What do you think?
Rate this book
Esther (OTL)
The book of Esther has been preserved in ancient texts that diverge greatly from each other. As a result, Jews and Protestants usually read a version which is shorter than that of most Catholic or Orthodox Bibles. In this volume, now available in a new casebound edition, Levenson capably guides readers through both versions, demonstrating their coherence and their differences. The Old Testament Library provides fresh and authoritative treatments of important aspects of Old Testament study through commentaries and general surveys. The contributors are scholars of international standing.
- GenresTheologyBiblical Studies
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1997
17 people are currently reading
47 people want to read
About the author
Jon D. Levenson
21 books20 followersJon D. Levenson is the Albert A. List Professor of Jewish Studies at the Harvard Divinity School.
He is a scholar of the Bible and of the rabbinic midrash, with an interest in the philosophical and theological issues involved in biblical studies. He studies the relationship between traditional modes of Biblical interpretation and modern historical criticism. He also studies the relationship between Judaism and Christianity.
Levenson's foci include: Theological traditions in ancient Israel (biblical and rabbinic periods); Literary Interpretation of the Hebrew Bible; Midrash; History of Jewish biblical interpretation; Modern Jewish theology; Jewish-Christian relations.
He is a scholar of the Bible and of the rabbinic midrash, with an interest in the philosophical and theological issues involved in biblical studies. He studies the relationship between traditional modes of Biblical interpretation and modern historical criticism. He also studies the relationship between Judaism and Christianity.
Levenson's foci include: Theological traditions in ancient Israel (biblical and rabbinic periods); Literary Interpretation of the Hebrew Bible; Midrash; History of Jewish biblical interpretation; Modern Jewish theology; Jewish-Christian relations.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 7, 2017
Jon Levenson has written in the Old Testament Library (OTL) series one of the very best commentaries available from the critical camp on the exciting Book of Esther. As a conservative reviewer, any critical commentary on Esther grates on my nerves more than usual because of critical scholar’s disdain for Esther’s history, but if you are like me and want at least one of the better critical commentaries in your library on every book of the Bible, you should probably consider this one.
There’s no doubt that Mr. Levenson writes with skill. When he says in the first paragraph, “it is also a tale of the ascent of an orphan in exile to the rank of the most powerful woman – and perhaps even the most powerful person – in the Empire and, arguably, the world”, his writing prowess becomes clear.
He begins his discussion in the Introduction on the plot of the Book of Esther. I thought his comment that there’s more narration than quoted speech as compared to similar biblical stories as perceptive. He gives a great overview of the plot. Next, he tackles structure and style and after surveying various scholarly opinions, he gives an outstanding visual representation of his thought of the structure of the Book of Esther. I can’t follow him in all his thoughts about the messages of the book of Esther, but he does give much food for thought. I totally disagree with his discussion of historicity. He gives a fine summary of the textual history of the book of Esther, though he could be disagreed with at points.
Though it has some of the same critical conclusions as the Introduction, the commentary proper is illuminating and thought-provoking. Let’s just say that he provides what I’m looking for in this type of commentary. You might want to check it out.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
There’s no doubt that Mr. Levenson writes with skill. When he says in the first paragraph, “it is also a tale of the ascent of an orphan in exile to the rank of the most powerful woman – and perhaps even the most powerful person – in the Empire and, arguably, the world”, his writing prowess becomes clear.
He begins his discussion in the Introduction on the plot of the Book of Esther. I thought his comment that there’s more narration than quoted speech as compared to similar biblical stories as perceptive. He gives a great overview of the plot. Next, he tackles structure and style and after surveying various scholarly opinions, he gives an outstanding visual representation of his thought of the structure of the Book of Esther. I can’t follow him in all his thoughts about the messages of the book of Esther, but he does give much food for thought. I totally disagree with his discussion of historicity. He gives a fine summary of the textual history of the book of Esther, though he could be disagreed with at points.
Though it has some of the same critical conclusions as the Introduction, the commentary proper is illuminating and thought-provoking. Let’s just say that he provides what I’m looking for in this type of commentary. You might want to check it out.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
March 1, 2018
An excellent exegetical look at the Book of Esther from an academic lens. It also compares passages in the main text to alternate passages found in the Latin Vulgate edition of the bible. Why it's required that professors write books in the most dry, boring, and unredable manner, I don't know. It's the way they're required to write papers, so it ends up being in their books, making them a struggle to read. Really a shame.
July 5, 2014
I really enjoyed this! There are three different versions of the Book of Esther - who knew? The Masoretic text, which we use, was at some point augmented with additions that made the text more religious (among other things). The additions show up in the Catholic Bible as a separate book, in the Orthodox Christian bible as an integral part of the book, and in most Protestant bibles not at all.
Levenson analyzes the book and its history and historicity with a style that is engaging and amusing. And I learned a new word - chiastic (the Book of Esther is not chiastic, but many biblical texts are).
It was fun to find so much new about a text I've read over and over.
Levenson analyzes the book and its history and historicity with a style that is engaging and amusing. And I learned a new word - chiastic (the Book of Esther is not chiastic, but many biblical texts are).
It was fun to find so much new about a text I've read over and over.
November 17, 2012
A wonderful and thorough introduction to the book of Esther.
December 18, 2012
An excellent introduction to the Book of Esther. Levenson provides many good insights and I found this text to be quite helpful in our study of the Biblical book.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews