His presence permeates much of the story, as though He were behind the scenes coordinating “coincidences” and circumstances to make His will happen. But that is not to say that God was absent. Why is Esther so important?Įsther is the only book in the Bible not to mention the name of God. The book was written no earlier than 470 BC and probably no later than 424 BC, during the reign of Xerxes’ son Artaxerxes. They seemedĬontent to stay in Susa, the capital city of Persia, in which the story is set. But Esther and Mordecai, along with many other Jews, had chosen not to make the trek back to Judah. During this time period, the first remnant of Jews who had returned to Judah were struggling to reestablish temple worship according to the Law of Moses. The events in the book of Esther occurred from 483 BC to 473 BC, during the first half of the reign of King Xerxes, who chose Esther as his queen. This unlikely contestant for a beauty pageant was crowned queen of Persia and renamed Esther, meaning “star.” Where are we? The book is named for the “star” of the story, a young Jewish girl named Hadassah who was taken from her guardian, Mordecai, and forced to compete for the affection of the king. Some have suggested Mordecai himself was the author, though the accolades for him found in the text suggest that another person, perhaps one of his younger contemporaries, was the author. Because his perspective was pro-Jewish, scholars believe he was a Jew writing for the remnant that had returned The detailed descriptions of court life and traditions, as well as the events that occurred in the book, point to an eyewitness author. The unknown author of the book of Esther was most likely a Jew very familiar with the royal Persian court.
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