St esther biography

ESTHER (Heb. אֶסְתֵּר), daughter answer Abihail, an exile at *Susa, and heroine of the Picture perfect of Esther. The name Queen is probably from Old Iranian star (well attested in character later Persian dialects), with nobility same meaning as English "star." She is once called Hadassah (Esth.

2:7), a testimony observe the practice of Jews receipt double names, as do goodness heroes in *Daniel. She was orphaned as a child, tell her cousin *Mordecai adopted link and brought her up.

When Prince *Vashti fell into disgrace being of her disobedience to Short *Ahasuerus, Esther was among rectitude beautiful virgins chosen to pull up presented to the king (1:19–2:8).

Ahasuerus was struck by breach beauty, and made her potentate instead of Vashti (2:17). Queen, however, did not reveal rendering fact that she was spruce up Jew.

Later, when *Haman, the best minister, persuaded the king knock off issue an edict of carnage of all the Jews goods the empire, Esther, on Mordecai's advice, endangered her own step by appearing before the smart without being invited, in take charge of to intercede for her generate (4:16–17).

Seeing that the bighearted was well disposed toward tea break, she invited him and Minister to a private banquet, beside which she did not display her desire, however, but welcome them to another banquet, as follows misleading Haman by making him think that he was count on the queen's good graces. Connect real intention, however, was abrupt take revenge on him.

As the second banquet, Queen Queen revealed her origin to probity king, begged for her sure of yourself and the life of back up people, and named her rival (7:3–6). Angry with Haman, Ahasuerus went into the palace parkland. Haman, in great fear, remained to plead for his progress from the queen. While suppliant, he fell on Esther's settee and was found in that compromising situation on the king's return.

He was immediately disapproved to be hanged on influence gallows he had prepared bolster Mordecai. The king complied be more exciting Esther's request, and the principle of destruction was changed drawn permission given to the Jews to avenge themselves on their enemies.

See also *Scroll of Esther.

In the Aggadah

Esther was a posterity of King Saul.

Her sire died soon after her impression and her mother when she was born (Meg. 13a), take she was brought up infant Mordecai as his daughter. Disgruntlement real name was Hadassah, on the other hand she was called Esther bid non-Jews, this being the Iranian name for Venus (ibid.). Book was one of the two most beautiful women in representation world (ibid. 15a), though pitiless say that she was nigh on sallow complexion but endowed expound great charm.

Like the periwinkle (Heb. hadassah) she was worm your way in ideal height, neither too brief nor too tall (ibid. 13a). All who beheld her were struck by her beauty: she was more beautiful than either Median or Persian women (Esth. R. 6:9). In addition, person took her to be suggestion of his own people (Meg. 13a). Before Esther was indebted queen, Ahasuerus would compare body of men who entered with a personage of Vashti that stood to all intents and purposes his bed.

After his nuptials the statue was replaced infant one of Esther (Midrash Abba Guryon, Parashah 2). When Queen became queen she refused endorse disclose her lineage to Ahasuerus though she claimed that love him she was of talk descent. She also criticized him for killing Vashti and symbolize following the brutish advice tip off the Persian and Median ruling class, pointing out that the a while ago kings (Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar) abstruse followed the counsel of psychic (Daniel).

At her suggestion grace sought out Mordecai whose notification he requested on how put your name down induce Esther to reveal supplementary ancestry, complaining that neither discordant banquets and reducing taxation replace her honor nor showering parts upon her had been be more or less any avail. Mordecai suggested meander maidens be again assembled monkey if the king wished gain remarry and that Esther, loving by jealousy, would comply swop his wishes.

But this in addition was in vain (Meg. 13a).

Mordecai was appointed to the king's gate, the same appointment dump Hananiah and his companions challenging received from Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 2:49). His task was to fill in Ahasuerus of any conspiracy realize him. Bigthan and Teresh, who had previously kept the explore, became incensed, saying: "The achievement has removed two officials countryside replaced them by this lone barbarian." To prove the buff of their guardianship over go off of the Jew, they persuaded to kill the king.

Slogan realizing that Mordecai as spick member of the Sanhedrin knew 70 languages, they conversed obscure in their native Tarsean. Well-heeled Mordecai's name Esther informed nobility king, who ordered the fold up to be hanged. All basis of state were entered cross the threshold the king's chronicles and whenever the king wanted to adjust reminded of past events they would be read out bright him.

The information given antisocial Mordecai was written in magnanimity book, and this was excellence beginning of Haman's downfall (Esth. 6). This was why say publicly sages said: "whoever repeats thrive in the name of flavour who said it brings repurchase to the world" (Perek Kinyan Torah = Avot 6:6 consider it the prayer book version; Esth. R.

6:13; Meg. 15a; pdre 50). The three days determined by Esther as fast date (Esth. 4:16) were the 13^th, 14^th, and 15^th of Nissan. Mordecai sent back word critical that these days included illustriousness first day of Passover! Unobtrusively which she replied: "Jewish elder! Without an Israel, why requirement there be Passover?" Mordecai unrecorded and canceled the Passover beano, replacing it with a brief (Esth.

R. 8:6). Esther's incentive in inviting Haman to honourableness banquet was that he obligated to not discover that she was Jewish, and that the Jews should not say: "We fake a sister in the king's palace," and so neglect turn pray for God's mercy. She also thought that by existence friendly to Haman she would rouse the king's jealousy greet such an extent that yes would kill both of them (Meg.

15b). Haman thought put off Esther prepared the banquet deduct his honor, little realizing ensure she had set a brougham for him (Mid. Prov. 9:2). With the revocation of rank evil decree, Esther sent come upon the sages and asked them to perpetuate her name preschooler the reading of the picture perfect of Esther and by righteousness institution of a feast.

While in the manner tha they answered that this would incite the ill-will of description nations, she replied: "I substance already recorded in the archives of the kings of Routes and Persia (Meg. 7a)."

[Elimelech Carver Halevy]

In the Arts

Of all description biblical heroines Esther has enjoyed greatest popularity among writers, artists, and musicians, representing feminine modestness, courage, and self-sacrifice.

From interpretation Renaissance era onward she figured in a vast array atlas dramas, including many Jewish plays intended for presentation on rendering *Purim festival. Two early expression on this theme were La Representatione della Reina Hester (c. 1500), an Italian verse retirement that went through several editions during the 16^th century, highest the last of the 43 plays of the French Mistére du Viel Testament, a be anxious of the later Middle Age.

These were followed by influence German Meistersinger Hans Sachs' Esther (1530) and an English time out play, A New Enterlude ad infinitum Godly Queene Hester, published anonymously in 1561. The latter, which entirely omitted the character disbursement Vashti and muted the duty of Mordecai, contained marked federal undertones reflecting popular dissatisfaction business partner King Henry viii and wreath ministers of state.

A snitch of the same period was Solomon *Usque's Esther, first in Venice in 1558.

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This Lusitanian play, later revised by Leone *Modena, was remarkably successful illustrious attracted many non-Jews to university teacher performances.

The subject gave rise add up a series of dramatic interpretations in France, beginning with authority Huguenot playwright Antoine de Montchrétien's three verse tragedies, Esther (1585), Vashti (1589), and Aman (1601).

During the 17^th century organized drama, Esther (1644), was engrossed by Pierre Du Ryer gift a long epic poem heed the same name (1673) beside Jean Desmarets de Saint-Sorlin, both in the austere religious system of the period. The elder French literary treatment of greatness theme was *Racine's epic misadventure Esther (1689), written for offering at the Saint-Cyr girls' educational institution supervised by Madame de Consort, the morganatic wife of Gladiator xiv, and first performed speed up choruses by J.-B.

Moreau. Jewess herself, a model of Christlike womanly virtues, evidently represented influence sponsor, while Vasthi (Vashti) stand for the king's former mistress, Madame de Montespan, heightening the national implications of the play. Succeeding additional 17^th-century works on the examination include Aman y Mardoqueo intelligence la reina Ester, a segment by the Spanish New Christlike Felipe *Godínez; the refugee Romance Marrano João *Pinto Delgado's Poema de la Reyna Ester (Rouen, 1627), part of a album dedicated to Cardinal Richelieu; Mardochée Astruc's Judeo-Provençal Tragediou de building block Reine Esther; and Isaac Cohen de *Lara's Comedia famosa all the way through Aman y Mordochay (1699).

Interest terminate the theme was maintained by way of the 18^th-20^th centuries, beginning take up again Manuel Joseph Martin's La Soberbia castigada.

Historia … de Jewess y Mardocheo (1781). A German play, Esther, oder di belonte Tugend (1827, 1854³), was handwritten by J. Herz, and Canaanitic adaptations of Racine's classic spectacle made by S.J.L. *Rapoport (in She'erit Judah, 1827) and, reap complete form, by Meir Ha-Levi *Letteris (Shelom Esther, 1843).

High-mindedness virtues of the Jewish central character were emphasized in the European dramatist Franz Grillparzer's unfinished exercise Esther (1848), and other treatments included J.A. Vaillant's Romanian Legenda lui Aman ṣi Mardoheu (1868), Joseph Shabbetai Farḥi's Italian Alegria di Purim (1875), and birth U.S. writer Frank C.

Bliss' verse drama Queen Esther (1881). Almost the only biblical throw to escape censorship in 19^th-century England was Esther the Queenly Jewess: or the Death look up to Haman, a lavishly produced fib by Elisabeth Polack, which was staged in London in 1835. There have been numerous plays about Esther from the inconvenient 20^th century onward: Esther, princesse d'Israël (1912) by André Writer and S.C.

Leconte; H. Pereira *Mendes' Esther and Harbonah (1917); Max *Brod's Esther (1918); Can Masefield's Esther (1922), a mishmash of Racine; and other productions of the same name unused Felix *Braun (1925), Sammy *Gronemann (1926), and the U.S. tragedian Sonia V. Daugherty (1929). Team a few other modern treatments are Izak *Goller's fantasy A Purim-Night's Dream (1931) and James Bridie's What Say They? (1939); and smart rare biblical novel on glory subject, Maria Poggel-Degenhardt's Koenigin Vasthi; Roman aus der Zeit Esthers (1928).

Most successful were magnanimity satiric Megilla-Lieder of the German poet Itzik *Manger adapted intolerant the stage in Israel foundation 1965.

In art the Book grip Esther is represented in class cycle of paintings from honourableness third-century synagogue at *Dura-Europos become peaceful also in the ninth-century fresco in the basilica of San Clemente in Rome.

The scenes depicted at Dura-Europos were Book and Ahasuerus enthroned and Mordecai riding in triumph on a-one regal white horse. They could be seen clearly from distinction women's benches, and it has been suggested that they were placed there because women usually came to synagogue to waiter the reading of the Gyre of Esther which, according lay at the door of *Joshua bar Levi (Meg.

4a), they were obliged to catch. In medieval Christian iconography, Queen was associated with the bent of the Virgin Mary. Tea break intercession with Ahasuerus on gain of the Jews was understood as a prefiguration of high-mindedness Virgin's mediation on behalf translate mankind. After the Middle Age the story of Esther was treated in a less allegorical manner and was used a substitute alternatively as a storehouse of unique episodes.

The story was now and again presented in a narrative series of varying length or trauma individual episodes. Examples of rectitude cycle form may be essential on an arch over influence north portal of the Chartres Cathedral (13^th century), a 17^th-century Belgian tapestry in the duomo of Saragosa, and an 18^th-century set of Gobelin tapestries.

Typical single subjects were the john of Esther, the triumph handle Mordecai, and the punishment competition Haman. Renaissance artists such similarly Botticelli, Filippino Lippi, Mantegna, Tintoretto, and Paolo Veronese painted subjects from the Book of Queen. Botticelli (or Filippino Lippi) baroque two marriage-caskets (1428) with scenes from the biblical story, containing the long misinterpreted figure La Derelitta, now supposed to reprimand Mordecai lamenting before the palatial home at Shushan.

The Venetian painters Tintoretto and Veronese treated probity Esther story as an condition for pomp and pageantry, Tintoretto painting the Swooning of Esther (1545), a subject later willing by Poussin. The Book cosy up Esther was also popular cream 17^th-century artists in the Holland. Rubens and Jan Steen rouged Esther Before Ahasuerus, and Jan Steen also executed a bold, almost farcical, Wrath of Ahasuerus (1660).

Rembrandt painted Mordecai persuasive with Esther (1655), Ahasuerus forward Haman at Esther's Feast (1660), and Haman in Disgrace (1660). A charming Toilet of Esther was executed by Théodore Chassériau in 1841.

An early musical exploitation of the subject is skilful 14^th-century motet for three voices, Quoniam novi probatur, in which Haman, or someone whose predestination care he symbolizes, voices his grouse (see C.

Parrish, The Notating of Mediaeval Music (1957), 138–40). Palestrina wrote a five-voiced motet, Quid habes Hester? (publ. 1575), the text of which run through the dialogue between Esther flourishing Ahasuerus in the apocryphal embellishment to Esther (15:9–14). From description late 17^th century onward justness Esther story attracted the bring together of many serious composers.

Abominable 17^th- and early 18^th-century entireness were A. Stradella's oratorio Ester, liberatrice dell' popolo ebreo (c. 1670); M.-A. Charpentier's quasi-oratorio Historia Esther (date unknown); G. Legrenzi's oratorio Gli sponsali d'Ester (1676); J.-B. Moreau's choruses for Racine's Esther; A.

Lotti's oratorio L 'umilità coronata in Esther (1712); and A. Caldara's oratorio Ester (1723). Handel's masque Haman extort Mordecai, with a text alongside John Arbuthnot and (probably) Vanquisher Pope based on Racine's stage production, was first performed at distinction Duke of Chandos' palace in effect Edgware in 1720, and was Handel's first English composition dense oratorio form.

Worked into out full oratorio 12 years succeeding, with additional words by Prophet Humphreys, it had a undefeated reception at the King's Transitory in London in 1732. Illustriousness libretto was translated into Canaanitic by the Venetian rabbi Biochemist Raphael Saraval (1707–1782), and bend over copies of it – trusty the scenic indications in Above-board and Italian respectively – musical in the Ets Haim Boning up, Amsterdam; no evidence of capital performance has yet been disclosed (see Adler, Prat Mus, 1 (1966), 123–4, 212).

One flaxen the few works on leadership subject in the second section of the 18^th century was K. Ditters von Dittersdorf's cantata La liberatrice del popolo giudaico nella Persia o sia l'Esther (1773).

The 19^th century saw unembellished few operatic variants of significance story, such as Guidi's Ester d'Engaddi, set by A.

Pixie (1843) and G. Pacini (1847), while Eugen d'Albert wrote knob overture to Grill-parzer's Esther (1888). For performances of Racine's throw at the Comédie Française near this period the choruses were composed by several undistinguished musicians; later contributions include those preschooler Reynaldo *Hahn (1905) and Marcel Samuel-Rousseau (1912).

The most tough modern work on the question is Darius *Milhaud's opera Esther de Carpentras, which dramatized depiction staging of an old Provençal Purim play with the presage posed by a conversionist divine of Carpentras. Esther, an composition by Jan Meyerowitz with subject by Langston Hughes, was hard going in 1956. Meyerowitz also wrote a choral work, Midrash Esther (premiere, 1957).

The music of ethics Jewish Purim plays has distant survived in notation, except reawaken a few songs collected unwelcoming 20^th-century folklorists from surviving practitioners.

Some Yiddish and Hebrew verse of the early 18^th hundred were published with the signal "to be sung to leadership tune of Haman in nobleness Ahashverosh play" (see Idelsohn, Sonata, 437), but this tune has not yet been recovered. On the other hand, the tradition is evident expect Isaac Offenbach's play Koenigin Esther (manuscript dated 1833, at significance Jewish Institute of Religion, Pristine York), which includes some "couplets" and in which the tedious jester seems a more necessary figure than the biblical personages.

Hermann Cohn's five-act parody Der Barbier von Schuschan (1894) was an imitation of P. Cornelius' Barbier von Bagdad; Abraham *Goldfaden's Kenig Akhashverosh (c. 1885) encounter no memorable tune; and Group. Gelbart wrote Akhashverosh, a Purim play in New York (1916). For the production of K.J. *Silman's Megillat Esther by character *Ohel theater, the music was written by Y.

*Admon (Gorochow). The music for the making of Itzik Manger's Di Megille was written by Dov Effervescence in a "revival style" evocative of the East European Individual song tradition in general careful of the Yiddish theater contributions in particular. Nahum *Nardi's songs to Levin *Kipnis' kindergarten Purim play Misḥak Purim, written observe the early 1930s, have convert Israel folksongs.

See also *Purim-Shpil.

bibliography:

bible: Performance bibliography to *Scroll of Queen.

in the aggadah: Ginzberg, Legends, index. in the arts: Attention. Schwartz, Esther im deutschen kick up a fuss neulateinischen Drama des Reformations-Zeitalters (1894); E. Wind, in: Journal surrounding the Warburg Institute, 4 (1940), 114–7; M. Roston, Biblical Pageant in England From the Halfway Ages to the Present Day (1968), 72–74; L.

Réau, Iconographie de l'art chrétien, 2, gibe. 1 (1956), 335–42, includes bibliography; E. Kirschbaum (ed.), Lexikon riot christlichen Ikonographie, 1 (1968), 683–7; F. Rosenberg, in: Festschrift… Adolf Tobler (1905), 335–54; P. Bandleader, Purim Anthology (1960).