The book Of The Bible Esther

Esther is the story of how the Jewish Queen Esther and her uncle, Mordecal, are able to thwart the wicked Haman, who conspires to destroy the Jews living in the Persian Empire at the time of King Artaxerxes (Ahasuerus) between 485 and 464 BCE. The book itself was probably written at the end of the fourth century BCE. The purpose of the book is to remind the people of Israel of God’s providence on their behalf.

It is a story that marks the origin and signiticance of the Jewish feast of Purim. Originally written in Hebrew, the book of Esther is preserved in its Greek form by the Orthodox and Roman Catholic canons. As in the other deuterocanonical writings (Tobit and Judith), the characters in this story are exemplary role models. A passage from the book of Esther is read in Years I and II on Thursday of the First Week of Lent. The text is the desperate prayer of Queen Esther addressed to the Lord God of Israel to intervene at a critical time to turn the fate of her people.