Abstract:
This study provides a comparative survey of the books of LXX Esther,
Judith and Susanna. It utilizes primarily narrative criticism, keeping in
mind that the narratives should be examined as literature, investigating
each narrative as a whole. It is hoped that in this comparative
investigation we will arrive at a better understanding of the extent of the
similarities between the narratives of these three women, as well as
exploring some possible origins for the basic narrative pattern (some
“master narrative”) from which these might have mutated. The concept of
these characters as the main protagonists is challenged with the suspicion
that we still encounter here male-dominated stories in which these women
are possibly portrayed merely as role models of submission, obedience
and self-sacrifice.