Book contents
- The Book of Esther between Judaism and Christianity
- The Book of Esther between Judaism and Christianity
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Abbreviations
- Chapter 1 An Introduction
- Part I Esther: Story and History, Literary Features, and Theology
- Part II “Oh, How Much They Love the Book of Esther!”
- Chapter 7 Esther, Torah’s Law, and the Dead Sea Scrolls’ Community
- Chapter 8 Esther in Jewish Canon, Tradition, Culture, and Thought
- Chapter 9 Identification of Jew-Haters with Haman
- Part III Divine or Demon?
- Bibliography
- Authors Index
- Names and Subjects Index
- Sources Index
- Terms and Expressions Index
Chapter 8 - Esther in Jewish Canon, Tradition, Culture, and Thought
from Part II - “Oh, How Much They Love the Book of Esther!”
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 July 2023
- The Book of Esther between Judaism and Christianity
- The Book of Esther between Judaism and Christianity
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Abbreviations
- Chapter 1 An Introduction
- Part I Esther: Story and History, Literary Features, and Theology
- Part II “Oh, How Much They Love the Book of Esther!”
- Chapter 7 Esther, Torah’s Law, and the Dead Sea Scrolls’ Community
- Chapter 8 Esther in Jewish Canon, Tradition, Culture, and Thought
- Chapter 9 Identification of Jew-Haters with Haman
- Part III Divine or Demon?
- Bibliography
- Authors Index
- Names and Subjects Index
- Sources Index
- Terms and Expressions Index
Summary
The book of Esther is one of the most challenging books in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, not only because of the difficulty of understanding the book itself in its time, place, and literary contexts, but also for the long and tortuous history of interpretation it has generated in both Jewish and Christian traditions. In this volume, Isaac Kalimi addresses both issues. He situates “traditional” literary and textual, theological, and historical-critical discussions of Esther alongside comparative Jewish and Christian interpretive histories, showing how the former serves the latter. Kalimi also demonstrates how the various interpretations of the book of Esther have had an impact on its reception history, as well as on Jewish–Christian relations. Based on meticulous and comprehensive analysis of all available sources, Kalimi’s volume fills a gap in biblical, Jewish, and Christian studies and also shows how and why the book of Esther became one of the central books of Judaism and one of the most neglected books in Christianity.
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- Information
- The Book of Esther between Judaism and Christianity , pp. 164 - 197Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023