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:
  • "Ruth and the New Abraham, Esther the New Moses," Charles E. Hambrick-Stowe, The Christian Century, 1983. At Religion Online.
  • "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.
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  • Adeney, Miriam, "Esther Across Cultures: Indigenous Leadership Roles for Women," Missiology, 1987.
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  • Berges, Ruth, "Esther as an Opera," Reconstructionist, 1961.
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  • Bergey, Ronald L., "Post-Exilic Hebrew Linguistic Developments in Esther: A Diachronic Approach," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, 1988.
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  • Berlin, Adele, "The Book of Esther and Ancient Storytelling," Journal of Biblical Literature, 2001.
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  • Berman, Joshua A., "Hadassah Bat Abihail: The Evolution from Object to Subject in the character of Esther," Journal of Biblical Literature, 2001.
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  • Costas, Orlando E., "The Subversiveness of Faith: Esther as a Paradigm for a Liberating Theology," Ecumenical Review, 1988.
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  • 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.
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  • Fried, Lisbeth S., "Towards the Ur-Text of Esther," Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, 2000.
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  • Friedberg, A.D., and V. DeCaen, "Dating the Composition of the Book of Esther," Vetus Testamentum, 2003.
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  • Goldman, Stan, "Narrative and Ethical Ironies in Esther," Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, 1990.
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  • Gordis, Robert, "Religion, Wisdom and History in the Book of Esther -- A New Solution to an Ancient Crux," Journal of Biblical Literature, 1981.
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  • Gordis, Robert, "Studies in the Esther Narrative," Journal of Biblical Literature, 1976.
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  • Hacham, Noah, "3 Maccabees and Esther: Parallels, Intertextuality, and Diaspora Identity," Journal of Biblical Literature, 2007.
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  • Hambrick-Stowe, Charles E., "Ruth the New Abraham, Esther the New Moses," The Christian Century, 1983.
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  • Harrelson, Walter, "Textual and Translation Problems in the Book of Esther," Perspectives in Religious Studies, 1990.
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  • Humphreys, W. Lee, "A Life-Style for Diaspora: A Study of the Tales of Esther and Daniel," Journal of Biblical Literature, 1973.
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  • Jackowski, Karol, "Holy Disobedience in Esther," Theology Today, 1989.
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  • Johnson, Sara R., "Novelistic Elements in Esther: Persian or Hellenistic, Jewish or Greek?" The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 2005.
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  • Jones, Bruce Wiliam, "Two Misconceptions about the Book of Esther," The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 1977.
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  • Klaassen, Matthew J., "Persian/Jew/Persian: Levels of Irony in the Scroll of Esther," Direction, 1996.
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  • Larsson, Gerhard, "Is the Book of Esther Older Than Has Been Believed?" Vetus Testamentum, 2002.
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  • Levenson, Jon D., "The Scroll of Esther in Ecumenical Perspective," Journal of Ecumenical Studies, 1976.
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  • McGeough, Kevin, "Esther the Hero: Going beyond 'Wisdom' in Heroic Narratives," Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 2008.
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  • Millard, A.R., "The Persian Names in Esther and the Reliability of the Hebrew Text," Journal of Biblical Literature, 1977.
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  • Mills, Mary E., "Household and Table: Diasporic Boundaries in Daniel and Esther," The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 2006.
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  • Moore, Carey A., "Archaeology and the Book of Esther," Biblical Archaeologist, 1975.
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  • Mosala, Itumeleng J., "The Implications of the Text of Esther for African Women's Struggle for Liberation in South Africa," Semeia, 1992.
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  • Murphy, George L., "Providence and Passion in Esther," Currents in Theology and Mission, 2002.
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  • 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.
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  • Talshir, David and Zipora Talshir, "The Double Month Naming in Late Biblical Books: A New Clue for Dating Esther?" Vetus Testamentum, 2004.
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  • Talmon, S., "'Wisdom' in the Book of Esther," Vetus Testamentum, 1963.
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  • Teuffel, Jochen, "Fate and Word: The Book of Esther as Guidance to a Canonical Reading of Scripture," Currents in Theology and Mission, 2009.
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  • Vrudny, Kimberly, "Medieval Fascination with the Queen: Esther as the Queen of Heaven and Host of the Messianic Banquet," ARTS, 1999.
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  • Vrudny, Kimberly, "Medieval Treatment of the Queen: Austrian Manuscripts and the Quest for Esther," ARTS, 1995.
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  • Wechsler, Michael G., "The Appellation of BOUGAIOS and Ethnic Contextualization in the Greek Text of Esther," Vetus Testamentum, 2001.
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  • Wechsler, Michael G., "The Purim-Passover Connection: A Reflection of Jewish Exegetical Traditions in the Peshitta Book of Esther," Journal of Biblical Literature, 1998.
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  • Wechsler, Michael G., "Shadow and Fulfillment in the Book of Esther," Bibliotheca Sacra, 1997.
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  • Weiland, Forrest S., "Historicity, Genre, and Narrative Design in the Book of Esther," Bibliotheca Sacra, 2002.
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  • Weiland, Forrest S., "Literary Clues to God's Providence in the Book of Esther," Bibliotheca Sacra, 2003.
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  • Weiland, Forrest S., "Literary Conventions in the Book of Esther," Bibliotheca Sacra, 2002.
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  • Weiland, Forrest S., "Plot Structure in the Book of Esther," Bibliotheca Sacra, 2002.
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  • Wiebe, John M., "Esther 4:14: 'Will Relief and Deliverance Arise for the Jews from Another Place?'" The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 1991.
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  • Yamauchi, Edwin M., "The Archaeological Background of Esther," Bibliotheca Sacra, 1980.
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• 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.
• Reviews:
  • Review: Eugene F. Roop, Ruth, Jonah, Esther. (Herald, 2002) Review by Marjo Korpel in SBL's Review of Biblical Literature.
  • Review: Leslie C. Allen and Timothy S. Laniak, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther. Paternoster, 2003. Review by Brian E. Kelly in The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 2004.
  • Review: Charles D. Harvey, Finding Morality in the Diaspora? Moral Ambiguity and Transformed Morality in the Books of Esther. deGruyter, 2003. Review by R. Timothy McLay in The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 2004.
  • Review: Athalya Brenner, ed., Are We Amused?: Humor about Women in the Biblical Worlds. T&T Clark, 2003. Reviews by Linda Schearing and Adele Reinhartz, Review of Biblical Literature.
  • Review: Knute Larson and Kathy Dahlen, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther. Broadman & Holman, 2005. Review by Bob Becking, Review of Biblical Literature, 2005.
  • Reviews: Linda M. Day, Esther. Abingdon, 2005. Reviews by Harald Wahl and Andre Lacocque, Review of Biblical Literature, 2006.
• Images Linked at The Text This Week's Art Concordance:
  • Esther