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Esther / Hadassah is a literary character, the protagonist of the Book of Esther

Overview

The setting of the narrative is in the Persian Period, and King Ahasuerus is usually identified with the Persian King Xerses I. However, if the Book of Esther alludes to some historical events, they have left no trace in ancient sources. Like Daniel, Esther represents a "type" for Jews living in Diaspora, and hoping to live a successful life in an alien environment.

In Jewish tradition the story of Esther is the basis for the celebration of Purim. Scholarly research focuses exclusively on the study of the Book of Esther as a literary product.

(a) The Virgin Esther Becomes Queen

According to the Book of Esther, Hadassah was an orphaned Jewish child raised in Persia by Mordecai, her cousin (or uncle), who took her as his own daughter. Hadassah was chosen by the Persian King Ahasuerus as his new wife. She received her name Esther when she entered the royal harem.

2.2. The king’s servants who attended him said, “Let beautiful young virgins be sought out for the king. 3 And let the king appoint commissioners in all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all the beautiful young virgins to the harem in the citadel of Susa under custody of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women; let their cosmetic treatments be given them. 4 And let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” This pleased the king, and he did so.

5 Now there was a Jew in the citadel of Susa whose name was Mordecai son of Jair son of Shimei son of Kish, a Benjaminite, 6 who had been carried away from Jerusalem among the captives carried away with King Jeconiah of Judah, whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had carried away. 7 He had brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his cousin, for she had neither father nor mother; the young woman was fair and beautiful, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai adopted her as his own daughter. 8 When the king’s order and his edict were proclaimed and when many young women were gathered in the citadel of Susa in custody of Hegai, Esther was taken into the king’s palace and put in custody of Hegai, who had charge of the women. 9 The young woman pleased him and won his favor, and he quickly provided her with her cosmetic treatments and her portion of food and with seven chosen maids from the king’s palace, and he advanced her and her maids to the best place in the harem. 10 Esther did not reveal her people or kindred, for Mordecai had charged her not to tell. 11 Every day Mordecai would walk back and forth in front of the court of the harem to learn how Esther was and how she fared.

12 The turn came for each young woman to go in to King Ahasuerus, after being twelve months under the regulations for the women, since this was the regular period of their cosmetic treatment: six months with oil of myrrh and six months with perfumes and cosmetics for women. 13 When the young woman went in to the king, she was given whatever she asked for to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace. 14 In the evening she went in; then in the morning she came back to the second harem in custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the concubines; she did not go in to the king again unless the king delighted in her and she was summoned by name.

15 When the turn came for Esther daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had adopted her as his own daughter, to go in to the king, she asked for nothing except what Hegai the king’s eunuch, who had charge of the women, advised. Now Esther was admired by all who saw her. 16 When Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus in his royal palace in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign, 17 the king loved Esther more than all the other women; of all the virgins she won his favor and devotion, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. 18 Then the king gave a great banquet to all his officials and ministers: “Esther’s banquet.” He also granted a holiday[a] to the provinces and gave gifts with royal liberality.

(b) Esther saved his own people

When the grand vizier, Haman wanted to exterminate the Jews, she was instrumental in saving her fellow Jews from massacre. She revealed to the king her identity as a Jew, and accused Haman of the plot to destroy her and her people. The king ordered that Haman should be hanged on the gallows prepared for Mordecai, and, confiscating his property, bestowed it upon the intended victim. The king then appointed Mordecai as his prime minister, and issued a decree authorizing the Jews to defend themselves.

Esther, in literature & the arts

• See Esther (fiction) < literature - music - cinema > / Esther (art)

Esther has enjoyed great popularity both in Judaism and Christianity, generating a flow of works of arts and fiction.

Esther, in scholarship

• See Esther (research) -- Book of Esther

Related categories

• Women
• Book of Esther (text)

External links

• [Wikipedia