Character and Ideology in the Book of Esther

by Michael V Fox

Overview

Widely praised as a seminal contribution to the study of the Old Testament when it first appeared, Michael V. Fox's Character and Ideology in the Book of Esther is now available in a second edition, complete with an up-to-date critical review of recent Esther scholarship. Fox's commentary, based on his own translation of the Hebrew text, captures the meaning and artistry of Esther's inspiring story. After laying out the background information essential for properly reading Esther, Fox offers commentary on the text that clearly unpacks its message and relevance. Fox also looks in depth at each character in the story of Esther, showing how they were carefully shaped by the book's author to teach readers a new view of how to live as Jews in foreign lands.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781608994953
Publisher:	Wipf & Stock Publishers
Publication date:	04/01/2010
Edition description:	2nd ed.
Pages:	344
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Michael V. Fox is the Halls-Bascom Professor of Hebrew Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is also the author of A Time to Tear Down and a Time to Build Up: A Rereading of Ecclesiastes.

Table of Contents

	Abbreviations	ix
I.	Introduction	1
1.	The Art of Simplicity	1
2.	The Aim of This Study	2
3.	What Is Character?	6
4.	The Texts of Esther	9
5.	Reading This Book	10
6.	The Main Thing	11
II.	Commentary	13
	Preliminary Remarks	13
Act I.	1:1-22. The Deposal of Vashti	13
Act II.	2:1-23. Esther Becomes Queen; Mordecai Uncovers a Plot	26
Act III.	3:1-15. Haman's Scheme	41
Act IV.	4:1-17. Esther's Mission	56
Act V.	5:1-8. Esther Goes to the King	67
Act VI.	5:9-6:14. Haman's Humiliation; Mordecai's Exaltation	73
Act VII.	7:1-10. Esther Defeats Haman	82
Act VIII.	8:1-8. The Grant of Authority	89
	Excursus: The Two Days of Acts V-VIII	95
Act IX.	8:9-17. The Counter-decree	98
Act X.	9:1-19. The Battles of Adar	107
Act XI.	9:20-32. The Establishment of the Festival of Purim	116
Act XII.	10:1-3. Epilogue: Mordecai's Accomplishments	128
III.	Historicity And Dating	131
1.	Historicity	131
2.	Date	139
IV.	Genres	141
1.	Wisdom Literature?	142
2.	A Persian Chronicle?	144
3.	Historical Novella or Historical Romance?	144
4.	Diaspora Story	145
5.	History	148
6.	Festival Etiology	151
7.	Festival Lection	152
V.	Structures	153
1.	Structures and Meanings	153
2.	Sequence and Segmentation of Events	154
3.	A Major Motif: Feasting	156
4.	A Major Theme: Reversal	158
VI.	Vashti	164
1.	Vashti's Refusal	164
2.	Views of Vashti	164
3.	Evaluation in Objective Narration	166
4.	Vashti and the Men	167
5.	Vashti and Esther	169
VII.	Xerxes	171
1.	A Soul's Surface	171
2.	Showing Honor	172
3.	Showing Generosity	172
4.	Authority and Irresponsibility	173
5.	The Sin of Laziness	173
6.	King and Kingdom	176
VIII.	Haman	178
1.	Haman's Transparency	178
2.	Haman's Motives	179
3.	Haman's Folly and Cleverness	182
IX.	Mordecai	185
1.	Mordecai as an Ideal Figure	185
2.	Mordecai's Reserve	191
X.	Esther	196
1.	Passivity	197
2.	Activity	199
3.	Authority	202
4.	Esther as an Ideal	204
	Excursus: The Image of Woman in the Book of Esther	205
XI.	The Jews	212
1.	What the Jews Do	213
2.	The Character of the Jewish People	217
XII.	God	235
1.	God's Absence	235
2.	God's Presence	237
3.	The Message of Silence	244
XIII.	The World	248
1.	Society	248
2.	History and Freedom	249
3.	Order	251
XIV.	Three Books of Esther	254
1.	Three Versions of Esther	254
2.	The Proto-AT	255
3.	The Massoretic Text	262
4.	The Septuagint	265
Appendix	Philological-textual Notes	274
	Postscript: A Decade of Esther Scholarship	288
	Bibliography	304
	Index	319
1.	Topics	319
2.	Scriptural References	323
3.	Postbiblical Texts (Apocrypha, New Testament, Rabbinic)	329
4.	Greek Words	330
5.	Hebrew and Aramaic	330
6.	Other Languages	331
7.	Authors and Scholars, Ancient and Modern	331

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

PRAISE FOR THE FIRST EDITION:

"A first-rate study of the Book of Esther."
— Roland Murphy in Catholic Biblical Quarterly

"This is an excellent contribution not only to the study of Esther but to the literary study of the Hebrew Bible as well."
— John J. Collins in The Journal of Religion

"The strengths of Fox's scholarship are readily apparent throughout this work. Fox's engagement with the text and the history of scholarship prevents the work from becoming 'popular' in the banal sense. The translation of Esther is superb, combining Hebrew philological expertise with English literary sensitivity. Balanced insight fills the pages."
— John W. Wright in Journal of Biblical Literature

Editorial Reviews

PRAISE FOR THE FIRST EDITION:

A first-rate study of the Book of Esther.
-- Roland Murphy in Catholic Biblical Quarterly

This is an excellent contribution not only to the study of Esther but to the literary study of the Hebrew Bible as well.
-- John J. Collins in The Journal of Religion

The strengths of Fox's scholarship are readily apparent throughout this work. Fox's engagement with the text and the history of scholarship prevents the work from becoming 'popular' in the banal sense. The translation of Esther is superb, combining Hebrew philological expertise with English literary sensitivity. Balanced insight fills the pages.
-- John W. Wright in Journal of Biblical Literature

From the Publisher