The Dynamics of Violence and Revenge in the Hebrew Book of Esther.

Intro -- Contents -- Abbreviations -- General Introduction -- 1 Violence in the Bible -- 1.1 Description of Violence -- 2 Violence in the Book of Esther -- 3 Outline of the Study -- 4 Methodology -- 5 Further Developments of this Research -- PART 1 Literary Inquiry into the Book of Esther -- CHAPTER 1 The Book of Esther in Context -- 1 Purim -- 1.1 Origins of the Feast -- 1.2 Liturgical Relationship Between the Book of Esther and Purim -- 2 Textual Questions -- 2.1 Textual Landscape -- 2.2 Qumran Fragments -- 2.3 Relation Between the Different Texts -- 3 Literary Dimensions -- 3.1 Literary Genre -- 3.2 Characterisation -- 3.3 Structure -- 3.4 Reinterpretation of Biblical Stories -- 3.5 Irony/Sarcasm -- 3.6 Rhetorical Devices -- 4 Motifs and Themes -- 4.1 Banquets -- 4.2 Kingship -- 4.3 Obedience/Disobedience -- 4.4 Power -- 4.5 Loyalty to the Jewish Community -- 4.6 Inviolability of the Jewish Nation and Reversal -- 4.7 Shame and Honour -- 4.8 Absence of God -- 5 Interpretative Currents -- 5.1 Carnivalesque Reading -- 5.2 Political Explanation -- 5.3 Feminist Interpretations -- 6 Reception History -- 6.1 Reception History of the Book of Esther -- 7 Conclusion -- CHAPTER 2 Vocabulary of Violence -- 1 Subjects of Violent Actions -- 1.1 צרֵֹר "attacker, enemy" -- 1.2 שנֵֹא "one who hates, enemy" -- 1.3 איב "enemy" -- 1.4 Summary -- 2 Feelings Leading to Violence -- 2.1 קצף "to be angry -- anger" -- 2.2 חמֵָה "anger" -- 3 Violent Acts -- 3.1 תלה / תלא "to hang" -- 3.2 שׁלט "to gain dominion" -- 3.3 שׁלח יד "to stretch out the hand" -- 3.4 שׁמד "to exterminate" -- 3.5 אבד "to (cause to) perish" -- 3.6 הרג "to kill" -- 3.7 נקם "to take revenge" -- 4 Conclusion -- CHAPTER 3 Violence in the Narrative of Esther -- 1 Literary Composition -- 1.1 What Kind of Plot? -- 1.2 The Narrator's Telling and Showing -- 1.3 The Characters' Dialogue.

1.4 Legal Documents -- 1.5 Summary -- 2 Plot -- 2.1 Nature of the Plot: Revelation or Resolution? -- 2.2 Role of Violence in the Plot -- 3 Point of View -- 3.1 Narrator's Point of View -- 3.2 Characters' Point of View -- 4 Characters -- 4.1 Ahasuerus -- 4.2 Vashti -- 4.3 Mordecai -- 4.4 Esther -- 4.5 Haman -- 4.6 Jewish People -- 4.7 Minor Characters -- 5 Framework -- 5.1 Time -- 5.2 Space -- 6 Universals of Narrative -- 6.1 Suspense -- 6.2 Curiosity -- 6.3 Surprise -- 7 Conclusion -- Part 2 Exegesis of Chosen Passages -- CHAPTER 4 The King's Life is Spared: Exegesis of Esther 2:21-23 -- 1 Text -- 1.1 Textual Notes -- 1.2 Translation -- 2 Literary Analysis -- 2.1 Delimitation -- 2.2 Setting -- 2.3 Structure -- 3 Commentary -- 3.1 Use of Verbs -- 3.2 Description of Characters -- 3.3 It Was Written in the Chronicles -- 4 Conclusion -- CHAPTER 5 The Beginning of the End: Exegesis of Esther 7:1-10 -- 1 Text -- 1.1 Textual Notes -- 1.2 Translation -- 1.3 The Greek Versions -- 2 Literary Analysis -- 2.1 Delimitation -- 2.2 Setting -- 2.3 Structure -- 3 The Banquet Motif -- 3.1 Eating and Drinking in Classical Sources -- 3.2 Eating and Drinking in the Old Testament -- 3.3 Eating and Drinking in the Book of Esther -- 4 Commentary -- 4.1 Exposition (7:1-2a) -- 4.2 Complication (7:2b-5) -- 4.3 Turning Point (7:6-8) -- 4.4 Denouement (7:9-10a) -- 4.5 Final Situation (7:10b) -- 5 Conclusion -- CHAPTER 6 Before the Party Begins: Exegesis of Esther 9:1-19 -- 1 Text -- 1.1 Translation -- 1.2 The Greek Versions -- 2 Literary Analysis -- 2.1 Delimitation -- 2.2 Setting -- 2.3 Structure -- 3 Thorny Questions about Chapter 9 -- 3.1 Description of Characters -- 3.2 Interpretation -- 4 Commentary -- 4.1 Background Information (9:1-4) -- 4.2 First Action (9:5-11) -- 4.3 Dialogue between the King and the Queen (9:12-13) -- 4.4 Fulfilment of the Command (9:14-19).

5 Conclusion -- General Conclusions -- 1 Literary Dimension of Violence -- 2 Characters and Violence -- 3 The Violent Narrative of Esther -- 4 God's Hidden Face -- 5 The Relationship between the Jews and the World around Them -- Bibliography -- Index of Authors -- Index of Biblical Citations.

In The Dynamics of Violence and Revenge, Francisco-Javier Ruiz-Ortiz presents an exegetical study of how the violence and revenge which are integral part of the Hebrew book of Esther structure the book and help passing on its message.

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Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2024. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.