Jps Commentary on Esther (JPS Bible Commentary) [Hardcover]

Adele Berlin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2001 | Series: JPS Bible Commentary

Recipient of the Prize of the Minister of Science, Culture, and Sport [of the State of Israel] for classical literature for the year 5762 [2001].

The commentary, which accompanies the Hebrew biblical text and the JPS translation, approaches the Book of Esther from a fresh literary point-of-view. It includes essays entitled “When and Where Was the Book of Esther Written?”; “Sex and Spies”; and “Rabbinic Interpretation.”

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This informative commentary (part of JPS's Bible Commentary series) dissects the book of Esther and, by extension, the Jewish holiday of Purim. Berlin begins with a lengthy introduction, discussing Esther as comedy and as diaspora literature; the introduction also does a fine job of explaining the Persian period and its various art forms. Concerning Purim, Berlin posits that the text of Esther may have been included in the biblical canon because the Purim holiday had already taken a strong hold. Berlin concludes that "Purim existed, in one form or another, before the book was written." The commentary section presents the Hebrew text of Esther alongside the JPS translation, with Berlin's extensive annotations below. (Feb.)Children's Religion

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

“This informative commentary . . . dissects the Book of Esther and, by extension, the Jewish holiday of Purim. Berlin begins with a lengthy introduction, discussing Esther as comedy and as diaspora literature; the introduction does a fine job of explaining the Persian period and its various art forms.”—Publishers Weekly (Publishers Weekly )

Product Details

• Hardcover: 110 pages
• Publisher: Jewish Publication Society (January 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0827606990
• ISBN-13: 978-0827606999
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #483,709 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars jps esther offers helpful background, February 15, 2001

By 

james rose (White Plains, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jps Commentary on Esther (JPS Bible Commentary) (Hardcover)

Fully half of this book is devoted to a discussion of the background of the work and its interpretations. It is quite helpful in understanding and interpreting the text. There is a ten page bibliography that makes it clear the work was exhaustively researched and many points of view were considered.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very helpful to me, July 13, 2001

By 

Rachel Brown (London, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jps Commentary on Esther (JPS Bible Commentary) (Hardcover)

This commentary fills a large gap between the usual superficial Bible commentaries and very advanced works like the International Critical Commentary. (The volume on Esther in that series is anyway hopelessly out of date.) It provides a lot of solid information in a large solid volume but without overwhelming technicalities. Its attitude is that Esther is a comic novel, presumably with no historical basis for its plot although the background details are confirmed by modern archaeology. Don't expect light reading, but after you have read this you will have learnt a lot.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, July 27, 2001

By 

Patrick G. Nelson (Huntsville, AL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Jps Commentary on Esther (JPS Bible Commentary) (Hardcover)

The author's presentation is not so complex to loose the lay scholar, but is detailed enough to provide an excellent resource for study. This book is well suited to the lay person studying on their own or preparing for congregational bible studies.