The LXX book of Esther as a satirical drama

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to show that the LXX book of Esther is to be read as a satirical drama. The paper will focus on the literary aspects of this narrative and will discuss the genre; sub-genres; characters and literary devices used in the narrative. It will be shown that when the book is read in the light of a Satire, it becomes possible that the author of LXX Esther never intended the book to be history. It will also be shown that satires have often had festivals such as Purim connected to them throughout history.