Esther Through the Centuries

Esther Through the Centuries traces Jewish, Christian and secular reception of the only biblical book not to mention God. Author Jo Carruthers introduces the most significant adaptations of this story of Jewish life in the Persian Empire; a tale about averted genocide, a heroic queen and the machinations of court politics. Prominent in the Jewish tradition because of the festival of Purim, Esther has also provoked and inspired Christian and secular writers, artists, musicians and commentators for two millennia. This commentary unearths a wealth of neglected rewritings inspired by the story’s engagement with themes of nationhood, rebellion, providence, revenge, female heroism, Jewish identity, exile and genocide. Ranging from early rabbinic interpretation to contemporary rewritings, the book discusses the significance of Esther for artists such as George Eliot, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Handel and Michelangelo, who are drawn to the cosmic drama of good versus evil and its authoritative yet transgressive queen. The book examines Esther chapter by chapter, revealing a surprising afterlife remarkably resonant with contemporary preoccupations. More information about the Blackwell Bible Commentary series is available at www.bbibcomm.net.

Series Editors’ Preface. Acknowledgements. Introduction . Why Reception?. An Irredeemable Book?. Jewish Tradition. Christian Tradition. Summary of Works. Godless Scripture. Allegory. Providence, Chosenness, Nationhood. Providence. Exile and Diaspora. Nationalism. Patriotism. Political Application. Esther as Literature. Esther 1:1–9 . 1:1 The King and Empire. 1:3 The King’s Feast. 1:4 Display of Wealth. 1:8 There was no compulsion to drink. Women’s Feast. Vashti. Esther 1:10–12 . 1:12 Disobedience. 1:13–22 The Empire Strikes Back. 1:19 Vashti’s Punishment. 1:22 The Decree. Esther 2:1–7 . 2:1 The King Remembers Vashti. 2:2–4 To The Harem. 2:5–6 Mordecai. 2:7 Hadassah–Esther. Esther 2:8–23 . 2:8–14 Esther in the Harem. 2:15 Esther’s Beauty. 2:16–18 Esther Becomes Queen. Esther 3 . 3:1 Haman. 3:2 ‘But Mordecai did not bow down’. 3:7 Casting Lots. 3:8 (Mis) Representing Jews: A People Set Apart. 3:8 Evil Counsellors. 3:12–15 Genocidal Edicts. 3:15 ‘The King and Haman sat down to drink’. Esther 4:1–14 . 4:1–3 ‘Great mourning among the Jews’. 4:4–14 Esther and Mordecai Confer. 4:14 ‘From another quarter’. Esther 4:15–17. 4:15 ‘Fast ye for me’. 4:16 ‘If I perish, I perish’. Esther as Exemplar of Resolve. 4:17 Mordecai [...] did everything as Esther had ordered him. Esther 5 . 5:4–8 Esther’s First Banquet. 5:9–14 Haman’s Wrath. Esther 6 . The King’s Sleeplessness. 6:11 The Triumph of Mordecai. Esther 7 and 8 . 7:1–6 Esther’s Second Banquet. 7:7–8 Haman’s Fate. 8:1–6 ‘how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?’. 8:7–14 The Irreversible Decree. 8:15–17 ‘The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour’. Esther 9 and 10 . 9:2 Scenes of Slaughter. 9:7–10 Ten Sons of Haman. 9:26 Purim. 9:29 & 32 ‘Then Esther the Queen ... wrote with all authority’. 10 The Greatness of Mordecai. Bibliography. Esther Secondary Sources. Other Secondary Sources. Primary Sources. 1. Pre–1500. 2. 1500–1800. 3. Post–1800. List of Illustrations. Name Index. Subject Index

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.

"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)