Empire and Exile
Bible Studies, Messages, Papers on the Book of Esther
Photograph: A wall painting of a scene from the Book of Esther, from a synagogue in Dura Europa, Syria. This building dates back to the 200's AD. It stood close to a Christian house church, which had similar artwork, suggesting that there were reasonably good relations. Photo credit: Unknown, Wikimedia Commons.
Below are messages, small group leader notes, and exegetical notes on the Book of Esther.
Notes and Essays on Esther
The Heir of David: A Thematic and Canonical Analysis of the Writings
Essay exploring how the Writings — the third group of the Hebrew Bible according to the Jewish tradition — are arranged. There is a garden-to-exile-to-restoration theme that can be discerned in the orderings of the books in the Writings. The Writings develop the readers’ hope in the Heir of David as the one who will bring about the restoration from exile, and return to the garden land.
Other Resources on the Book of Esther
Samantha Field, Why White Women Love Esther...But Ignore Zeresh. Sojourners, May 1, 2018.
Dr. Rabbi Asher Tov-Lev, Newly Deciphered Qumran Scroll Revealed to Be Esther. Date unknown.
Aryeh Klapper, How Not to Talk About Amalek. The Times of Israel, Mar 4, 2020. Includes discussion of how the story of the Amalekite attack in Exodus 17 is linked to Haman in the book of Esther by the standard Jewish celebration of Purim.
Peter Beinart, Purim After Hawara: The Amalek In Us. The Beinart Notebook | Substack. Mar 6, 2023. Includes rich discussion about Esther and links to resources on how Esther has been perceived and used in Jewish tradition.
Noah Lanard, The Dangerous History Behind Netanyahu’s Amalek Rhetoric. Mother Jones, Nov 3, 2023.
Bible Studies and Messages from The Anástasis Center: The Five Scrolls:
Bible Studies and Messages from The Anástasis Center: Writings:
Bible Studies and Messages from The Anástasis Center:
