Language:
English
Year of publication:
2001
Titel der Quelle:
Jewish Bible Quarterly
Angaben zur Quelle:
29,1 (2001) 4-12
Keywords:
Bible. Criticism, interpretation, etc.
Abstract:
The story in the Book of Esther may be read as a guide to the politics of Jewish life in the Diaspora. It tells of the dangers of antisemitism and how such dangers may be neutralized. It describes antisemitism's propaganda and real interests, but speaks also of the Jewish response. Discusses additions to the biblical story found in the Septuagint (Greek) translation, the Aramaic Targumim, and the Midrash. In traditional Jewish terms, God and His laws take precedence over the law of the land, and thus put Jews in a position of being accused of disloyalty and subversion in the Diaspora. Refers to Jewish "insularity" - e.g. prohibitions against sharing food, drink, or bed with non-Jews, and notes that the Jewish heroine Esther was forced to commit such actions in order to save her people. Jewish sources emphasize "the tragic heart" of the story, the Jewess whose victimization is required; in the end, Esther remains trapped in the clutches of the pagan king.
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