Literary Allusions in Esther
Literary Allusions in Esther: A Study on the Convergence of Intertexts and Narrative examines the robust intertextual nature of MT Esther. Its textual landscape is filled with a plethora of allusions to other texts scattered throughout the Old Testament canon. While these intertexts have often been identified individually, they have not always been considered a collective whole. By employing a new, eclectic method of exegetical analysis (‘Analogical Convergence’), the author demonstrates one means by which these intertexts complement one another and converge with the authorial intention embedded into MT Esther.
In Literary Allusions in Esther, Ron Lindo offers a nuanced and sophisticated engagement with the book of Esther. His survey of proposed ‘intertexts’ in secondary literature is comprehensive yet accessible—a significant resource for Esther scholarship. Lindo’s discussion of method helpfully recognizes the place of authorial intention in many treatments of ‘intertextuality’ in biblical studies, and the links he proposes between Esther and Jeremiah provide
the basis for a compelling new account of Esther’s thrust as a story. Literary Allusions in Esther makes important contributions to the field, and should feature in further discussions of the story’s shape and the extent to which it interacts with other texts from antiquity.”
—John Screnock, Tutor in Old Testament, Wycliffe Hall, University of Oxford
That Esther is a work which is composed with allusion to other texts is now increasingly recognized. This work makes an important contribution by establishing a disciplined method for understanding this and how both the surface text and its interaction with other texts in the Old Testament contribute to its meaning. Scholars working on Esther will need to engage with this disciplined and careful work.”
—David G. Firth, Old Testament Tutor, Trinity College Bristol