Prayer and Emotion in the Septuagint of Esther (original) (raw)

It is a well-known fact that the Greek version of the Esther narrative as it appears in the Septuagint differs from of its equivalent in the Hebrew Bible by its so-called additions 1 and its somewhat significant changes to the Hebrew text. 2 In the Greek Esther version, as often emphasized, the theological understanding of events plays a prominent role. 3 Furthermore, the additions of the royal decree to annihilate the Jews (Addition B) and the counter decree (Addition E) emphasize the historical credibility of the events. 4 Whereas these two aspects have frequently been the focus of research, another characteristic of the Greek Esther narrative has been widely neglected. In contrast to the Hebrew book of Esther, the Greek version in the Septuagint emphasizes the characters' emotions, a phenomenon that this article seeks to explore in greater depth. The figure of Esther and her prayer play an especially prominent role within this framework of the protagonists' emotions. For this reason, I will first address the narrator's presentation of Esther in her prayer (Addition C) and the so-called audience scene according to which Esther appears before the king unsummoned (Addition D). Hence, the first part of my contribution focuses on the literary level and is of a descriptive nature. In addition to demonstrating how the figure of Esther expresses her emotions in the Septuagint version, I will also examine the || 1 I.e. Addition A: Mordecai has a dream and uncovers a conspiracy; Addition B: Text of the first royal letter; Addition C: Prayer of Mordecai-Prayer of Queen Esther; Addition D: Esther appears unsummoned before the king; Addition E: Text of the second royal letter; Addition F: Interpretation of Mordechai's dream (cf. Moore, Daniel, passim). 2 To give but one example: D 1-16 and its narration of Esther's audience with the king. LXX Deutsch provides a good and concise overview and italicizes the differences from the Hebrew text. It is important to stress that the Septuagint Esther has to be regarded as a text with literary integrity; on this, cf. the contribution by Zsengellér, Addition; see also Boyd-Taylor, Esther's