Tal Fortgang reviews Esther in America: The Scroll’s Interpretation in and Impact on the United States, Stuart Halpern, ed., at Modern Age
"Although the Scroll of Esther is now best known for ritual readings on the Jewish holiday of Purim, its current status as the near sole province of religious Jews is a historical anomaly. Since the colonial era, it has been a recurring source of inspiration not only for American Christians but also for both sides of various political disputes, including the abolition of slavery and women’s suffrage. Reading Esther in America, it’s easy to see why. The story that the scroll tells is surprisingly modern. Assimilation, sex, power, revenge—combined with the conspicuous absence of prophecy, overt miracles, or God’s name—make the Scroll of Esther the most human-driven book in the Bible."
See:
Great Books of the Western World (first edition, 54 Vol., 1952)
"Readers who are startled to find the Bible omitted from the set will be reassured to learn that this was done only because Bibles are already widely distributed, and it was felt unnecessary to bring another, by way of this set, into homes that had several already. References to the Bible are, however, included in both the King James and the Douai versions under the appropriate topics in the Syntopicon." (The Great Conversation, by Robert M. Hutchinsmm, volume 1, p. xvii). [Syntopicon is the title of the extensive topical index to the entire set.]Great Books of the Western World (second edition, 60 Vol., 1990)
"References to Bible, when present, are always placed first. The Bible is not included as part of the set, since there is no definitive version acceptable to everyone." Introduction to The Syntopicon (vol. 1, p. xiv),
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