Book chapter
OA Policy
English

Denial, Deception, or Force: How to Deal with Powerful Others in the Book of Esther

PublisherLondon, New York : Bloomsbury T&T Clark
Collection
  • Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies; 456
Publication date2014
Abstract

Jean-Daniel Macchi ‘Denial, Deception or Force: How to Deal with Powerful Others' focuses on different strategies of resistance that reflect insider Othering of the imperial power explored in various versions of the book of Esther. Three options for resistance are presented: refusal to comply, the use of cunning and courage, and the use of force. Macchi then notes that divergent textual traditions endorse differing strategies; the earliest Greek Alpha text, probably written in the Ptolemaic period among the Judaean Diaspora in Egypt, omits the massacre of Jewish enemies and the inability to change Persian law. It assumes openness to collaboration with the imperial power. The Hebrew MT text, which includes the final massacre and an inalterable Persian law, would seem to reflect a rewriting in the Hasmonaean period in Jerusalem, where opposition to the foreign imperial power at any cost, including war, was deemed necessary for survival. The LXX presupposes a parent text close to the MT. Thus, the book represents diverse insider responses to dealing with imperial Others within the larger Jewish community in different periods and places. (D. Edelman).

Keywords
  • Esther
  • Bible
  • Resistance
Citation (ISO format)
MACCHI, Jean-Daniel. Denial, Deception, or Force: How to Deal with Powerful Others in the Book of Esther. In: Imagining the Other and Constructing Israelite Identity in the Early Second Temple Period. Ben Zvi, E. & Edelman, D.V. (Ed.). London, New York : Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2014. p. 219–229. (Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies)
Main files (1)
Book chapter (Published version)
accessLevelPublic
Identifiers
  • PID : unige:42060
ISBN978-0-56724-872-5
948views
387downloads

Technical informations

Creation19/11/2014 12:56:00
First validation19/11/2014 12:56:00
Update time14/03/2023 22:16:52
Status update14/03/2023 22:16:52
Last indexation30/10/2024 20:51:03
All rights reserved by Archive ouverte UNIGE and the University of GenevaunigeBlack