Blog 3

In the book of Esther without additions there is no mention of God throughout the book.  Esther is queen but she does not rule, her husband is still the leader and she can persuade him but she does not make the decisions. In the additions to Esther God is mentioned several times making it seem that Esther relies on him and is looking to him for guidance and strength.

Judith openly relies on God throughout her book and asks for guidance and strength from him. She is openly religious and prays many times in the book of Judith. This is a huge difference from the original book of Esther. Judith 8:1-16:25 talks about how Judith leads as a God-fearing women and destroys the enemies of Israel (Harper, 1460).

In my opinion Judith is less dependent on men because she gets to make the choices in her life. In all of Chapter 8 of the book of Judith she talks to the town elders and tells them about the mistakes they have made. In this time it would not have been uncommon for them to ignore her or disregard her warnings. However, Judith was so respected that they listened to her earnestly and believed she was right. They took her advice and asked for her help to save the town.

This shows that Judith was not dependent on these men to lead her or for her to rely on them. They needed her help and asked her to pray for them and help them Judith 8:31.

Morgan McMullen 

Blog 3

Esther and Judith are both portrayed as strong women; however Esther uses her manipulation skills towards men more than Judith. Yes, Judith manipulates Holofernes into thinking she has surrendered and he can seduce her, but she purposely created this opportunity to carry out her plan. Judith’s plan is only dependent on her. She is not being told what to do by any man. On the other hand, Esther is being controlled by Mordecai. She is manipulating the king, because that is what she was told to do. Without Mordecai, it is hard to say whether or not Esther would have stood up for her people. While Judith took matters into her own hands the minute she realized what was happening in her city.

In Esther 2:15, it states that all who saw Esther were in favor of her, because she obeyed all of Gai’s rules.  Esther listens to what the men in her life say and she obeys their commands. In Esther 4:10-11, Esther returns Mordecai’s message, about the Jews being destroyed, with fear for she will not be allowed to see the King. In the book of Esther she does what she is told of the King. Before she tries to break the rules and speak to the King she prays for days. If this would have been Judith, she would have already taken action into her own hands. Judith would not have waited for the King’s answer. In the editions of Esther she turns to God with much more urgency, like Judith did. I believe the additions of Esther and the story of Judith are more alike than the book of Esther and the story of Judith.   

Esther, Esther, and Judith (David Truong)

 Anytime we talk about Esther from the Bible, I believe we have to talk about two different women. The Esther from the Book of Esther and the Esther from Additions are almost as different as Esther is to Judith. If I had to make a list in order who was the most dependent on men, I would have to start with Esther from Additions, then Esther from Book of Esther, and Judith as the least dependent on men.

 Esther from Additions is likely the most dependent on men. She cannot even appear before her husband without fainting. (AddEsther15:7) Her original version, the Esther from the Book of Esther, doesn't fair much better. She does come across as more independent than her Addition's counterpart but she relies on her uncle Mordecai far too much to be completely independent of men. Mordecai sent Esther to the king under the warning to not reveal her Jewish heritage which would undoubtedly cost her her life. (Esther 2:7) If it were not for her uncle, she would still have been unaware of the slaughter of the Jewish people. (Esther 5:7) Yet she is able to convince the king to side with her and her people which ultimately saves her people but it pales in comparison to the independence of Judith.

Judith was quite different from Esther, a widow compared to a married woman and deeply devout. She fasted except for occasions (Judith 8:6) and was well-respected in her community due to her devotion. (Judith 8:8) Compared to Esther who followed the traditions of her Persian husband due avoid detection. When all the elders of her town decide to surrender to the enemy unless God intervenes, she chastises them all. (Esther 8:12) Save for her maid, she goes into the enemy camp alone and assassinates the general Holofernes. (Judith 13:8) This act ultimately saves her people from the invading army of Nebachadnezzar.

An interesting thought I had is that while both women saved their people, I would argue that Judith's was the one that amounted in the least bloodshed. Esther's salvation resulted in the Jewish people fighting to reclaim their lost territory which seemed to amount to a war of sorts. Judith's act sent the enemy army scattering when she got off their head. Judith took the violence into her own hands and with God's will, found the most efficient way of saving her people.

Essay 3

            At first glance, one would see many similarities between Esther and Judith. Both are very powerful and beautiful women. They are heroines, saving the lives of their people while risking their own. In both books, they are standing up and protecting their people from oppression. Both Esther and Judith know how to get what they want; they lure in the potential enemy with wine and with their beauty (Esther 5:1-7) (Judith 10:4). Even though both women have qualities that are alike, there are also many differences. The first one being how Esther tended to rely on Mordecai to tell her what to do, “for Esther obeyed Mordecai just as when she was brought up by him," (Esther 2:20). Judith, on the other hand, had no one making her choices for her. Another difference is how prevalent God is in either book. In the Hebrew Bible of Esther, God is never mentioned by name, nor does Esther religiously practice the laws of Judaism. In the book of Judith though, God is a central part of the story. She is portrayed as being God fearing: "no one ... spoke ill of her, so devoutly did she fear God" (Judith 8:8). However, in the Additions to Esther book, “there are more than fifty references to God” which the author believes “influences the readers interpretation ”(Reinhartz, 396).

            When looking at the two different books of Esther, I believe the one that portrays Esther as being less dependent upon men is the Additions book of Esther. Author Reinhartz states that “Greek Esther not only recognizes not also celebrates the courage and ability of these women to challenge male authority” (402). I believe this is true because of the presence of God in her life in the Additions book. One last thing that Esther and Judith have in common is how they “lift themselves out of the patriarchal structures of male-female relationships” (Reinhartz, 402).

Blog 3

                Esther and Judith are both prominent religious figures. They both carry leadership in a different manner. Esther is not nearly the self-assertive soul compared to her counterpart.  When Haman demands the death of all the Jewish people, Mordecai makes an impoverished plea to Queen Esther, “Remember,’ he said, ‘the days when you were an ordinary person being brought up under my care-for Haman, who stands next to the king, has spoken against us and demands our death. Call upon the Lord then speak to the king in our behalf, and save us from death” (Esther 13.7-13.8). Not only is Mordecai intending to connect Esther to her humble beginnings, but he’s saying you are our only hope to stop an attempted genocide of our people. Perhaps this is where George Lucas came up for the inspiration when Princess Leia told Obi-Wan she was the Rebels only hope via R2-D2.

                Yet Esther does not want to offend her king. Sure, she would be risking her life by not being summoned by the king. But what’s one life in an attempt to save thousands (Esther 13.7-13.8). This is in stark contrast to Judith’s self-assertion. Judith is a woman of action. She maintains great faith in her Lord, demonstrated in Judith’s prayer where she conveys the venomous words about the Assyrians, “Make my deceitful words bring wound and bruise on those who have planned cruel things against your covenant, and against your sacred house, and against Mount Zion, and against the house your children possess” (Judith 9:10-9:11). It would be hard to imagine Esther having such an impassioned outcry. But Judith’s most famous action truly shows that she stands far above Esther in the self-assertion scale. She not only has no fear negotiating her way to be near the enemy of her people but she actually beheads Holofernes (Judith 12:14-13:14). Her lord has turned her into a weapon of action and thus the harm that came to her people pales in comparison to the harm that Esther’s people endured under her inaction.

Essay 3

Esther and Judith were both exemplary women in the Old Testament. Esther’s exceptional beauty enabled her to gain status, and she eventually became queen (Esth 2:7-9). Her role as queen enabled her to be a leader of her people, the Jews. Esther was viewed differently in the original book of Esther and the additions of Esther. In the original book, it was not made obvious that Esther had a close relationship with God. The additions involved more talk of God and included dialogue that Esther had spoken and prayed to God (AddEsth 13:9-17). The additions made it seem more like Esther was ultimately given the power to stand up for her people through God.

Judith can be compared to Esther because her beauty is also what gained her status as a leader (Jdt 10:7). Although her role as a devoted servant of God gained her popularity among her own people (Jdt 8:28), the Jews, her beauty enabled her to seduce the army general Holofernes. After a night of too much drinking, Judith convinces Holofernes that she is going to sleep with him. However, she ends up decapitating him instead (Jdt 13:1-8). A slaughter followed and the Israelites were saved for many years to come (Jdt 16:25).

The two women are similar in the fact that they took charge and played a great and important role in saving their people. The difference, however, is that Esther needed more convincing and persuasion to step into the leadership role. Judith seemed to have taken it upon herself to have a voice for her people and God. Esther depended more on the men in her story because without the information from Mordecai, she would not have been aware of the situation. Furthermore, without the extra persuasion from Mordecai, she would not have had the assertiveness and motivation.

Essay/Blog 3

Esther was ruled by man, she was ruled by her husband, while Judith’s husband died, he left her gold, livestock, and servants. (Jdt8: 7).While Esther was afraid of man, Judith took the reins and led men to defeat their foes. Esther listened to men, she wasn’t the prophet though she was one of the pawns to a man’s plot. Mordecai used her to save herself and her people from the king. (Esther 2: 19-23). Esther ends up saving her people from the king but it wasn’t all her own idea, she had Mordecai help her with her plot, as well as her servants and God. Through fasting Queen Esther was able to gain the attention of God, when she needed him most he struck her down in front of her husband, in turn saving Esther from the wraths of her husband. (Esther 5: 1-6.)

No one messed with Judith, she wasn’t a queen but she was well respected in her community, she was known for her fear of God. (Jdt 8: 8). Judith is the one to help men in saving her people, her beauty helped her do this as well as her brains. She used seduction as well as strength to her advantage. Judith feared God, she knew it was ultimately the choice of God whether or not the people would survive the wrath of the enemies. She didn’t let the elders or the rulers speak ill of God for she knew it was God they had to worship in order to save her people. (Jdt 9: 1-17.)

Judith and Esther used their beauty to their advantages, they also relied on God for support and to help them save their people from the enemy man. Both were able to deceive, those that relied on them knew they could be counted on to get the job done. Though the women had different ideas of how to save their people.

Essay 3

​Both Judith and Esther are strong women that come up with intelligent plans to help their people. Esther knows that she must persuade the king to save her people and Judith must persuade the leader if the army to save her people. They are both brave women that accomplish the same task in different manners. The Esther in the Book of Esther seems to be more independent and confident in the decisions that she makes while the Esther in the additions is much more dependent on God and constantly praying to him to get his help and opinion. When she hears that the King wants to get rid of the Jews she goes into action because she knows that she has the power to change the King’s mind. However in the additions she “…fled to the lord… she utterly humbled her body” (add. Est. 14:1-2).

         The additions portray her as being much more reliant on God. In the Book of Esther in the bible she tells Mordecai what the plan is. She is in control and tells him that “…I will go without food. After that I will go to the king, contrary to the law, even if I must die” (Esther 4:16). She does not say that God has told her what will happen, she prayed and decided that this is what needed to be done and will be done. I think that the Esther in the Book of Esther is the one that seems to be less dependent on men. The book does mention that she prays to God but it makes it seem like she prays about it and then she decides what they will do to keep the king from killing the Jews. She doesn’t let anyone tell her what to do she just does it. She knows what needs to be done and no matter what she will get it done.

WGS- 3463-995 - Essay 3

               Kylie Forster

            On the level of character, story line, and backgrounds, Esther and Judith have many parallels. Both Esther and Judith are wise Jewish women who are the heroines of their books. Esther and Judith are both full of bravery, and as a result they risk their lives to save their people from the hands of gentiles. Both women are mentioned to be beautiful, and towards the end of their stories they use this to their advantage, along with thought out planning, to seduce the foolish kings within their stories. Both of their beauties are mentioned, “The girl was beautiful in appearance.” (Esth 2:7), and “She was beautiful in appearance.” (Jdt 2:7). It is mentioned that Judith is a widow, biblical scholar André Lacocque mentions, “Judith is a rich widow” (Lacocque, 35), while Esther is an orphan, both protected within Jewish society.

Within the additions to Esther there is a significant difference in the characterization of Esther compared to the book of Esther. Within the additions to Esther she is openly pious, “O my Lord, you only are our king…” (Add Esth 14:3), as is Judith, “O God, my God, hear me also…” (Jdt 9:4). But within the book of Esther she is not religious at all; God’s name is not even mentioned throughout the book. Along with this difference, Esther is deemed as weak and fearful within the additions to Esther. For example, when Esther presents herself before the king she is extremely afraid, so much so that she faints (Add Esth 15:7). This Esther, in comparison to Judith, is much more dependent upon men for her authority.  This is because the once wise, fearless Esther we knew from the book of Esther, is now replaced with an Esther who is almost dependent upon God.

Who's in Charge?

When looking at both stories of Esther and Judith, it’s clear that each of these women played an important role in the safety of Israel.  Both women used similar tactics for success, but each of them had different levels of authority.  Both women used their good looks in order to get close to their person of interest.  Out of the two, Judith held the most power.  This is displayed in Judith 8:10 when she sent her maid “to summon Uzziah, Chabris, and Charmis, the elders of her city” (Judith 8:10).  To summon anybody, you need to be in a position of power, let alone the elders of a city.  I assume the elders are leaders in the community or at least highly respected.  Judith’s summoning of them helps legitimize her authority in my opinion.  Judith did not need anyone’s permission to carry out her plan to kill Holofernes; she was very much autonomous. 

Esther on the other hand, needed the authority of men to be in her favor in order to succeed.  The only reason she was in a position of influence was because King Xerxes made her queen (Esther 2:17).  Esther looked to Mordecai to direct the way she should behave, in fact it was Mordecai who told her to keep her Jewish heritage secret.  The additions to Esther help undermine Esther’s independence.  In the canonical Esther, Esther goes to King Xerxes uninvited and is not killed.  This feat gives the impression that Esther must have been pretty exceptional in the King’s eye in order for him to spare her.  The additions to Esther invalidates that assumption when it’s revealed that “God changed the spirit of the king to gentleness, and in alarm he sprang from his throne and took her in his arms until she came to herself. And he comforted her with soothing words, and said to her,  "What is it, Esther? I am your brother. Take courage; you shall not die, for our law applies only to the people. Come near” (Esther ADD 5:8-10). 

To me it’s clear that Judith is the more authoritative and assertive than Esther and she relied on no one except God. 

Sterling Von Strohe

Essay Blog 3

Though Judith and Esther are both told to be female heroes, the two characters function as different types of leaders. Judith is bold to rulers (Judith 8:11-15), self-disciplined (Judith 8:6), respected by all (Judith 8:23), and ruthless through cutting off Holofernes’s head (Judith 13:6); while Esther feared God (Esther 2:20), was faithful to King Artaxerxes  (Esther 2:22), won favor in the eyes of King Artaxerxes and all who saw her (Esther 2:9 & 15), and courageous through approaching the King (Esther 15:6). Both characters are beautiful in appearance (Esther 2:7 & 15:5) (Judith 8:7), prayed to God (Esther Ad. 14:1-19) (Judith 9:1-14), and saved others, whether it was Israel or Jews (Esther 9)  (Judith 15). In addition, both characters decide to “accomplish their mission through the exercise of ‘feminine wile’” (Lacocque, 36). Regarding the character of Esther in the book compared to the Esther in the Additions, Esther in the additions is less reliant upon men for her authority. Esther from the book comes across as beautiful but “cooperative and compliant” and ultimately “defies the king’s authority” just as Vashti had (Reinhartz, 402). In the additions, the reader is able to see Esther as more of humble, wise women, crying out to the Lord (Esther Ad. C 14:1-19). I argue that the additions reveal that Esther is less reliant on men because in the additions Esther relies more on the Lord then any man. In turn, God shows her favor and through that favor gives her authority. One example of when God shows her favor is in addition D when God changes the heart of King Artaxerxes completely from terrified and filled with fierce anger (Esther Ad. 15:6-7) to gentleness (Esther Ad. 15:8). Through that example alone the reader can see that Esther did not need to be reliant on men when her God was in control. When comparing Judith and Esther, Judith shows less reliance on men through creating her own plan (Judith 8:11-27), demanding and telling the elders/rulers what to do (Judith 8:11-27), and not needing anyone’s approval to behead Holofernes (Judith 13). Personally, I think Judith’s selfish outlook creates her to be less reliant on anyone but herself.