Esther (Introduction)

Esther is an unusual book in many ways. It is famously the only book in the bible to not mention God. It exists in three different versions, depending on which tradition you hail from. It is included in the history section of bible books, but it is uncertain if the intent of the book is a historical account or a piece of fiction. It is often seen as a biblical example of feminism, or at least the story of a strong female character, but it is also quite the blush-inducing book!

One of the central features of the book is that it is repleat with many lavish feasts and parties. Some of the parties seem too extravagant to be taken literally. However, throughout history there are many examples of the powers that be (the 1%, if you will, or better yet, the 0.01%!) displaying extravagant excesses to prove their wealth and power. One need only look at the powers in Europe in the 15th and 16th Centuries to see examples of this in Versailles and Saxony and other courts. The king in Esther is just such a ruler, clearly insecure and needing to display and flex his official power to compensate for his weak nature and character!

The book also contrasts characters against one another to illustrate virtues and morals. Vashti and Esther, Haman and Mordecai, and the King and Mordecai are just a few of these comparisons. Not just characters are contrasted, but events and well and a chiastic structure has been suggested throughout the entire book.

So what are the messages of Esther, and what can it say to people of faith today?