ON the ADDITIONS to ESTHER by Angel Bustamante
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But Wait, There’s More: On the Additions to Esther Item Type text; Electronic Thesis Authors Bustamante, Angel Joseph Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction, presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 02/10/2021 00:53:46 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/633183 1 BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE: ON THE ADDITIONS TO ESTHER by Angel Bustamante ____________________________ Copyright © Angel Bustamante 2019 A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES AND CLASSICS In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS WITH A MAJOR IN CLASSICS In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2019 3 Acknowledgments First, I would like to thank God, “for in Him we live and move and have our being” (Act. 17:28). As Paul writes, “To Him be the glory for ever and ever, Amen” (Gal. 1:5). I thank Dr. Friesen, Dr. Wright, and Dr. Bauschatz for comprising my thesis committee and reading and commenting on multiple drafts. Next, I want to thank Joe and Barbara Bustamante, my parents, and my brother Jesse Bustamante for their continual support. They have been unfailing in their love. I do not think I could have made it this far without them. I would also like to thank my best friend Jeremy Webb. Whether we talk about theology, language, philosophy, or music, he is always there to listen to my thoughts and concerns. Since I read Esther in Greek and Hebrew for this paper, I would be remiss if I did not personally thank the instructors who taught me these languages. Prof. Bauschatz deserves gratitude for being the first Greek teacher I ever had, and one of the best. I still fondly remember the courses I have taken with him. My Hebrew instructors Uri and Anat Maimon have been not only my teachers, but my friends. Lastly, I would like to thank my partner-in-crime J. A. Swanson. He has often been my companion during long nights of working on this thesis, and he suggested its title. וְיֹתֵֵ֥רמֵהֵֵ֖מָּה בְנִִ֣י הִ זָּהֵֵ֑רעֲשֹֹׂ֨ ות סְ פָּרִִ֤ ים הַרְ בֵה֙ אִֵ֣ ין קֵֵ֔ ץ וְלֵַ֥הַג הַרְ בֵֵ֖היְגִעֵַ֥ת בָּשָָּֽׂ ר׃ Ecc. 12:12 4 Table of Contents List of Abbreviations .................................................................................................................... 5 Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... 6 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 7 Chapter 1: The MT, LXX, and AT of Esther ............................................................................. 9 MT .............................................................................................................................................. 9 The History and Text of the MT .............................................................................................. 9 The Book of Esther in the MT ............................................................................................... 12 LXX .......................................................................................................................................... 15 General Remarks Concerning the LXX................................................................................. 15 The LXX (o’ Text) Version of Esther ................................................................................... 19 The AT Version of Esther ..................................................................................................... 20 Summary ................................................................................................................................... 22 Chapter 2: The Additions ........................................................................................................... 24 Preliminary Remarks ................................................................................................................. 24 Additions A and F ..................................................................................................................... 25 Additions B and E ..................................................................................................................... 29 Additions C and D ..................................................................................................................... 35 Summary ................................................................................................................................... 38 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 40 Appendix A .................................................................................................................................. 46 Works Cited ................................................................................................................................. 47 5 List of Abbreviations AB The Anchor Bible Bib Biblica CBET Contributions to Biblical Exegesis and Theology JBL Journal of Biblical Literature JSJ Journal for the Study of Judaism in the Persian, Hellenistic, and Roman Periods RevQ Revue de Qumrân SBLDS Society of Biblical Literature Dissertation Series 6 Abstract This thesis examines the Greek Additions to the book of Esther. These Additions are found in both Greek versions of the book, but not in the Hebrew version. In Chapter 1 I discuss the history of the Hebrew (MT) and Greek texts (LXX, AT). The history of all three of the texts is too complicated to discuss in great detail, but a broad overview is necessary to understand the context of the Additions. In Chapter 2 I examine the Additions in depth. It seems that the Additions come in pairs, with one complementing the other. It is often very difficult to date the Additions, and most of the time nothing more than a terminus post quem or terminus ante quem can be offered. In the case of some of the Additions, it is uncertain whether they were originally written in Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic. That said, two were clearly originally written in Greek, which demonstrates that the Additions were not composed by just one author. In the Conclusion I examine then asks why the Additions were written, determining that they were added both to heighten the drama and to include God explicitly in the text. I also conclude that, the authors of Esther and the Additions seem to be cautiously optimistic about relations between the Jews and the Hellenistic monarchs. 7 Introduction The Esther story has been beloved both by Jews and Christians for millennia. Whether read in a synagogue service for Purim or in the quiet of one’s own home, it has long enchanted readers with the story of the evil Haman, the righteous Mordechai, and the poor orphan Esther, who later ascends to the queenship of all of Persia and saves the people of Israel from destruction. It is a story of courage and court intrigue in which the seemingly unrelated events soon become threads in a giant tapestry depicting God’s saving action on behalf of his people.1 Given that it is such a beloved book, in both the Jewish and Christian traditions, it is surprising at the popular level that the book of Esther exists in three different versions: one Hebrew version (the Masoretic Text, hereafter MT), and two Greek versions (the LXX version and the Alpha Text).2 But this should not be surprising, since it gives us a window in scriptural composition. There are six additional chapters included in the Greek versions of Esther which the surviving Hebrew text does not contain. This has caused scholars to propose various theories about the relationship(s) between the composition of all three versions of Esther. What is the content of these Additions? Where do they come from? These are the questions that will be addressed in this thesis. Before analyzing the content and meaning of the Additions, however, the three versions of Esther need to be discussed: the MT, the LXX, and AT. A (very) broad overview of all three of these versions will be presented in Chapter 1. It will soon become clear that Esther raises issues relating to the composition of the MT and Septuagint as a whole, and therefore pertains 1 Though God is never mentioned in the Hebrew version of Esther, he is commonly assumed to be directing the events behind-the-scenes. 2 Hanna Kahana, Esther: Juxtaposition of the Septuagint Translation with the Hebrew Text (CBET 30; Dudley, MA: Peeters, 2005), XXVIII. The Alpha Text (AT) is also called the L text and o’ text for reasons discussed below. 8 not only to the book of Esther, but for every other book of the Old Testament, both in Hebrew and Greek, as well. In Chapter 2 an overview of each Addition will be presented. It will be discovered that each of the six Additions seems to pair with another, and that the group forms a ring-composition in Esther itself. Generally, the Additions serve to heighten the drama and theological content of Esther. Finally, in the Conclusion section we will examine the provenance of the Additions and will agree with Noah Hacham’s argument (see below) that the Additions provide a window into Diaspora Judaism. The author (or authors) of Esther seems to be somewhat comfortable in the Hellenistic