Esther Through the Centuries

Jo Carruthers is RCUK Academic Fellow at the University of Bristol working across the disciplines of Religious and Literary Studies. She has published on Esther as well as the reception of the Bible in literary and nationalist contexts.

• List of Plates xiSeries Editors’ Preface xiiiAcknowledgements xvIntroduction 1Why Reception? 2An Irredeemable Book? 7Jewish Tradition 10Christian Tradition 12Summary of Works 13Godless Scripture 21Allegory 28Providence, Chosenness, Nationhood 32Political Application 46Esther as Literature 49Esther 1:1–9 521:1 The King and Empire 531:3 The King’s Feast 571:4 Display of Wealth 581:8 No Compulsion to Drink 591:9 Women’s Feast 60Vashti 61Esther 1:10–22 681:12 Disobedience 681:13–22 The Empire Strikes Back 831:19 Vashti’s Punishment 881:22 The Decree 89Esther 2:1–7 932:1 The King Remembers Vashti 932:2–4 To the Harem 952:5–6 Mordecai 982:7 Hadassah- Esther 103Esther 2:8–23 1092:8–14 Esther in the Harem 1092:15 Esther’s Beauty 1212:16–18 Esther Becomes Queen 125Esther 3 1333:1 Haman 1343:2 ‘But Mordecai did not bow down’ 1393:7 Casting Lots 1433:8 (Mis)Representing Jews: A People Set Apart 1453:8 Evil Counsellors 1513:12–15 Genocidal Edicts 1553:15 ‘The King and Haman sat down to drink’ 157Esther 4:1–14 1604:1–3 ‘Great mourning among the Jews’ 1604:4–14 Esther and Mordecai Confer 1634:14 ‘From another quarter’ 174Esther 4:15–17 1764:15 ‘Fast ye for me’ 1764:16 ‘If I perish, I perish’ 180Esther as Exemplar of Resolve 1844:17 ‘Mordecai [. . .] did everything as Esther had ordered him’ 191Esther 5 192Esther before Ahasuerus 1925:4–8 Esther’s First Banquet 2155:9–14 Haman’s Wrath 218Esther 6 221The King’s Sleeplessness 2226:11 The Triumph of Mordecai 227Esther 7 and 8 2337:1–6 Esther’s Second Banquet 2337:7–8 Haman’s Fate 2388:1–6 ‘How can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?’ 2448:7–14 The Irreversible Decree 2448:15–17 ‘The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour’ 249Esther 9 and 10 2549:2 Scenes of Slaughter 2569:7–10 Ten Sons of Haman 2659:26 Purim 2679:29 & 32 ‘Then Esther the Queen . . . wrote with all authority’ 27510 The Greatness of Mordecai 277Bibliography 280Primary SourcesPre- 1500 2801500–1800 281Post- 1800 284Esther Secondary Sources 289Other Secondary Sources 293Index 296

"The author digs up literary echoes and poetic versions of the biblical book of Esther.... This important scholarly resource originated as a PhD thesis in the University of Manchester. It is to be hoped the PhD students can be interested in doing similar research, producing studies as valuable as the present one." (International Review of Biblical Studies, 2007-2008) "This book can be highly recommended. It provides a fascinating glimpse of how the Bible has shaped … The ideals of society throughout history." (Expository Times, November 2008)"Carruthers looks at the reception of the text in detail, but also has an introduction to different ways of viewing the biblical book." (Church Times, October 2008)