Purim

Consequently, the aim of the book was to record the festivities of the Jewish holiday, Purim, and remind the Jews of the future the liberation of the people during the reign of Xerxes (Goswell, 103). The book of Esther illustrates the current fall of Judaism, the technicalities of the Purim festival, and explains why Purim should be celebrated for all years to come (Levenson, 131). The purpose of Esther now serves as a validation of God’s grace, love, and sovereignty regardless of the trialing circumstances. The Jews during this time period face the challenge of balancing assimilation and standing up for their religious identity, while Esther leads them to distinguish the presence of God within this secular time. Therefore, Esther the book was written and recorded within Biblical text to exemplify a community of Jews who overcame a secular demand for…

to arm themselves and to protect their people from being attack by the enemy. The new edict (decree) was sent to all provinces of king Ahasuerus, and it is believed that the Jews fought defending their lives killing hundreds of people including the sons of Haman, and the sons of all the enemies of the Jews (Esther 9: 5-10). The Jews were primarily focus on defending themselves fighting for their lives. Thus, it is believed that as they were struck their enemy, they were also respecting their…

her relationship with Mordecai, who was then given control of the estate of Haman. Esther then begged the king for mercy for her people; he in turn incorporated a new law to help the Jewish people. The new law allowed the Jewish the right to assemble, protect themselves if they were attacked, and to confiscate the possessions of those killed. This law was made known to the entire kingdom, so that when the 13th day of the 12th month of Adar came, the Jewish people gathered and instilled fear…

The Book of Esther, also known as “The Scroll”. in The Hebrew Bible, recounts the restoration of God’s people, the Jews, from a death sentence. The purpose of the Book of Esther is to display the providence of God, especially in regard to His chosen people, Israel. Again, we are met with the same lesson that we can extract from Genesis, Exodus and Job: trust in God completely. However, as we analyze the characterizations of women in Sophocles's Oedipus Rex, the Book of Genesis and the Book of…

The book of Esther has a more profound meaning than that of a young girl who becomes queen. The story shows a brave young girl who is willing to sacrifice her life to save her people, from what seems an inevitable genocide. As a result of the book of Esther’s complexity I will use summary, irony, and compare and contrast to further understand the selection of Esther (Esther 2:1-18) and the ruin of Haman as Mordecai rises to power (Esther 6:1-13). Aside from the three tools I will be using, the 3…

The basis for ordering actions as righteous and godly are illustrated though Esther’s character change where her fear is directed toward God. In the beginning of the book, Esther listens to Mordecai’s advice to hid her identity. Esther’s change in character occurs at the end of chapter 4, where Esther replies to Mordechai with a command. She says, “…gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will…

Wild animals are no different than civilized humans in that we live by one simple rule: eat or be eaten. We find the will to survive by any means. Insects use their camouflage abilities, lions their speed, and men their strength. Women, however, use their cunningness to survive. Whether flaunting accentuated features, beaming a beguiling smile, or toying with emotions, a woman 's survival comes down to her ability to physically or mentally deceive her opponent by any means possible. John…

The position concerning Jewish ethnicity that Esther supports is the set of the Persian court and the multiple forms in which this book exists to address the Persian and Greek periods of Israel’s story. Ahasuerus was the King of Persia in 485-464 BCE, and while he and his friends were having a banquet he asked his queen, Vashti to appear before his guest. Because she refused the king deposed her as queen and a national search for a new queen was set out. Ester was discovered during a pageant…

The book of Esther opens up between the fourth and third century B.C in Susa, the capital city of the Persian Empire. The Persian Empire stretched from India to Nubia and was filled with many people. King Ahasuerus was ruler: at the time and after hosting a one hundred and eighty-day wine feast for the nobles he decided to have a second one for the city and its inhabitants. There was wine was in abundance and the guest were having a great time but Queen Vashti refused to parade her beauty…

In the Hebrew version of Esther, Esther seems like a pawn that is manipulated by men in power, yet it is Mordecai’s presence at the gate that is representative of redemption. After Esther is queen, Mordecai is present abound the gates and heard two of the king’s eunuchs conspiring to kill Ahasuerus. Since the gates are where legal and justifiable acts occur, Mordecai’s action to prevent the assassination suggests to the reader the author’s needs to the king to be alive for the saving of Jewish…