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Cited by 2Biblical Studies and InterpretationReligion, Theology, History, Judaism, ChristianityAncient Near East History

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 27 of the 29 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

A critical evaluation of causalities of the genocide in Esther 3:8–15: Lawlessness and revolt of the Jewish diaspora community

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Rugwiji, Temba T.·2021·HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies
DOI 10.4102/hts.v77i4.6247
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Abstract

Rereading of Esther 3:8–15 depicts that lawlessness and revolt on the part of the Jewish diaspora community ignited the genocide in the Persian Empire. The narrative is explicit that Haman was not comfortable with two main issues concerning the Jews: (1) their laws were different from those of every other people and (2) they did not keep the king’s laws. In addition, some Jewish individuals were disrespectful to Persian superiors: Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman. Following Haman’s report, Emperor Xerxes endorsed the proposition of exterminating the Jews as a possible solution. The present study argues against a populist view that puts Haman in a bad light. Existing studies on the genocide narrative in Esther 3:8–15 appear to sympathise with the Jewish diaspora community in Persia in spite of their attitude that portrayed some rebellious tendencies. Examined from a security and defence perspective, Haman’s position should be given its merit because the Jews disobeyed the Persian laws and did not show respect to the Persian authorities. The study employs a narrative approach to argue that the Jewish diaspora community orchestrated the genocide by disobeying the Persian laws. It is further argued that Haman had correctly foreseen it coming and confided with Emperor Xerxes. The study will also discuss Haman as a strategist who speculated a possible Jewish revolt, which was confirmed by the massacre of 75 000 people including Haman’s children (9:1–10). This study will present to the academic readership a new dimension of reading Esther 3:8–15. Contribution: Previous studies variously provided some magnanimity on the book of Esther. The contribution of the present study to the readership and the academic community seeks to suggest a new reading of the book by arguing that the Jews provoked the Persian authorities by disobeying the laws of the land.

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Cites

Research works printed but not linked: 16

  1. Adamo, 2010, Old Testament Essays, 23, 9
  2. Adamo, 2013, Old Testament Essays, 26, 221
  3. Boshoff, 1991, Plutocrats and paupers: Wealth and poverty in the Old Testament, 170
  4. Buisman, 2008, ‘The “Day of the Lord” as reconciliation between judgment and salvation in the “Book of the Twelfth”’, Master’s dissertation
  5. Dorsey, 1991, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, 34, 321
  6. Duguid, 2006, Westminster Theological Journal, 68, 85
  7. Eph’al, 1979, Political history of the age of the monarchies, 276
  8. Grabbe, 1994, Judaism from Cyrus to Hadrian
  9. Isike, 2012, Alternation, 19, 93
  10. Jobes, 1999, Esther: The NIV application commentary: From biblical text to contemporary life
  11. Jones, 1978, Semitics, 6, 36
  12. Mckee, 2009, ‘Women as heroes in a patriarchal society: The roles of Susanna, Esther and Judith’
  13. Reid, 2000, Ruth and Esther
  14. Römer, 2007, The so-called Deuteronomistic history
  15. Snyman, 2014, Old Testament Essays, 25, 657
  16. White, 1980, The value of narrative in the representation of reality

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Metadata

Authors
Rugwiji, T. T.
Affiliations
University of Pretoria (ZA)
Corresponding author
Rugwiji, Temba T.
ORCID
Rugwiji, Temba T.
Venue
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies
Publisher
AOSIS
Published
2021-10-29
Volume
77
Issue
4
ISSN
  • 0259-9422 (ISSN-L)
  • 2072-8050
DOI
10.4102/hts.v77i4.6247
OpenAlex
W3156890971
Cited by
1
References
29
Citations by year
2024: 1
FWCI
2.03
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • UpSpace Institutional Repository (University of Pretoria) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Religious studies › Biblical Studies and Interpretation
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Religious studies › Religion, Theology, History, Judaism, Christianity
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Archeology (arts and humanities) › Ancient Near East History
Keywords
Book of Esther, Haman, Xerxes, genocide, Jewish diaspora, Persian Empire, lawlessness, rebellion, Mordecai, security and defense, political strategy, biblical narrative interpretation

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