Jon D. Levinson capably guides the reader through the many facets of the story of Esther. Included is an extended discussion of the textual history of the book and why it is that Protestants and Jews read a shorter version of the Esther than do Catholics.
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4.3 out of 5 stars
3 reviews
33 of 33 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
An outstanding academic commentary and translation of Esther
Jun 30 1998
By A Customer
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
Professor Jon D. Levenson of Harvard University has written a short and extremely elegant academic commentary on the often misunderstood biblical Book of Esther. Levenson provides his own translation (lucid, vivid, and utilizing new linguistic research) along with a commentary which includes the pearls of ancient, medieval, and modern wisdom about Esther. Levenson's own insights are fresh and creative, and attempt to steer the open-minded reader towards a truer and broader picture of the religious and political outlook of this exciting tale. In his new commentary, Levenson does two things which I found particularly helpful. First, he begins by explaining how Jews, Catholics, and Protestants use different versions of the Book of Esther. Instead of ignoring any version, Levenson's commentary uses a clever compromise in which all the editions are given their due treatment. If you have been exposed to only one of these versions before, you owe it to yourself to read this commentary of Esther. Secondly, Levenson approaches Esther with both the textual sensitivity of a literary critic and the profound learning of a meticulous Bible scholar. Unlike many commentaries, Levenson is aware of nuances of character and theme at the same time as he is treating the linguistic and historical aspects of the book. The writing is crystal-clear and unpretentious. Highly endorsed!
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
The Bible As Literature
Sep 8 2001
By "krchicago"
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
Levenson's book consists of two parts -- an introductory essay of 35 pages, followed by a line-by-line commentary on the text of Esther. The introductory essay provides a good overview of the book of Esther -- a summary of the plot, an analysis of the book's structure and themes, and a discussion of the historicity and origins of the various versions of text itself. Esther is famous as the only book in the Bible that does not mention God (at least in the canonical Hebrew version); I found Levenson's discussion of the politics and theology of this "godless" Esther particularly interesting. He does a very good job (in both the introduction and the line-by-line commentary) of alerting the reader to differences between the Masoretic and Septuagint versions of the text.
The line-by-line commentary was disappointing. It did not add much to the introduction (although it did elucidate some of the themes in more detail). Levenson has studied the recent scholarly commentary on Esther, and a great deal of his commentary seemed to be citations of (or, in some cases, reaction to) other people's thoughts. Most of the discussion focuses on Esther as a literary work. I would have liked to have learned more about how the book was treated by the rabbis and by early Christian commentators. Overall, however, Levenson has provided a decent introduction to the book of Esther and the major concerns of modern literary scholarship concerning it.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Heroes & Villains
May 2 2013
By A. R. Karalitzky
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
If I were teaching a course on the Bible's Megillat Esther, this would be my textbook. Prof Levenson writes clearly and concisely but the text always pushes you to anticipate, to put together what you know about the Esther saga and what you realize are the questions that the scroll's author always dangles in your face. Levenson relies on earlier sources but is always original in suggested interpretation. The key to a good production is, of course, its heuristic quality -- Levenson always keeps setting up the parameters for the next question. An excellent read.
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4.3 out of 5 stars
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