Language:
English
Year of publication:
2020
Titel der Quelle:
Biblical Interpretation; a Journal of Contemporary Approaches
Angaben zur Quelle:
28,3 (2020) 273-302
Keywords:
Bible. Criticism, interpretation, etc.
;
History
;
Good and evil Biblical teaching
;
Good and evil Religious aspects
;
Christianity
;
History of doctrines
Abstract:
The present article seeks to describe, analyze, and evaluate the modern scholarly attempts to grapple with the moral issues about good and evil in the Hebrew Esther story. The first part of the article examines the anti-Semitic sentiments looming behind the pre-World War II European, especially the Protestant, commentators’ ethics assessments of the book of Esther and its Jewish characters, before pointing out a blind spot in these assessments. The second part of the article offers a systematic analysis of the gradual change of attitude induced mainly by the Jewish scholars in the aftermath of the Second World War. Lastly, the paper turns the spotlight on the Esther studies conducted by recent feminist and other marginalized biblical scholars. Attempts are made to demonstrate how their works, coming from different social contexts, enrich the academic discussions about good and evil in the book of Esther.
DOI:
10.1163/15685152-00283P01
URL:
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