Queen Esther by Edwin Long, 1878
The book of Esther presumably takes place between 483 BCE and 473 BCE under the reign of King Ahasuerus (Xerxes I). It was most likely written during the third century CE. It's doubtful whether the events in the book actually happened the way the book says they happened. Michael Fox writes, "Even if the story has, as some contend, a historical core, the book in its present shape is certainly a fictional creation with strongly legendary features. Various legendary qualities as well as several inaccuracies and implausibilities immediately throw doubt on the book's historicity and give the impression of a writer recalling a vaguely remembered past."
The book asks questions like:
Have can Jews best survive and thrive in the diaspora?
What is the nature of the gentile state?
What must Jews do in times of crisis?
What is the nature of the Jewish community and exile and how does (and should) it work?
How do men and women treat each other?
Where do we see God?
How do we treat women?
How much revenge is too much?
How do we teach problematic texts?
What is life like under an autocrat? What does this teach us about democracy?
Does it matter if this text is historical?
Based on what you know about Esther, what other questions do you think the book raises?
It's challenging to place Esther into a specific literary genre. Let's look at how literary scholars have placed it in the past.
In "‘Wisdom’ in the Book of Esther,” the biblical scholar Shemarayahu Talmon argues that Esther is a piece of wisdom literature for several reasons: the concept of remote and unspecified deity (where have we seen that before?), the lack of interest in Jewish history or community, the story's anthropocentricity, static and typological characters, it's overarching motifs and ideas on life and the world, and the notion that wickedness leads to an untimely death.
The book of Esther does have some features of the Hellenistic romance, including attention to the king's love life and its depictions of royal lavishness. Still, the scroll cannot be classified as a romance. It lacks romance's favorite themes and motifs: sudden and overpowering passion, heavy sentimentality, swooning, separation and reunion, chastity under temptation, and mythical religion (cults, prayers, oracles, etc.)
From "Ancient Romance" by Dr. Elizabeth Archibald:
A diaspora story deals with the crisis of Jewish life in the Diaspora. Michael Fox argues that this is where Esther belongs due to the following characteristics:
1. The setting is in the diaspora
2. Jews hold high political positions
3. The Jews are endangered and saved with their enemies punished
4. Foreign kings are not hostile to Jews
5. However, the Jews have opponents which must go behind the king's back in order to act against the Jews
6. The king does not at first realize the opponent is trying to harm the Jews.
7. In the end, the slanderers are punished.
The book of Daniel (also found in Ketuvim though not one of the 5 megillot) is also a diaspora story. https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-book-of-daniel/
What do you know about Esther and what are you looking forward to learning more about?
And with that, let's begin reading Esther!