Additions to Esther

Summary:

The "Additions to Esther" consist of six passages - 107 verses - found in the Septuagint's Greek texts of Esther but not in the traditional Hebrew text. The additions introduce references to God (50 times) and Jewish religion (prayer, election, law, kosher food, Jerusalem, temple), which are entirely missing in the Hebrew. The additions also de-emphasize Purim and are strongly anti-Gentile. They were probably added to compensate for the religious deficiencies of the Hebrew text and to enhance the book's chances of achieving canonical status.

Sequence: The Septuagint arrangement of the book:

Addition A (Vulgate 11:2-12:6): Mordecai's dream and discovery of a plot against king Artaxerxes / Ahasuerus Hebrew 1:1-3:13 Addition B (Vulgate 13:1-7): Haman's edict against the Jews Hebrew 3:14-4:17 Addition C (Vulgate 13:8-14:19): Prayers of Mordecai and Esther Omit Hebrew 5:1-2 Addition D (Vulgate 15:1-19): Esther's appearance before the king Hebrew 5:3-8:12 Addition E (Vulgate 16:1-24): Mordecai's edict nullifying Haman's edict Hebrew 8:13-10:3 Addition F (Vulgate 10:4-11:1): The interpretation of Mordecai's dream

 

Canonical Status:

Included within the book of Esther in Old Testaments of the Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, and Russian Orthodox Churches Among the Old Testament Apocrypha of Protestants Not included in the Hebrew Scriptures - Tanak Not included in the Greek translations Aquila, Theodotion, or Symmachus Included in the Septuagint and Vulgate (as chs. 10:4-16:24) as well as the Coptic and Ethiopic translations based on the LXX

 

Author:anonymous Jewish author or authors, probably of Palestine

Date: The additions may have originated at different times

Probably 2nd or 1st century BC

Original Language:

Although no Hebrew text of the additions survive, the Greek versions of some of them seem to presume a Semitic (Hebrew or Aramaic) Vorlage.

Notes prepared by George Lyons (Professor of Biblical Literature)

for the Wesley Center for Applied Theology at Northwest Nazarene University

Copyright 2000 by the Wesley Center for Applied Theology

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