UID:
almafu_9961161683302883
Format:
1 online resource (xvii, 410 pages) :
,
digital, PDF file(s).
ISBN:
1-009-26609-8
,
1-009-26614-4
,
1-009-26613-6
Content:
The book of Esther is one of the most challenging books in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, not only because of the difficulty of understanding the book itself in its time, place, and literary contexts, but also for the long and tortuous history of interpretation it has generated in both Jewish and Christian traditions. In this volume, Isaac Kalimi addresses both issues. He situates 'traditional' literary, textual, theological, and historical-critical discussion of Esther alongside comparative Jewish and Christian interpretive histories, showing how the former serves the latter. Kalimi also demonstrates how the various interpretations of the Book of Esther have had an impact on its reception history, as well as on Jewish-Christian relations. Based on meticulous and comprehensive analysis of all available sources, Kalimi's volume fills a gap in biblical, Jewish, and Christian studies and also shows how and why the Book of Esther became one of the central books of Judaism and one of the most neglected books in Christianity.
Note:
Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 14 Jul 2023).
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Cover -- Half-title page -- Title page -- Copyright page -- Dedication -- Contents -- List of Figures -- List of Abbreviations -- 1 An Introduction -- I The Story of Esther -- II Esther, Jews, and Christians -- III Challenges and Purposes -- IV Sources and Approach -- V State of Research -- VI Outline -- Part I Esther: Story and History, Literary Features, and Theology -- 2 Esther's Story: Composition, Literary Unity, Textual Development, and Noble Characters -- I The Story of Esther -- II Place and Time of Composition -- III Structure and Literary Unity -- 1 Esther 9:20-28 - The First Purim Letter -- 2 Esther 9:29-32 - The Second Purim Letter -- 3 Esther 10:1-3 - The Closing Chapter of the Book -- IV Textual Development: The Hebrew and Greek Versions -- 1 B-Text, A-Text, and MT -- 2 The Six Major Greek Additions and the Colophon -- 3 Which Text Is Closest to the Urtext? -- 4 Provisional Summary -- V Noble Characters -- 1 Vashti: A Queen with Dignity and Self-Respect -- 2 Esther: Beauty, Courage, and Wisdom -- 3 Mordecai: "Seeking the Welfare of His People" -- A The Major Persona of the Book -- B A Courtier at the King's Gate -- C The Clash between Mordecai and Haman -- VI Conclusion -- 3 Virtuosity, Literary Style, and Features -- I Virtuosity -- II The Secular Feature of the Book -- III Repetitive Style and Other Literary Elements -- IV Mosaic Style -- V Synonyms and Series of Synonymous Words -- VI Inner Interpretations and Identifications -- VII Inclusio, Chiasmus, and Chiastic in Parallel -- 1 Inclusio and Chiasmus -- 2 Chiasmus in Parallel -- VIII Antithesis -- IX Structures of Reversal Destiny and Talionis -- X Overstatement, Hyperbole, and Typological Numbers -- XI Satirical and Humoristic Descriptions -- XII Conclusion -- 4 The Central Message of Esther within Biblical and Ancient Near East Contexts -- I The Fear of Complete Annihilation.
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II Esther's Response to the Fear of Complete Annihilation -- III Theology without Mentioning Theos -- IV The Theological Message of Esther -- V Is the Presumed Theological Concept of Esther Innovative? -- VI Conclusion -- 5 Historical Setting and Historicity -- I The Historicity of the Esther Story -- 1 Esther as a Completely Reliable Story -- 2 Esther as a Completely Unreliable Story -- A The Esther Story and Purim Are Echoes of Ancient Myth -- B Esther as a Nonhistorical Story -- II Historical Setting and Historicity -- 1 The Empire -- A Borders and Provinces -- B מדינה , "satrapy," and dahyu -- C "One Hundred Twenty-Seven" -- 2 The Emperor: Ahasuerus/Xerxes -- 3 The Queen and Harem -- A The Queen: Vashti, Esther, and Amestris -- B The Harem -- 4 The Imperial Hierarchy -- 5 The Geographical Setting: Susa, Persepolis, and Their Palaces -- A Susa and Its Palace -- B Susa versus Persepolis -- 6 Achaemenid Royal Annals and Imperial Archives -- 7 The Royal Postal Delivery System -- 8 The Persian Legal System -- 9 Tolerance toward Others -- 10 Conspiracy and Murder in the Royal Court -- 11 Annihilation of the Imperial Jews -- III Conclusion: Esther as Novelistic History -- IV Appendix: Persia and Persians in the Hebrew Bible -- 6 Ancient Parallels to Haman's Accusations -- I Haman and His Accusations -- II The Opponents of Daniel -- 1 Daniel in the Lions' Den -- 2 Is Daniel's Story Shaped According to Esther's Story? -- III The Counselors of Antiochus VII Sidetes/Euergetes -- IV Apollonius Molon -- V Apion of Alexandria -- VI The Roman Governor Flaccus -- VII The Roman Historian Tacitus -- VIII The Greek Scholar Lucius Flavius Philostratus -- IX Conclusion -- Part II "Oh, How Much They Love the Book of Esther!" Esther among the Jews -- 7 Esther, Torah's Law, and the Dead Sea Scrolls' Community -- I Introduction.
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II Why Is the Book of Esther Absent from the Dead Sea Scrolls? -- III Esther's Marriage to Ahasuerus -- IV Boaz's Marriage to Ruth the Moabitess -- V "Fast for Me" -- VI Conclusion -- 8 Esther in Jewish Canon, Tradition, Culture, and Thought -- I The Book's Name -- II The Place in the Canon -- III Esther through the Generations -- IV The Story of Esther and the Talmudic Rabbis -- 1 Fill in Gaps and Intertextual Allusions -- 2 Anachronism -- 3 Divine Interference -- 4 Theodicy -- A The Traumatic Experience of the Jews -- B The Case of Vashti -- V Esther and Mordecai -- 1 Esther -- 2 Mordecai -- VI Purim and the Remembrance of Amalek -- VII Haman, Agag, and Amalek -- VIII Reading of the Megillah -- IX The Story of Esther in Jewish Thought -- X The Esther Story in Art, Play, Music, and Film -- XI Some Other Jewish Voices -- 1 Claude G. Montefiore -- 2 Samuel Sandmel -- 3 Schalom Ben-Chorin -- 4 Jonathan D. Magonet -- 5 Overall Assessment -- XII Conclusion -- 9 Identification of Jew-Haters with Haman New "Hamans," "Purims," and "Megillot" -- I Creative Expounding of the Book of Esther -- 1 The Greek Esther: Haman as a Macedonian -- 2 Josephus' Rephrasing of Haman's Charges -- 3 Targum Sheni to Esther -- 4 Midrash Esther Rabbah -- 5 Saba's Commentary on Esther in Setting of Expulsions -- 6 Christians as Edom and Haman -- 7 Leopold Zunz and the German Kaiser Friedrich Wilhelm IV -- II Forming New "Purims" and "Megillot" -- 1 Purim Shmuel haNagid -- 2 Purim Narbonne -- 3 Purim Castile -- 4 Purim Saragossa -- 5 Megillat Mizrayim -- 6 Purim Mizrayim -- 7 "Second Purims" in Other Mediterranean Lands -- 8 Purim Frankfurt or the Vintz-Purim -- 9 Megillat ha'Atzmaut -- 10 Haman, Amalek, Purim, and the Muslim/Arab-Israeli Conflict -- III The Esther Story, Purim, and the Nazi Germans -- 1 "The Murder Feast" -- 2 "A Second Triumphant Purim".
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3 "We Read Haman the People Heard Hitler" -- 4 "Purim Hitler" of Casablanca and Other Holocaust Survivors -- IV Conclusion -- V Appendix: Esther's Theological Message versus Historical Reality -- 1 The Historical Reality -- 2 Theology, History, and Us: A Post-Shoah Reading of Esther -- Part III Divine or Demon? Esther among the Christians -- 10 Esther in the Christian Canon, Interpretation, Tradition, and Culture -- I The Christian "Book of Esther" versus the Jewish "Megillat Esther" -- II Anti-Jewish Trends in Esther's Greek Translations -- III Authority, Place, and Names of Esther in the Christian Canon -- IV Esther in Christian Interpretation, Tradition, and Culture -- 1 Quotation and Interpretation of Esther -- 2 Rabanus Maurus' Commentary -- 3 Martin Luther's Translation and Negation of the Book -- 4 Esther in Christian Liturgy, Theology, Art, and Music -- V Conclusion -- 11 Esther, the Jews, and Martin Luther -- I The Place of Luther's Approach in Christian Reception -- II Luther and the Figures of Esther and Mordecai: Positive Characterizations -- III Luther and the Book of Esther: Negative Characterizations -- IV An Understanding of Luther's Conflicting Attitudes toward Esther -- V Luther's Attitude toward Esther against the Background of His Approach to the Old Testament -- VI Luther's Attitude toward Esther against the Background of His Approaches to Judaism and Jews -- 1 Luther and Judaism -- 2 Luther's Friendly Approach toward Jews -- 3 Luther's Hostile Approach toward Jews -- VII Luther, the Book of Esther, and the "Ethnic Character" of the Jews -- VIII Haman, Antiochus Epiphanes, and Martin Luther -- IX Conclusion -- 12 Christian Anti-Esther and Judeophobic Interpretation -- I Christian Repudiations of Esther, Jews, and Judaism -- II Political Background and Parallels to These Anti-Jewish Accusations -- 1 Johann Gottlieb Fichte.
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2 Friedrich Rühs -- 3 Jakob Friedrich Fries -- III An "Antisemite Pogrom of the Jews" or Legitimate Self-Defense? -- 1 How Many Enemies Were Killed? -- 2 Who Was Killed and Why? -- 3 Self-Defense or Revenge? -- 4 Killing and Hanging of Haman's Sons -- 5 Purim Feast: Celebration of Deliverance -- IV Conclusion -- 13 Christian Pro-Esther Interpretation -- I Before the Holocaust -- The Case of Wilhelm Eduard Vischer -- II After the Holocaust -- III Conclusion -- 14 Synthesis and Conclusion -- I The Book of Esther -- II Esther and the Jews -- III Esther and the Christians -- Bibliography -- Authors Index -- Names and Subjects Index -- Sources Index -- Terms and Expressions Index.
Additional Edition:
Print version: Kalimi, Isaac The Book of Esther Between Judaism and Christianity Cambridge : Cambridge University Press,c2023 ISBN 9781009266123
Language:
English
URL:
https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009266147
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