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The Book of Esther and the Enūma Elish

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 June 2006

ADAM SILVERSTEIN
ADAM SILVERSTEIN
Affiliation:
University of Oxford
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Abstract

This article is concerned with the influence of Mesopotamian myths on the Old Testament Book of Esther, with particular reference to the role of the Enūma Elish. The Book of Esther has been the subject of numerous studies, some of which have asked the questions posed in this article. Although full account is taken of these important studies, the present article contends that previous scholars have misguidedly focused their attention on Ishtar-legends to the exclusion of the Marduk-legends that are at least as important in this context. The article is divided into two parts: first, it is argued that the central figure in the Book of Esther is Mordecai (=Marduk) and it is his triumph that is being commemorated in the story. Second, similarities between the Enūma Elish (being the foremost Marduk-legend of Mesopotamian culture) and the Book of Esther are drawn, with the evidence being arranged under three rubrics: ‘the plot’, ‘themes and motifs’ and ‘language’.

Type
Articles
Information
Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies , Volume 69 , Issue 2 , June 2006 , pp. 209 - 223
Copyright
© School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, 2006

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Footnotes

I would like to thank Patricia Crone and Stephanie Dalley for their helpful comments on this article. Stephanie Dalley made a draft of her forthcoming monograph on the Assyrian background to Esther (tentatively titled Revenge at Susa) available to me, for which I am also grateful. Finally, I would like to acknowledge the generous support of the British Academy.