Will Vaus

Today in our journey along Route 66 we are stopping to visit the book of Esther... Author   Traditionally, Mordecai was thought to be the author of the book of Esther. But as with many of the books of the Bible we must admit that we simply don’t know who the author of Esther was. Nonetheless, it is evident that the author was a Jew, due to the focus on the Jewish festival of Purim and the Jewish nationalism that permeates the story. Plus, the author is obviously aware of Persian customs and culture.   Date   The setting for the story is during the Exile, and specifically during the reign of Xerxes whose Hebrew name is Ahasuerus. This is most likely a reference to Xerxes I who reigned from 486 to 465 BCE. The traditional date for the writing of Esther was presumed to be shortly after the events narrated, c. 460 BCE, before Ezra’s return to Jerusalem. Internal evidence suggests that the festival of Purim had been observed for some time prior to the writing of the book....

The closing chapters of the book of Esther focus on the revenge that the Jews took upon their enemies, on the sons of Haman and upon thousands of others. Personally, I cannot imagine anything more contrary to the spirit of Jesus Christ who said, “If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also.” (Luke 6:29) Rather than taking the lives of others, Jesus laid down his life for us. Through that gift of his life, we can receive new, everlasting life. The one good thing that came out of these events recorded in Esther is the feast of Purim. I say that is a good thing because on that feast day the Jews were instructed by Mordecai to give gifts of food to one another and offer presents to the poor. However, I find it hard to imagine a holiday that is more unlike the supposed event it commemorates than Purim. Hopefully, as we read the story of Esther in the context of the whole of Scripture, it reminds us what an evil thing the act and spirit of revenge can be...

Today we begin a study of a new book, one of the most unusual in the Hebrew Scriptures. Here is Lawrence Boadt’s perspective on it…. The Book of Esther contains a thrilling tale of escape from mortal danger for the Jews. It is set in the Persian period under King Xerxes, who ruled from 486 to 465, and tells the story of a beautiful young Jewish maiden, Esther, who is chosen to be the queen when he becomes angry with his first queen and divorces her. Esther brings along her cousin and guardian, Mordecai, but soon he has enraged the Persian prime minister, Haman, by refusing him the proper signs or respect. In anger, Haman convinces the king that he should destroy all the Jews in a day of slaughter because they follow their own religion and do not worship as the Persians do. In this crisis, Mordecai convinces Esther to go before the king and change his mind. The king is won over when he realizes Haman’s intentions, and he instead orders the prime minister to be sla...