Dictionary
A modern dictionary of Catholic terms, both common and obscure. Find accurate definitions of words and phrases.
ESTHER
The adopted daughter and niece (or cousin) of Mordecai, she was also known as Hadassah (Esther 2:15). She is a traditionally heroic figure to Jews because she outwitted the anti-Semitic Agagite, Haman, a powerful official in King Ahasuerus' court. Following the banishment of Queen Vashti, the king chose Esther to be his wife (Esther 2:17). Using her beauty and intelligence to combat Haman in his attempt to wipe out the Jews, she brought about his execution on the gallows, a fate he had planned for Mordecai (Esther 3-6). The struggle emphasizes patriotic and racial devotion rather than religious aspiration (Esther 7:10). It is a lively, stirring story whose events are celebrated by Jews all over the world in the annual Feast of Purim (Esther 9:27-28). The Book of Esther was written by an unknown author, probably not later than the time of Ezra. The text of Esther has come down in two revisions, a shorter Hebrew and a longer Greek. The Catholic Bible follows the Hebrew, and then adds the missing passages (10-16) from the Greek.
All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.
