"Beautiful but tough". A comparison of LXX Esther, Judith and Susanna

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.