Summer Reading: Esther 1-2

Esther is a Persian story about Hebrew people living in exile. As such, it has elements that remind me of tales from Arabian Nights, particularly in these first chapters (think Disney’s animated movie “Aladdin”).

First we meet the king, Ahasuerus (who is not verified historically, but there is a parallel with King Xerxes I in the same time period, late 5^th century bce). This king likes to party, and celebrates with other nobles of the land for six months in the winter capital, Susa (today in western Iran). At the culminating banquet, he orders his queen, Vashti, to appear before the (drunken) crowd so they can admire her beauty. She refuses, setting the stage for Esther to become queen and for the rest of the story.

This is the only place Vashti is found in scripture. She does not speak, but she is powerful. She is hosting her own banquet, probably for the women. She singularly chooses to refuse the king’s command, refusing to be objectified or put on display. Whether or not the request was for her to appear clothed or naked (a consideration by scholars), she chooses, apparently of her own accord, to disobey. Despite the patriarchal power of these cultures, Vashti stands, silently, as a champion of a woman’s right to choose how her body is used.

The king is now shown to be easily manipulated, as he will remain throughout the story (this being one of the departures from the true nature of kings of Persia historically). The noble guests, who have speech while the king is silent, panic and overreact, convinced that *every* woman in the kingdom will follow Vashti’s example and never obey a request from their men again. So, as an example for these independent women, Vashti is deposed as queen, and never heard from again.

Now there is a year-long beauty pageant and sex contest to identify a new queen (think “Scheherazade”, also from Arabian Nights). The young Hebrew woman, Hadassah/Esther, living in exile in Persia, is admitted to the harem as a candidate. She finds favor with the overseer of the virgins, and then with the king, ultimately being chosen as queen. Regardless of what we Westerners might think of this process, and why a faithful Jewish virgin would submit herself to it, we see that Esther and Mordecai have found a way to gain an advantage. They are outsiders, living in a foreign land, with no power or influence, probably always marked as “not from here”. The only thing the king is looking for is an appealing (physically) partner, and Esther uses what she has (apparent good looks) to make the most of a bad situation. Esther’s rise to the palace will mean the difference between life and death for her people across the entire kingdom.

In the last scene of chapter 2, Mordecai is also noticed by the king, and his actions of valor are recorded in the official records. Already Mordecai outside and Esther inside the palace are collaborating, using channels of communication and information to their advantage, and for the advantage of their people living in exile.

Some questions:

Where do you notice the “entertainment” style of this story? Extravagant or exaggerated details that make for a good story but may not be true?

Is Vashti an important character for people of faith?

Can you think of any examples from your experience of someone overreacting or reacting negatively to the possibility of a particular group gaining power?