Justification of Violence in Esther 8–9?
The Book of Esther: Between Fiction and History
DOI :
https://doi.org/10.12775/BPTh.2026.008Mots-clés
Book of Esther, violence, self-defense, Purim, annihilationRésumé
This article examines the portrayal of violence in Esther 8–9 as a literary and ideological construction rather than a historical record. It focuses on the close symmetry between Haman’s decree (Esth 3) and Mordecai’s counter-decree (Esth 8), where identical formulae of destruction are reframed through legal language of self-defense and vengeance. A comparison with the Septuagint highlights early interpretive reworking of the Hebrew text, especially in its attenuation of exterminatory language. Situating Esther within wider scholarly discussions of diaspora literature and Persian literary conventions, the article argues that its depiction of violence reflects ideological concerns about identity, survival, and collective memory rather than historiographical reporting.
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© Marcin Chrostowski 2026
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