The proceedings of a symposium entitled Esther 2000 held in Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska in April 2000, the book contains a collection of essays that engages all aspects of the biblical book of Esther. From questions of textual criticism to the history of rabbinic interpretation to speculation on the modern form of commentary, this collection is sure to contain something for everyone interested in the book of Esther. Contributors include such well-known Esther scholars as Michael Fox, David Clines, and Carey Moore.
Within the Bible, the book of Esther is interesting for many reasons. Perhaps at the top of the list is the fact that it never mentions God. His name is not brought up throughout the entirety of the book, and yet you still know God is there, working His plan through Esther. See how Esther's story can be a parallel to Christ's story, and how through her story you can see God working in your life today. This eight-lesson Bible study will give readers clear direction on how Christ has chosen and equipped them for God's beautiful plan.
A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK A BELLETRIST BOOK CLUB PICK For fans of The Hours and Fates and Furies, a bold, kaleidoscopic novel intertwining the lives of three women across three centuries as their stories of sex, power, and desire finally converge in the present day. Lily is a mother and a daughter. And a second wife. And a writer, maybe? Or she was going to be, before she had children. Now, in her rented Brooklyn apartment she’s grappling with her sexual and intellectual desires, while also trying to manage her roles as a mother and a wife in 2016. Vivian Barr seems to be the perfect political wife, dedicated to helping her charismatic and ambitious husband find success in Watergate-era Washington D.C. But one night he demands a humiliating favor, and her refusal to obey changes the course of her life—along with the lives of others. Esther is a fiercely independent young woman in ancient Persia, where she and her uncle’s tribe live a tenuous existence outside the palace walls. When an innocent mistake results in devastating consequences for her people, she is offered up as a sacrifice to please the King, in the hopes that she will save them all. In Anna Solomon's The Book of V., these three characters' riveting stories overlap and ultimately collide, illuminating how women’s lives have and have not changed over thousands of years.
What if the way the book of Esther has been taught to us in church and retold to us in films, cartoons, and romance novels has missed the original point of the story? Far from being models of piety and devotion, Esther and Mordecai seem indifferent to the faith of their ancestors. How then did this story become part of the Bible and gain the broad acceptance that it has? If the church should not neglect the story, how should it be read? Esther and Her Elusive God calls Christians to avoid the common attempts to make Esther more palatable and theological, and to reclaim this secular story as Scripture. Readers will be encouraged to see in Esther a profound message of God's grace and faithfulness to his wayward people.
Dianna Booher helps women build self-confidence and personal skills in order to make a Kingdom impact on the world. Using the story of Esther as a backdrop, Booher explores components of self-esteem and shares how a Christian's sense of self should be rooted in a relationship with God. Ultimately we can live passionately and influence others for God's kingdom.
Tremper Longman III and Peter E. Enns edit this collection of 148 articles by over 90 contributors on Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Lamentations, Ruth and Esther.
The book of Esther emerges from complex origins. According to David J. A. Clines, the story combines elements from numerous literary, textual, and storytelling traditions. Through the telling and retelling of the story, the book as it appears in the modern canon slowly emerges. In this volume, Clines uncovers this fascinating history by examining the literary and textual elements of the book, the shape of the story, and the shifts in meaning as new generations have retold the story and interpreted it for their own time.
Everyone loves a transformation story. Rags to riches. Plain to beautiful. Weak to strong. Esther's story is that, but it is much more. It is a thought-provoking study of God's invisible hand writing silently and unseen across the pages of human history. Perhaps most of all, Esther's story is the account of godly attributes like courage, dignity, wisdom, and strength?attributes that blocked an evil plot, overthrew an arrogant killer, and replaced terror with joy in thousands of Jewish homes. Author Chuck Swindoll interweaves the ancient, real-life story with insight not only into the virtues of Queen Esther, but also into how the qualities that formed and empowered her can be ours. Esther is the second volume of Charles Swindoll's best-selling series, which examines great lives from God's Word and reveals the strengths and weaknesses that make God's men and women both great . . . and human. Many of the most beloved biblical heroes were ordinary folks. Shepherds. Fishermen. Servants. Widows. Even harlots and petty thieves. One by one, they changed the course of history. Swindoll explains that these men and women did not become great in their own strength but were empowered by God when they surrendered their lives to Him. To live such a life that God considers great is within the reach of everyone who submits to Him.
Veiling Esther, Unveiling Her Story: The Reception of a Biblical Book in Islamic Lands examines the ways in which the Biblical Book of Esther was read, understood, and used in Muslim lands, from ancient to modern times. It focuses on case studies covering works from various periods and regions of the Muslim world, including the Qur'an, pre-modern historical chronicles and literary works, the writings of a nineteenth-century Shia feminist, a twentieth-century Iranian encyclopaedia, and others. These case studies demonstrate that Muslim sources contain valuable materials on Esther, which shed light both on the Esther story itself and on the Muslim peoples and cultures that received it. Adam J. Silverstein argues that Muslim sources preserve important pre-Islamic materials on Esther that have not survived elsewhere, some of which offer answers to ancient questions about Esther, such as the meaning of Haman's epithet in the Greek versions of the story, the reason why Mordecai refused to prostrate before Haman, and the literary context of the 'plot of the eunuchs' to kill the Persian king. Throughout the book, Silverstein shows how each author's cultural and religious background influenced his or her understanding and retelling of the Esther story. In particular, he highlights that Persian Muslims (and Jews) were often forced to reconcile or choose between the conflicting historical narratives provided by their religious and cultural heritages respectively.
