Esther, Book of

The Book of Esther is a historical narrative set in the Persian court of Ahasuerus (Xerxes I, 486–465 B.C.) and tells the story of how the Jewish people in the diaspora were preserved from extermination through the courage of Esther and the wisdom of Mordecai. The book is distinctive in the Hebrew Bible for never explicitly mentioning God's name, yet the providential working of God through seemingly coincidental events is evident throughout. It provides the scriptural basis for the Jewish feast of Purim (Esther 9:20–32). The book's place in the canon was debated in early Judaism (the Qumran community appears not to have used it), and it is quoted nowhere in the New Testament. Nevertheless its themes of divine providence, covenant faithfulness, and deliverance of the persecuted have made it central to Jewish identity through the centuries.