Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-11-05
GStber
Gin Introduction to the :
Book of esther ann a
help to Bible STUDENTS
for the 5unnap school
lesson for tonap.
By Rev. DR.. William H. Bates.

The Book of Esther has been called
1.-THE Romance of Providence
OF the twelve historical books that COM
prise the second division of the Old
Testament the first three-Joshua, Judges
and Ruth-cover the period of the
theocracy; the next six-First and Second
Samuel First and Second Kings and First
and Second Chronicles-cover the period
OF the monarchy-au these giving the his
tory OF the Jewish people in Palestine,
the promised land" The remaining
three books-Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther
belong TO the period of foreign rule. and
give the national history during the Baby
lonian captivity. recounting the story of
the exile and the return therefrom.
The Book of Esther Is the story OF
most marvellous deiverance from the plot
laid for the destruction of Gods chosen
people who remained in Babylonia-prob
ably millions of them-after the return of
the less than 10000 exiles to Jerusalem
under the leadership of Prince Zerubbabel
ezra, chapter 1 to %. which return was
the subject OF the two Sunday school les
sons from the Book OF Ezra, October Is
and 90.
The maiden. Esther, and her uncle.
Mordecai. are the human instruments
Ised for the deliverance But truth is
stranger than fiction. as the story plain
ly demonstrates. The feast Of Purim
by Hannah Esther. 9:242t) to ascertain
the best days for destroying the Jews.
Is observed by the Israelites to this day,
IN the month of March, to commemorate
this deliverance. which fact would seem
TO furnish sufficient proof of the historical
character OF the book as against those
who would dissipate II into a mere story
OF the imagination. The Jews have a
proverb: The temple may fall, but
Purim never"
The time Of the book is B. c. 4S3473,
and. like the books OF the prophets Hag-
gal and Zechariah, II falls. chronologic-
ally. between the sixth and seventh chap
tiers OF the Book OF Ezra.
The place Is Susa or Shushan. the win
ter capital Of the Persian empire, about
20 miles east OF Babylon and 1000 miles
from Jerusalem. Ahasuerus. or Xerxes
OF classical literature. who reigned B. c.
4S6-+06 was king.
Strangely enough, the name OF God does
not appear In the entire book-that is. ex-
plicltiy. But DR.. Builinger. an English
scholar. asserts that II is there four times
n the original Hebrew, in an acrostic
form. The Hebrew word for Jehovah
originally consisted OF the four conso-
nants II " II mo vowels We're used In
writing Hebrew. but In our era the Mas
soretes have inserted them, which makes
II easier for us Gentiles to read and rro-
nounce the language)-and II is this name
Je Ho Va II. which is concealed acrostic-
ally In the book. First, in the initial let
tiers OF four Hebrew words in chapter
lad. read forward-that is, from right 10
left. the way Hebrew is read-thus. H-y-
HI. second. in the initial letters of four
Hebrew words in chapter ga Rad back
ward-taat is, from left TO right thus
J-H-v-H; third. I'm the final letters of the
four Hebrew words in chapter 5:13, read
forward-that Is. from right to left thus
--IJN-H-J: fourth. in the final letters Of
Iour Hebrew words Ia Chapter -, read