The book of Esther has been preserved in ancient texts that diverge greatly from each other; as a result, Jews and Protestants usually read a version which is shorter than that of most Catholic or Orthodox Bibles. Jon Levenson capably guides readers through both versions, demonstrating their coherence and their differences.
About the Old Testament Library Series: The Old Testament Library is one of the most respected commentary series produced in the last 50 years. As with any series that reaches this level of respectability, it is comprehensive in scope while acknowledging that it is not exhaustive. Introductory matters cover historical concerns, cultural issues, the reception of the text, the integrity of the text, and other interpretive issues.
Each commentary provides a verse-by-verse analysis of critical exegetical matters that are then synthesized into a progressively building understanding of the text and interpretation. This includes analysis of problems in history, word meaning, syntactical and grammatical issues, text history, and many other exegetically relevant issues. Nevertheless, despite the breadth of their scope, volumes in teh series remain relatively compact in comparison to series who share its aims and scope.
Key Elements
Audience: Students, Pastors, and Scholars
Perspective: Moderate/Liberal (See Author)
Scripture: Inspired
General Acceptance of Higher Critical authorship theories, and the reader should be familiar with these type of textual criticism
Knowledge of Hebrew is not necessary, but a willingness to engage concepts from it will be necessary.
You may be interested in these other OTL/NTL products:
Esther: A Commentary • Series: Old Testament Library Commentary • Author: Jon D. Levenson • Editors: James L. Mays, Carol A. Newsom, David L. Petersen • Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press (1997)
OT Library Commentary: Esther (Jon D. Levenson)
Requires Accordance 10.4 or above.
For even more information, see this article.
The book of Esther has been preserved in ancient texts that diverge greatly from each other; as a result, Jews and Protestants usually read a version which is shorter than that of most Catholic or Orthodox Bibles. Jon Levenson capably guides readers through both versions, demonstrating their coherence and their differences.
About the Old Testament Library Series:
The Old Testament Library is one of the most respected commentary series produced in the last 50 years. As with any series that reaches this level of respectability, it is comprehensive in scope while acknowledging that it is not exhaustive. Introductory matters cover historical concerns, cultural issues, the reception of the text, the integrity of the text, and other interpretive issues.
Each commentary provides a verse-by-verse analysis of critical exegetical matters that are then synthesized into a progressively building understanding of the text and interpretation. This includes analysis of problems in history, word meaning, syntactical and grammatical issues, text history, and many other exegetically relevant issues. Nevertheless, despite the breadth of their scope, volumes in teh series remain relatively compact in comparison to series who share its aims and scope.
Key Elements
You may be interested in these other OTL/NTL products:
Esther: A Commentary
• Series: Old Testament Library Commentary
• Author: Jon D. Levenson
• Editors: James L. Mays, Carol A. Newsom, David L. Petersen
• Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press (1997)