General Resources for Esther
(Check the
Scripture Index for links and study resources pertaining to specific pericopes)
- Introductions, Overviews & General Resources:
- Esther at Luther Seminary's Bible Tutor. Study basics about Bible books, people, dates, places, and content, and take web-based self-tests. CD-ROM of Advanced Studies also available at their site.
- Book of Esther, Wikipedia.
- Esther, The Jewish Encyclopedia, 1905.
- The Catholic Encyclopedia: Esther.
- Introduction to the Book of Esther, New American Bible.
- Introduction, Outline, and Selected Bibliography for the Book of Esther, by David Malick at the Biblical Studies Foundation.
- Bible Basics (Esther) by NetMinistries. (Very basic - includes .wav files with pronunciation of Biblical words)
- Esther in the World Wide Study Bible.
- Walking Through the Bible: Esther.
- Biblenotes summary: Esther.
- Commentary, Exegesis, Studies,etc.:
- Esther, Geneva Study Bible, 1599.
- Esther, Matthew Henry Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible, 1706.
- Esther, Wesley's Notes, c 1760.
- Esther, Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, 1871.
- Esther, Scofield Reference Notes, 1917.
- "The Early Hellenistic Period," Gerald A. Larue in Old Testament Life and Literature, 1968.
- Five Scrolls, Barry Bandstra, Reading the Old Testament.
- The Book of Esther, verse by verse commentary, Robert Nguyen Cramer, BibleTexts.com.
- Esther, Expository Notes, Dr. Thomas L. Constable, Dallas Theological Seminary, 2005 edition.
- Free Bible Commentary, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Dr. Bob Utley, Professor of Hermeneutics, East Texas Baptist University.
- Articles and Background:
- "Sexual Humour in Esther," Tim Bulkeley, 5 Minute Bible (podcast).
- "Holy Disobedience in Esther," Karol Jackowski, Theology Today, 1989.
- Esther: "The Maiden Who Pleases the King," from And Adam Knew Eve: A Dictionary of Sex in the Bible by Ronald L. Ecker.
- "Persian/Jew/Jew/Persian: Levels of Irony in the Scroll of Esther," Matthew J. Klaassen, Direction, 1996.
- "Reading Esther from Left to Right: Contemporary Strategies for Reading a Biblical Text," David J. A. Clines, On the Way to the Postmodern: Old Testament Essays 1967-1998.
- "In Quest of the Historical Mordecai," David J. A. Clines, On the Way to the Postmodern: Old Testament Essays 1967-1998.
- "Where God is Not: The Book of Esther and Song of Songs," by Dr. David R. Blumenthal, Professor of Judaic Studies, Emory University.
- "The Bold and the Biblical," Deborah Belonick, BeliefNet, July 2000.
- "If Esther had not been that beautiful: dealing with a hidden God in the (Hebrew) Book of Esther," Sabine M.L. Van Den Eynde, Biblilcal Theology Bulletin, 2001.
- "The Family in the Bible," James A. Sanders, Biblical Theology Bulletin, 2002.
- "The Symbolic Function of Clothing in the Book of Esther," Jopie Siebert-Hommes, Lectio Difficilior, 2002.
-
"Bloody Purim & the Bloody Passion," Rabbi Arthur Waskow, Sojourners.
-
Recommended articles
from ATLAS, an online collection of religion and theology journals, are
linked below.
ATLAS Access options are available for academic institutions, alumni of
selected theological schools, and clergy/church offices.
- Adeney, Miriam,
"Esther Across Cultures: Indigenous Leadership Roles for Women,"
Missiology, 1987.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Berges, Ruth,
"Esther as an Opera," Reconstructionist, 1961.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Bergey, Ronald L.,
"Post-Exilic Hebrew Linguistic Developments in Esther: A Diachronic
Approach," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, 1988.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Berlin, Adele,
"The Book of Esther and Ancient Storytelling," Journal of Biblical
Literature, 2001.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Berman, Joshua A.,
"Hadassah
Bat Abihail: The Evolution from Object to Subject in the character of
Esther," Journal of Biblical Literature, 2001.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Costas, Orlando E.,
"The Subversiveness of Faith: Esther as a Paradigm for a Liberating
Theology," Ecumenical Review, 1988.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Frolov, Serge,
"Two Eunuchs, Two Conspiracies, and One Loyal Jew: The Narrative of Botched
Regicide in Esther as Text- and Redaction-Critical Test Case," Vetus
Testamentum, 2002.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Fried, Lisbeth S.,
"Towards the Ur-Text of Esther," Journal for the Study of the Old
Testament, 2000.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Friedberg, A.D., and
V. DeCaen,
"Dating the Composition of the Book of Esther," Vetus Testamentum,
2003.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Goldman, Stan,
"Narrative and Ethical Ironies in Esther," Journal for the Study of
the Old Testament, 1990.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Gordis, Robert,
"Religion, Wisdom and History in the Book of Esther -- A New Solution to an
Ancient Crux," Journal of Biblical Literature, 1981.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Gordis, Robert,
"Studies in the Esther Narrative," Journal of Biblical Literature,
1976.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Hacham, Noah, "3
Maccabees and Esther: Parallels, Intertextuality, and Diaspora
Identity," Journal of Biblical Literature, 2007.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Hambrick-Stowe,
Charles E.,
"Ruth the New Abraham, Esther the New Moses," The Christian Century,
1983.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Harrelson, Walter,
"Textual and Translation Problems in the Book of Esther,"
Perspectives in Religious Studies, 1990.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Humphreys, W. Lee,
"A Life-Style for Diaspora: A Study of the Tales of Esther and Daniel,"
Journal of Biblical Literature, 1973.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Jackowski, Karol,
"Holy Disobedience in Esther," Theology Today, 1989.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Johnson, Sara R.,
"Novelistic Elements in Esther: Persian or Hellenistic, Jewish or Greek?"
The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 2005.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Jones, Bruce Wiliam,
"Two Misconceptions about the Book of Esther," The Catholic Biblical
Quarterly, 1977.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Klaassen, Matthew J.,
"Persian/Jew/Persian: Levels of Irony in the Scroll of Esther,"
Direction, 1996.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Larsson, Gerhard,
"Is the Book of Esther Older Than Has Been Believed?" Vetus
Testamentum, 2002.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Levenson, Jon D.,
"The Scroll of Esther in Ecumenical Perspective," Journal of
Ecumenical Studies, 1976.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - McGeough, Kevin,
"Esther the Hero: Going beyond 'Wisdom' in Heroic Narratives,"
Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 2008.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Millard, A.R.,
"The Persian Names in Esther and the Reliability of the Hebrew Text,"
Journal of Biblical Literature, 1977.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Mills, Mary E.,
"Household and Table: Diasporic Boundaries in Daniel and Esther," The
Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 2006.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Moore, Carey A.,
"Archaeology and the Book of Esther," Biblical Archaeologist,
1975.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Mosala, Itumeleng J.,
"The Implications of the Text of Esther for African Women's Struggle for
Liberation in South Africa," Semeia, 1992.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Murphy, George L.,
"Providence and Passion in Esther," Currents in Theology and Mission,
2002.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Polish, Daniel F.,
"Aspects of Esther: A Phenomenological Exploration of the Megilla of
Esther and the Origins of Purim," Journal for the Study of the Old
Testament, 1999.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Talshir, David and
Zipora Talshir, "The Double Month Naming in Late Biblical Books: A New Clue for Dating
Esther?" Vetus Testamentum, 2004.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Talmon, S.,
"'Wisdom' in the Book of Esther," Vetus Testamentum, 1963.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Teuffel, Jochen, "Fate and Word: The Book of Esther
as Guidance to a Canonical Reading of Scripture," Currents in
Theology and Mission, 2009.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Vrudny, Kimberly,
"Medieval Fascination with the Queen: Esther as the Queen of Heaven and Host
of the Messianic Banquet," ARTS, 1999.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Vrudny, Kimberly,
"Medieval Treatment of the Queen: Austrian Manuscripts and the Quest for
Esther," ARTS, 1995.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Wechsler, Michael G.,
"The Appellation of BOUGAIOS and Ethnic Contextualization in the
Greek Text of Esther," Vetus Testamentum, 2001.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Wechsler, Michael G.,
"The Purim-Passover Connection: A Reflection of Jewish Exegetical Traditions
in the Peshitta Book of Esther," Journal of Biblical Literature,
1998.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Wechsler, Michael G.,
"Shadow and Fulfillment in the Book of Esther," Bibliotheca Sacra,
1997.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Weiland, Forrest S., "Historicity, Genre, and Narrative Design in the Book of Esther,"
Bibliotheca Sacra, 2002.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Weiland, Forrest S.,
"Literary Clues to God's Providence in the Book of Esther,"
Bibliotheca Sacra, 2003.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Weiland, Forrest S.,
"Literary Conventions in the Book of Esther," Bibliotheca Sacra,
2002.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Weiland, Forrest S.,
"Plot Structure in the Book of Esther," Bibliotheca Sacra, 2002.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Wiebe, John M.,
"Esther 4:14: 'Will Relief and Deliverance Arise for the Jews from Another
Place?'" The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 1991.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Yamauchi, Edwin M.,
"The Archaeological Background of Esther," Bibliotheca Sacra,
1980.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Adeney, Miriam,
"Esther Across Cultures: Indigenous Leadership Roles for Women,"
Missiology, 1987.
- Purim Links:
- Purim on the Net includes, stories, traditions, recipes, etc.
- Purim, Judaism 101.
- Virtual Purim, Chabad.org.
- Purim, Everything Jewish.com.
- With Children:
- "The Girl Who Moved to a Palace," parts 1 - 5, Rosemarie Ann Haas, The Children's Chapel.
- Purim, Torah Tots.
- Images Linked at The Text This Week's Art Concordance: