The question of the composition and unity of Esther
continue to be a matter of debate as Esther studies of the
last two decades show. This debate has, however, been
conducted primarily
perspective.
from a historical and critical
The latter half of this century, and the last three decades
in particular, has seen the emergence of newer approaches
to the text of Scripture. These approaches, influenced by
the developments in literary theory, have resulted in an
emphasis on the text as a literary unity and have
encouraged a synchronic reading of biblical texts. I
believe the questiop of the composition and unity of Esther
can be fruitfully approached using these newer literary
approaches.
A literary reading of Esther, which demonstrates that it is
a narrative unity, is done. The literary reading is synchronic in nature, and demonstrates that chiasticreversal
underlies the whole of the Esther narrative.
Moreover, careful attention is given to the literary
devices of chiasmus and characterisation, which make a
significant contribution to the narrative unity of Esther
because of the inseparable link, which exists, between
these literary elements. This inseparable link derives from
the fact that the chiasmus found in Esther is characterised
by the reversal of the positions, fortunes, and destinies
of the main characters. Furthermore, the role and portrayal
of the king is germane to the narrative unity of Esther
beca~se intrinsic to the chiastic-reversal pattern in
Esther is the role of the king in reversing the positions,
fortunes and destinies of the main characters. Consequently
his role will receive special attention. In addition, as a
character, he can be seen as the glue of the narrative
unity of Esther because of the pivotal role he plays in the story's chiastic-reversal pattern. It therefore follows
that the way the narrative characterises him must receive
attention. In this regard 'traditional' stereotypical
descriptions of the king are discussed critically and a
fresh perspective· of his character is offered. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 1999. / gm2014 / Practical Theology / unrestricted
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:up/oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/37298 |
| Date | January 2014 |
| Creators | Dickson, C.R. (Charles Richard) |
| Contributors | Le Roux, J.H. (Jurie Hendrik), 1944-, None, Botha, P.J. |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | © 1999 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. |
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