, Ahasuerus, who was in power at the time. At various junctures, the author also used secret writing, or we could say that he conveys mixed messages: one is a surface message, but another, often conflicting message lies beneath the surface. For instance, the outer portrayal of the king as one of the main protagonists is an ironic strategy used by the author to highlight the king's impotent, indecisive, "antihero" status. He may wield authority-as symbolized by his twice-delegated signet ring-but he remains powerless. Among all the concealments in the story, the concealment of God stands out as the most prominent and influential example. A growing number of scholars regard the book of Esther as a "comic diversion," the function and intention of which are to entertain the reader. However, Grossman is more convinced by Mikhail Bakhtin's approach, and he labels his application of this approach to the reading of Esther as "theological carnivalesque." Bakhtin viewed the carnival (or the carnivalesque genre) as a challenge by the masses to the governing establishment and to accepted social conventions. He described the carnival as an eruption of ever-present but suppressed popular sentiments. The connection between the story of Esther and Bakhtin's characterization of the carnivalesque in narrative is evident especially in the book of Esther's use of the motifs of "reversal" and "transformation." For example, the young girl Esther is transformed from an exiled Jewess into a queen in one of the turnabouts that characterize the narrative. Many more examples are provided in this analysis of one of the Bible's most fascinating books.

Author : Kenneth M. Craig
Publisher : Westminster John Knox Press
Page : 196 pages
File Size : 44,6 Mb
Release : 1995-01-01
Category : Religion
ISBN : 0664255183

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Reading Esther by Kenneth M. Craig Pdf

In this original interpretation of the book of Esther, Kenneth Craig offers to interpreters a new way of reading this story. According to Craig, Esther has been undervalued and misunderstood because its true genre, the literary carnivalesque, has not been considered. The Literary Currents in Biblical Interpretation series explores current trends within the discipline of biblical interpretation by dealing with the literary qualities of the Bible: the play of its language, the coherence of its final form, and the relationships between text and readers. Biblical interpreters are being challenged to take responsibility for the theological, social, and ethical implications of their readings. This series encourages original readings that breach the confines of traditional biblical criticism.

Author : Thomas Wetzel
Publisher : Mohr Siebeck
Page : 208 pages
File Size : 42,9 Mb
Release : 2022-07-26
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9783161606601

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Violence and Divine Victory in the Book of Esther by Thomas Wetzel Pdf

Thomas Wetzel offers a new way to understand the violence and religious absence long emphasized in readings of the Hebrew version of the Esther story. By tracing the vestiges of Jewish liturgical activity described in the story as well as the story's reliance on the tradition of the Divine Combat myth, the author uncovers a profound, yet intentionally hidden, religious sensibility within the story's narrative world. These connections link the Esther story to the great acts of deliverance in the larger biblical tradition, but also bring into sharp focus the biblical view that Israel's survival and sometimes violent deliverance remain the definitive sign of the Lord's ongoing and active presence in creation. The author's conclusion suggests that this understanding has profound implications for Jewish-Christian dialogue and for the future existence and practice of the two communities.

Author : David J. A. Clines
Publisher : A&C Black
Page : 261 pages
File Size : 54,5 Mb
Release : 1984-01-01
Category : Bible
ISBN : 9780905774664

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The Esther Scroll by David J. A. Clines Pdf

Author : Allison Kay Fountain
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 750 pages
File Size : 48,7 Mb
Release : 1998
Category : Bible
ISBN : OCLC:154737885

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Literary and Empirical Readings of the Books of Esther by Allison Kay Fountain Pdf

Author : Robert P Debelak Jr
Publisher : Lutterworth Press
Page : 166 pages
File Size : 53,9 Mb
Release : 2008-10-30
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780718842918

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Hidden in Plain Sight by Robert P Debelak Jr Pdf

Hidden in Plain Sight explores the potential contours of reading biblical narrative. The Old Testament book of Esther is used to advance a prospective shape for this reading method, and proposes a profile for curriculum design. This work demonstrates that the text of Scripture itself proposes a reading method. Esther is an underestimated heroine in her story world. Her character is informed by the silent actions of Vashti and by the intentionality of Mordecai. She is confronted with a writing that challenges her with few options, each of which is deconstructed and focused in community dialogue. At a pivotal stage in the narrative, she acts in solidarity with those under a death threat, emerging as an agent of life. Esther's actions and speeches are traced as one entry into a story world, proposing a means for students of Scripture to gain appreciable reading skills via sensitivity to the general components of Old Testament narrative. This reading informs a study method enabling directengagement with a text and appreciation for the art of literary crafting. The approach is suitable for Christian education and biblical study settings at the academic level, and for use in local church ministries.

Author : Seymour Epstein
Publisher : Mosaic Press
Page : 138 pages
File Size : 49,7 Mb
Release : 2019-05-03
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 9781771614658

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The Esther Scroll by Seymour Epstein Pdf

Seymour Epstein's The Esther Scroll: The Author’s Tale is a bold thesis and a radically new interpretation of The Book of Esther that contends it was written neither as light comedy, nor as sacred history, nor as a romance, nor as a handbook for Jewish survival in the Diaspora. Rather, it is a satire on Jewish life in the Diaspora. "Epstein’s argument stands all previous readings of Esther on their head” (Hillel Halkin, from the Preface).

Author : David Firth,Brittany N. Melton
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 256 pages
File Size : 53,7 Mb
Release : 2022-05-19
Category : Bibles
ISBN : 9780567703026

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Reading Esther Intertextually by David Firth,Brittany N. Melton Pdf

Looking at the Book of Esther through the lens of intertextuality, this collection considers its connections with each division of the Hebrew Bible, along with texts throughout history. Through its exploration, it provides and invites further study into the relationship between Esther and its intertexts, many which are under explored. Topics covered in the book include considerations of Esther alongside the Torah and the prophetic books, as well as in dialogue with the Qumran community. As an edited collection, the book draws together scholars with expertise in the wide variety of texts that are intertextually connected with Esther, offering the reader a more nuanced and informed discussion. By including some reflection on the nature of intertextuality as a 'method', it also enables the reader to appreciate the varying intertextual approaches currently employed in biblical studies. In applying these to a focused analysis of Esther, this collection will facilitate greater insight on both the book of Esther and current methodological research.

Author : Michael V. Fox
Publisher : Wipf and Stock Publishers
Page : 344 pages
File Size : 45,6 Mb
Release : 2010-04-01
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781608994953

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Character and Ideology in the Book of Esther by Michael V. Fox Pdf

Widely praised as a seminal contribution to the study of the Old Testament when it first appeared, Michael V. Fox's Character and Ideology in the Book of Esther is now available in a second edition, complete with an up-to-date critical review of recent Esther scholarship. Fox's commentary, based on his own translation of the Hebrew text, captures the meaning and artistry of Esther's inspiring story. After laying out the background information essential for properly reading Esther, Fox offers commentary on the text that clearly unpacks its message and relevance. Fox also looks in depth at each character in the story of Esther, showing how they were carefully shaped by the book's author to teach readers a new view of how to live as Jews in foreign lands.

Author : Carolyn J. Sharp
Publisher : Indiana University Press
Page : 377 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 2008-12-23
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780253003447

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Irony and Meaning in the Hebrew Bible by Carolyn J. Sharp Pdf

Was God being ironic in commanding Eve not to eat fruit from the tree of wisdom? Carolyn J. Sharp suggests that many stories in the Hebrew Scriptures may be ironically intended. Deftly interweaving literary theory and exegesis, Sharp illumines the power of the unspoken in a wide variety of texts from the Pentateuch, the Prophets, and the Writings. She argues that reading with irony in mind creates a charged and open rhetorical space in the texts that allows character, narration, and authorial voice to develop in unexpected ways. Main themes explored here include the ironizing of foreign rulers, the prostitute as icon of the ironic gaze, indeterminacy and dramatic irony in prophetic performance, and irony in ancient Israel's wisdom traditions. Sharp devotes special attention to how irony destabilizes dominant ways in which the Bible is read today, especially when it touches on questions of conflict, gender, and the Other.

Author : Richard Stanley Treloar
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 46,9 Mb
Release : 2008
Category : Bible
ISBN : 1920691863

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Esther and the End of 'final Solutions' by Richard Stanley Treloar Pdf

"Richard Treloar's study of the Book of Esther is remarkable in bringing together successfully a number of streams of hermeneutics and theology. Written with elegance and clarity, it shows an extraordinary breadth of reading and awareness of other disciplines that impinge on biblical studies. Esther is interpreted as an example of 'survival literature' and the issue of theodicy weaves its way throughout the book, particularly in relation to the 'divine obscurity' of the text. It is a book to be read by systematic theologians, as well as biblical exegetes, and anyone interested in how to interpret narrative within a contemporary philosophical and theological framework." [from back cover]

Author : Alexander Raleigh
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 278 pages
File Size : 55,7 Mb
Release : 1880
Category : Bible
ISBN : OXFORD:600098773

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The Book of Esther by Alexander Raleigh Pdf

There has come about in recent years a lamentable tendency to treat certain portions of the Old Testament, like the Book of Esther, as allegories. This has been done with the best of motives, but the process of interpretation as well as the result to the reader, leaves much to be desired. It is refreshing, therefore, to turn to this exposition of The Book of Esther by Dr. Alexander Raleigh of Kensington, England, and find within its pages a careful explanation of the text which places the events squarely in their historic setting and then applies to the reader's life princples drawn from the passage under consideration. These principles are then embellished with information drawn from other portions of Scripture. The net result is the unfolding of the full-orbed teaching of God's Word on the subjects raised in the text. - Dr. Cyril J. Barber.

Author : Aaron Koller
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 277 pages
File Size : 47,8 Mb
Release : 2014-01-09
Category : Bibles
ISBN : 9781107048355

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Esther in Ancient Jewish Thought by Aaron Koller Pdf

This book situates the book of Esther in the intellectual history of Ancient Judaism and provides a new understanding of its purpose.