My original intention was to blog about Esther as we went through Beth Moore’s study Esther: It’s Tough Being a Woman. I did some extra research on my own in addition to the study material and found some of it so interesting that I wanted to share it. After my Daniel study I realized that I knew a lot about the Babylonians, Greeks and Romans, but not much about the Persians. This extra study has filled in the gap for me and made the story of the Old Testament more meaningful knowing the wonders and miracles God performed during this time period, and how that fits into the larger picture of God’s eternal plan of salvation.
However, since writing isn’t my really my thing it takes me a little longer than normal people to write, and coupled with my talent for procrastination, here we are wrapping up 3 years after I started my Esther journey. A little longer than I had hoped, but the timing of this wrap up is fantastic as today is the feast of Purim! To close, I thought I would share some final links about Esther.
Eat cookies! Hamantaschen are the traditional cookies made at Purim. Also called “Haman’s Ears,” they are said to resemble Haman’s ears as they drooped when he had to confess his plot. There are lots of different fillings, so try Smitten Kitchen’s Tiny Poppy Seed ‘Taschen or The Cupcake Project Hamantashen.
Go visit the possible site of the tomb of Esther and Mordecai in Hamadan, Iran. This is one of the oldest cities in the world and is full of culture and history. You should probably hurry, though, as there are rumors of terrorists wanting to destroy the shrine. Since most of us have never ventured to this part of the world I would highly recommend Rick Steves’ guide to Iran (I plan to use it someday!).
Watch an Esther movie! Here are some of my favorite Esther movies and an opera:
One Night with the King (2006) I can’t believe I didn’t see this movie when it first came out! There are so many great actors in this film, including Peter O’Toole, Omar Sharif, John Rhys-Davies and John Noble. Unlike some other Biblical-based films, this one stays fairly true to the original story and does a good job bringing the ancient story to life.
VeggieTales: Esther, the Girl Who Became Queen (2000)
For Your Consideration (2006) While this isn’t exactly about Esther, it is about Purim. This film is a Christopher Guest “mockumentary” in the style of Waiting for Guffman or Best in Show.
Esther and the King (1960), featuring Joan Collins
Esther, an opera in three acts composed by Hugo Weisgall in 1993
