But Wait, There’s More: On the Additions to Esther

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.