The Book of Esther in the Light of History (Classic Reprint) - Softcover

Jacob Hoschander

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1330402065 ISBN 13: 9781330402061

Publisher: Forgotten Books, 2020

Synopsis

Excerpt from The Book of Esther in the Light of History

In placing this novel interpretation Of the Book Of Esther for the consideration Of Biblical and Semitic scholars, I am far from deluding myself into the belief that it will immediately find ready acceptance. As far as the modern critics are concerned, the non-historical character Of the Book Of Esther is at present with them the standard Opinion, and my interpretation would come into collision with what may be properly termed a dogmatic bias. Conservative scholars, on the other hand, might look askance at an interpretation Of a Biblical narrative, which on numerous points deviates from the traditional views. However, the only aim Of scholarship, be it modem or conservative, is truth, and if my solution Of this Biblical problem has attained that goal, I may rest assured that it will finally prevail, notwithstanding the current Opinions.

About the Publisher

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This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

About this title

From the Publisher

"The aim of the present book is to interpret the Book of Esther from the historical point of view and to show the historical origin of the Festival of Purim. It is this historical aspect which fundamentally differentiates the present interpretation from all previous attempts at explaining the origin of the Purim Festival on which the Biblical narrative is based, as in none of them has there been suggested an historical reason, drawn from non-Biblical sources, for the danger impending over the Jews during the Persian period. The very fact, however, that outside of the Biblical narrative which attributes this danger to the enmity of a Persian grand vizier toward a single Jewish individual, nothing was known from external historical sources to account for such an event, was reason enough for doubting or denying altogether its historical character. My interpretation, however, is based upon an historical event during the Persian period, well known from non-Biblical sources, the consequences of which must have been disastrous to the Jews of the Persian empire. This event I considered of so great importance for the Jews of the Persian empire that, in investigating the subject, I felt constrained to declare, that if the Book of Esther had never been written, historians might have found out, that during that period the Persian Jews were threatened with complete extermination. The real problem is not, whether such an event did happen, but how the Jews escaped the danger, and its solution is presented, I claim, in the Book of Esther."

--From the author's introduction

About the Author

Dr. Jacob Hoschander was a Professor of Biblical Literature at the Jewish Theological Seminary from 1923 to 1933. A widely known authority on biblical archaeology and Assyriology, Hoschander received his Ph.D. from the University of Marburg in 1904, and continued his Oriental studies at the British Museum until his arrival in the United States in 1909, when he joined the faculty of the Dropsie College in Philadelphia.

Edition details

• Publisher: Forgotten Books
• Publication date: 2020
• ISBN 10: 1330402065
• ISBN 13: 9781330402061
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 332