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Additions to Esther

Greek Esther adds Mordecai’s dream, royal letters, and prayers by Esther and Mordecai.^{11 sources}11 sources1. Esther 11:5 2. Esther 11:6 3. Esther 11:10 4. Esther 12:2 5. Esther 13:1 6. Esther 16:1 7. Esther 16:16 8. Esther 13:8 9. Esther 14:1 10. Esther 15:7 11. Esther 15:8

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At a glance

Genre: Expanded narrative with prayers, dreams and royal letters.^{11 sources}11 sources1. Esther 11:5 2. Esther 11:6 3. Esther 11:10 4. Esther 12:2 5. Esther 13:1 6. Esther 16:1 7. Esther 16:16 8. Esther 13:8 9. Esther 14:1 10. Esther 15:7 11. Esther 15:8
Language: Preserved in Greek; a Hebrew or Aramaic original is disputed.^{12 13}
Written: Probably in the Maccabean period (Jewish Encyclopedia, 1903).¹²
Found in: Within Greek Esther; collected at the end in Jerome’s arrangement.^{14 13}

Summary

Mordecai and Esther pray before Esther approaches the king in Greek Esther. When she faints at his angry look, God changes the king’s spirit to gentleness. At the end, Mordecai explains his opening dream through Esther, himself and Haman. The Hebrew narrative never names God. The Jewish Encyclopedia reads the additions as supplying a religious element lacking in Hebrew Esther. Evangelical scholar Frederic Bush argues that the Hebrew book still assumes God’s providence despite never naming him.^{15 sources}15 sources8. Esther 13:8 9. Esther 14:1 10. Esther 15:7 11. Esther 15:8 1. Esther 11:5 2. Esther 11:6 3. Esther 11:10 4. Esther 12:2 15. Esther 10:4 16. Esther 10:6 17. Esther 10:7 18. this site's data 12. (1903)19. Esther 4:14 20. Bush

Mordecai’s dream
Opening
Two great serpents prepare to fight; a threatened nation cries out, and a spring becomes a river. Mordecai then uncovers a plot against the king.^{4 sources}4 sources1. Esther 11:5 2. Esther 11:6 3. Esther 11:10 4. Esther 12:2
The order to destroy the Jews
After Esther 3:13
A royal letter spells out the order for the Jews’ destruction.^{5 6 7}
Esther approaches the king
Prayers and royal audience
Mordecai and Esther offer prayers. The king looks fiercely at Esther; she faints, and God makes his spirit gentle.^{4 sources}4 sources8. Esther 13:8 9. Esther 14:1 10. Esther 15:7 11. Esther 15:8
The order is reversed
After Esther 8:12
The second royal decree reverses the destruction order. It blames Haman and describes the Jews as God’s children, living by just laws.^{5 6 7}
The dream explained
Ending
Mordecai identifies Esther as the river and himself and Haman as the serpents. A closing note names people who brought and translated the Purim letter.^{4 sources}4 sources15. Esther 10:4 16. Esther 10:6 17. Esther 10:7 21. Esther 11:1

Stories

A queen in danger
Esther’s prayer and audience
Esther offers a prayer. When the king looks fiercely at her, she faints; God changes his spirit to gentleness.^{4 sources}4 sources8. Esther 13:8 9. Esther 14:1 10. Esther 15:7 11. Esther 15:8
The spring becomes Esther
Mordecai’s dream and explanation
The opening images receive an explanation at the end: Esther, Mordecai and Haman are the figures in the dream, and God has brought about the outcome.^{7 sources}7 sources1. Esther 11:5 2. Esther 11:6 3. Esther 11:10 4. Esther 12:2 15. Esther 10:4 16. Esther 10:6 17. Esther 10:7

Connections to the Bible

Expansions

Esther 2:21 · Opening dream and conspiracy
The Greek opening also gives Mordecai a conspiracy to uncover. The Jewish Encyclopedia notes a tension: here he is at court before Esther, whereas the Hebrew plot comes after she becomes queen.^{7 sources}7 sources1. Esther 11:5 2. Esther 11:6 3. Esther 11:10 4. Esther 12:2 22. Esther 2:21 23. Esther 6:3 12. (1903)
Esther 3:13 · The two royal letters
The additions supply the letters after Esther 3:13 and 8:12: first the destruction order, then its reversal.^{5 6 7}

Contrasts

Esther 6:1 · Greek Esther 6:1
The Greek version attributes the king’s sleeplessness to the Lord; the Hebrew version says that he could not sleep. The religious expansion reaches into the shared narrative too.^{24 25}

Where each church stands

Esther (Greek) Full table →

Protestant: Read, not for doctrine (the additions, as 'The rest of the Book of Esther')
Hebrew Esther is canonical; the Greek additions are Apocrypha (Article VI; Luther moved them out of Esther).
^{26 27 28}
Catholic: Scripture (part of Esther (Vulgate Esth 10:4–16:24))
Trent receives the books 'entire with all their parts'.
²⁹
Greek Orthodox: Scripture (part of Esther)
Church of Greece text of Esther includes the additions.
^{30 31}
Russian (Slavonic) Orthodox: Varies (part of Esther)
Synodal Esther prints the Greek passages in square brackets as taken from the Septuagint; the book is not starred non-canonical.
Confidence: medium³²
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo: Scripture (part of Esther)
Cowley: the LXX additions to Esther are in the Geez and Amharic.
³³

Why some kept it, why others left it out

The Greek church writer Origen knew that the prayers and royal letters were absent from Hebrew Esther, yet defended the churches’ Greek copies. The Latin church translator Jerome moved the additions to the end of his Esther translated from Hebrew. The Catholic Council of Trent later declared these parts canonical; the Church of England’s Article VI instead placed the rest of Esther among books read for instruction without establishing doctrine.^{4 sources}4 sources34. 4 14. Edgecomb 13. (1909)35. England 1919

Kept

Early church: Greek

Origen defended the churches’ Greek copies and described the prayers as suitable for building up readers.³⁴

Catholic

The Catholic Encyclopedia reports Trent’s explicit acceptance of Esther’s additional parts as canonical and inspired.¹³

Left out

Early church: Latin

Jerome translated from Hebrew, criticized the added wording in the common edition, and separated the additions from the Hebrew narrative.^{14 13}

Protestant: Anglican

Article VI includes the rest of Esther as instructive reading while withholding its use to establish doctrine.³⁵

Misconceptions

Myth If Hebrew Esther never names God, it has no religious meaning.
Actually: Bush, an evangelical scholar, argues that the Hebrew narrative assumes God’s providence despite never naming him.^{19 20 18}

Sources

35 sources

1
Esther 11:5↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e ↩^f
2
Esther 11:6↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e ↩^f
3
Esther 11:10↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e ↩^f
4
Esther 12:2↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e ↩^f
5
Esther 13:1↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e
6
Esther 16:1↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e
7
Esther 16:16↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e
8
Esther 13:8↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e
9
Esther 14:1↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e
10
Esther 15:7↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e
11
Esther 15:8↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e
12
Jewish Encyclopedia (1903), Esther, Apocryphal Book of↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e
13
Catholic Encyclopedia (1909), Esther↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e ↩^f ↩^g
14
Jerome (tr. Kevin P. Edgecomb, 2006, public domain), Prologue to Esther↩^a ↩^b ↩^c ↩^d ↩^e
15
Esther 10:4↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
16
Esther 10:6↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
17
Esther 10:7↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
18
Checked in this site's verse database: KJV Hebrew Esther, verses naming God or LORD↩^a ↩^b
How this was derived
SELECT count(*) FROM verses WHERE work_id='kjv' AND book='Esth' AND (instr(text,'God')>0 OR instr(text,'LORD')>0)
19
Esther 4:14↩^a ↩^b
20
Frederic W. Bush, Bulletin for Biblical Research 8 (1998), “The Book of Esther: Opus non gratum in the Christian Canon”, p. 40↩^a ↩^b
21
Esther 11:1↩
22
Esther 2:21↩
23
Esther 6:3↩
24
Checked in this site's verse database: Brenton Greek Esther, verses containing "God"↩
How this was derived
SELECT count(*) FROM verses WHERE work_id='brenton' AND book='EsthGr' AND instr(text,'God')>0
25
Esther 6:1↩
26
Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (1571), Article VI, as printed in E. J. Bicknell, A Theological Introduction to the Thirty-Nine Articles (1919)↩
27
Westminster Confession of Faith (1646), chapter I.2–3↩
28
Luther, Preface to Parts of Esther and Daniel (1534), LW 35:353↩
29
Council of Trent, Session IV (8 April 1546), Decree concerning the canonical Scriptures↩
30
Apostoliki Diakonia of the Church of Greece, online Old Testament (Septuagint text)↩
31
NRSV with Apocrypha, 'The Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books of the Old Testament' (To the Reader)↩
32
Russian Synodal Bible, as published by Azbuka Very (azbyka.ru): contents and chapter notes↩
33
R. W. Cowley, 'The Biblical Canon of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church Today', Ostkirchliche Studien 23 (1974) 318–323↩
34
Origen (tr. ANF vol. 4, New Advent), Letter to Africanus, 3↩^a ↩^b ↩^c
35
Church of England, Articles of Religion (1571), as printed in E. J. Bicknell, A Theological Introduction to the Thirty-Nine Articles (1919), newscriptorium.com (1919), Article VI↩^a ↩^b ↩^c

Additions to Esther

At a glance

Summary

Contents

Mordecai’s dream

The order to destroy the Jews

Esther approaches the king

The order is reversed

The dream explained

Stories

A queen in danger

The spring becomes Esther

Connections to the Bible

Expansions

Contrasts

Where each church stands

Esther (Greek) Full table →

Why some kept it, why others left it out

Kept

Early church: Greek

Catholic

Left out

Early church: Latin

Protestant: Anglican

Misconceptions

Further reading

Sources

Report a problem

At a glance

Summary

Contents

Mordecai’s dream

The order to destroy the Jews

Esther approaches the king

The order is reversed

The dream explained

Stories

A queen in danger

The spring becomes Esther

Connections to the Bible

Expansions

Contrasts

Where each church stands

Esther (Greek) Full table →

Why some kept it, why others left it out

Kept

Early church: Greek

Catholic

Left out

Early church: Latin

Protestant: Anglican

Misconceptions

Related books

Further reading

Sources

Report a problem