How Jewish is Esther? Or: How is Esther Jewish? Tracing Ethnic and Religious Identity in a Diaspora Narrative

Abstract

One of the most debated issues pertaining to the masoretic text of Esther concerns the identity of the group referred to as yehûdîm. The following article applies insights from ethnic theory to the book of Esther in order to elucidate the use of the term in this specific context, and possible implications for the religious or a-religious character of the book.