Esther - A Grossly Misconstrued Character

Most of us (if not all of us) have been raised with the view that Queen Esther was a noble, godly woman of faith, to whom we look to as an example of courage and faith in the face of adversity. One of my former bible professors, Dr. Ron Pierce, proposes a different interpretation of Esther, to which I have been pursuaded. He gives a very pursuasive, rational argument, and it would be extremely difficult for me to see the book of Esther any other way. Here is a link to his essay: http://www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/esther_pierce.pdf

Another interesting fact noted by Dr. Pierce regarding this view is that in the Greek Septuagint the book of Daniel and Esther are directly adjacent to one another. Esther is Daniel's foil, indicated by the complete absence of any mention of God in the book, whereas Daniel was completely reliant upon God; however both books reveal the faithfulness of God to Israel, regardless of whether or not they are faithful to Him.

Perhaps this could challenge you to exam preconceived notions about Esther.

New thoughts to come soon!

Sorry I haven't posted any food for thought recently. I just got a
new computer, which will allow me to post more frequently. Stay tuned
for more to come soon!