The Supplement to MT Esther 4:1-17 and It’s Sitz im Leben Sectarianism in the Late Second Temple Period

Abstract

The application of source criticism in the Book of Esther benefits from the diverse preservation of the text in different traditions. The Alpha text in 4:1-17 empirically supports source criticism in attributing this chapter’s content to both the “Esther Source” and the“Esther redaction”. The more recent supplement of ER (4:3; 5-7; 8b; 9-17) can be contextually interpreted in light of the sectarian disputes of the late Second Temple period. Esther’s grief, her close relationship with Mordecai, and Mordecai’s“godfather” role reflect both individual cases and the broader phenomenon: Queen Shelamzion’s obedience to the Pharisees and the “Pharisaic women” of the late Second Temple period - the Pharisaic control over elite women and their sexual abstinence within the marriage due to their allegiance to the Pharisees.