Apr 28, 2024  
2014-2015 Theological School Catalog 
    
2014-2015 Theological School Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

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BBST 692 - The Book of Esther: Scripture, Satire, and Survival

3 credits
The book of Esther never mentions God, is wildly violent, and exaggerates beyond belief. What is it doing in the Bible? Why was such a story important to the ancient community? How are we to read it now? And what possible difference can it make in our various communal contexts? In this course we explore the biblical book of Esther, how it is told, how it has been retold, and how it retells other stories. We focus in particular on the book’s constructions of religious, ethnic, social, and gender identity, its depictions of violence and genocide, how it functions as a tool for survival under Empire, and the ways in which it might be read in contemporary culture. Prerequisite: BBST 501 .



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