The Greek version of Esther
follows the basic structure of the Hebrew version (see Esther), but it includes
several additions that give the book a more explicitly religious character.
(The Hebrew version of Esther is the only biblical book in which God is
not mentioned.) The most significant addition is an account of a dream that
came to Mordecai, a Jew living in Persia. In the dream Mordecai saw two
dragons that foreshadowed conflict. Later, Mordecai came to understand that
one of the dragons was Haman, a high-ranking minister of the king, who plotted
to destroy the Jewish people. The other dragon was Mordecai himself, who
was instrumental in saving the Jews with the help of his adopted daughter
Esther, who had become the king's wife. |
