Benjamin J. Segal

Purim is noisemakers, costumes, partying, hamantashen, the reading of the megillah. It has the air of something ancient and deeply rooted in tradition. The Book of Esther, which is to say the megillah reading, has always seemed to me a one-dimensional and unambiguous, not to say simplistic, text. It is a bit of revelation to think of it more deeply, and to consider how much thought has gone into its parsing, commentary and analysis over the centuries.

The book's publisher is Geffen, which apparently specializes in Judaica. I have only one previous experience of their e-books: "The Jewish State", which I recently reviewed. It was not a happy experience and I approached this text with some trepidation as a result. I need not have. This is a work of solid scholarship, written by someone careful to consider and expose the multiple ambiguities and controversies involved in the history of the text; who cleary loves his subject, but has no particular axe to grind for any theological or political side.

It is well researched with an extensive bibliography; but the author wears his scholarship lightly, and there is no special knowledge involved in its appreciation, other than a general familiarity with biblical texts and the ancient world. The author incorporates literary, thematic, ethnographic, archaeological, linguistic, mythological, and cultural approaches, and merges these with insights from the traditional commentators, as well as with perspectives from secular and Christian writers.

There are aspects of the story and its origins that are clear and others that are murky; the author is always at pains to distinguish the one from the other, and to illuminate the basis for how much weight might be assigned to this or that surmise or theory.

There is a brief introduction, and then, chapter by chapter, we get the original Hebrew text, a translation, a verse-by-verse commentary, and then some notes on, and discussion of, each chapter. My Hebrew is not very serviceable; I would be able to struggle through the original barely, given sufficient motivation, but I do not have either the time or that motivation.

The author's view is that the text is a single unified narrative work, as opposed to being a melding from a variety of original sources (p. 83) Some of the evidence for this is stylistic, including the lengthy parenthetical comments and extensive use of the passive form of verbs (p. 81)

The latent relationship to gender issues is an area that one would expect to arise in modern analyses, and it does. Other insights were less obvious to me, as someone who has not given much thought to the subject. That Esther herself, as a feminist role model, can be seen in both positive and negative lights, is something that is not immediately obvious, but makes sense when one studies the text a little more deeply.

I was also not aware that the text shows influences from the Greek culture of the times, and perhaps more specifically Greek theatre -- for example, in its use of reversals and irony (p. 79)

Scholars have been aware for some time that the Book of Esther is a kind of "reflection story", as the author refers to it, for the story of Joseph, with numerous, probably quite conscious, parallels and analogies being drawn within it to the earlier story.

The historicity of the book's account of events in ancient Persia is also an open question. In the author's view, in summary, it incorporates “an historical kernel, but one which is overlaid with novelistic elaborations" (p. 84)

A further controversy involves the role of violence in the book, and the question of whether that violence is condoned and celebrated or not. In a broader sense, there is some question as to what, exactly, it is that the book promotes and teaches, apart from stumping for the legitimization and authentication of the celebration itself as a part of the ongoing religious calendar. Which did require, one would think, some special pleading since it incorporates elements of other semi-licentious spring holiday traditions which have come down to us in our own day, for example in the form of Mardi Gras.

Still more so is the celebration rather unusual because of another aspect of the text, at least in its canonical form, which is the one we are most familiar with:

"No one feature has continuously puzzled readers of the Book of Esther more than the absence of any direct reference to God."

The author devotes a good deal of attention to this: "I review that concern here, but cautiously. Following centuries of disagreement, I do not now present a single theory but rather survey approaches to narrow down the number of reasonable explanations." (p. 86)

There were later, but still quite ancient, efforts to reconcile the absence of reference to God and religiosity in the original text with more orthodox practice and tradition through a process of midrashic commentary, emendation and addition. The history of this development, which the author traces in part, is fascinating.

For a number of reasons, it seems that Martin Luther had a particular strong antipathy to the Book of Esther, although there is still controversy regarding what his opinions actually were on the subject:

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/davearmstrong/2015/09/did-martin-luther-deny-the-c...

Part of the consistent appeal of the text, within the Jewish tradition at least, the author explains through its relationship to the early experience of Diaspora life: "The Jews lived in widespread areas, never fully independent, occasionally in harmony with their environment and at times in extreme tension. Th is was the prism through which [they]... read the Book of Esther. (p. 116)

The final sections explore the history of the text and the process by which it was incorporated into the canon. Its canonization, and the widespread acceptance it gained in spite of its somewhat anomalous attitudes to religiosity, is to some degree a consequence of the historical emergence of anti-semitism, and the role of the text as a counterweight to this, and an early attempt at a guide as to how this should be confronted.

In the words of another commentator (Greenstein, quoted in the text): “Jews have read in the story of Esther and Mordecai a paradigm of their people’s vulnerability to racist hatred.” (p. 114)

The author ends, as I will, with the wonderful if still somewhat mysterious appreciation from Maimonides: “All the books of the Prophets and all the Holy Writings will be nullified in the Messianic era, with the exception of the Book of Esther.” (p. 134) And if you are wondering why, as I did, this might help a little:

https://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/76770/did-maimonides-consider-esther...… (plus d'informations)

The book of Esther is a unique book in the Hebrew Bible, as it does not mention God and focuses on the story of a Jewish woman who becomes queen of Persia and saves her people from genocide.

The commentary portion of the book examines the text of Esther in detail, including its literary style, themes, and symbolism. The author, Michael V. Fox, draws on a range of scholarly sources to offer insights into the historical and cultural context in which the book was written and how it would have been understood by its original audience.

The history portion of the book explores the reception and interpretation of Esther over the centuries, including its role in Jewish and Christian traditions. Fox examines how the book has been used to promote different political and religious agendas, and how its message has been adapted to different cultural contexts.

Throughout the book, Fox emphasizes the relevance of Esther's story for contemporary readers. He argues that the book's themes of courage, faith, and identity are still relevant today, and that Esther's example can inspire people to stand up for what is right in the face of adversity.

Overall, "The Book of Esther: A Commentary and History" provides a comprehensive and insightful analysis of this important biblical text. Fox's scholarship and engaging writing style make the book accessible to both scholars and general readers, and his emphasis on the book's relevance for contemporary readers makes it a valuable resource for anyone interested in the biblical text and its significance.… (plus d'informations)