ESTHER, APOCRYPHAL ADDITIONS TO. Be sides the many minor deviations from the Hebrew, there are six important additions in the Septuagint and the other ancient versions of the book of Esther.
I. Title and Position.—In the Septuagint and the Old Latin, these additions are dispersed through the canonical book, forming therewith a well ad justed whole, and have therefore no separate title. St. Jerome, however, separated them in his trans. lation, and removed them to the end of the book, because they are not found in the Hebrew. They are, therefore, in this position in the MSS. and the printed editions of the Vulgate, and form, ac cording to Cardinal Hugo's division, the seven last chapters of the canonical Esther. Luther, who was the first that separated the apocryphal from the canonical books, entirely detached these additions, and placed them among the apocrypha under the title Stiicke in Esther.' In the Zurich Bible, where the Apocryphal and canonical books are also separated, the canonical volume is called Esther, and these additions are denominated 2 Esther. Our English versions, though following Luther's arrangements, are not uniform in their designation of these additions. Thus Coverdale calls them The chapters of the book of Hester, which are not found in the text of the Hebrew, but in the Greek and Latin.' In Matthews and the Bishops' Bible, which are followed by the A. V., they are entitled, The Rest of the chapters of the book of Esther, which are found neither in the He brew nor in the Chaldee,' whilst the Geneva version adopts Luther's title.
z. Design and Contents. —The design of these additions is to give a more decidedly religious tone to the record contained in the book of Esther, and to shew more plainly how wonderfully the God of Israel interposed to save his people and confound their enemies. This the writer has effected by elaborating upon the events narrated in the canoni cal volume as follows : I. Chap. i. 1 of the canonical volume is preceded in the Sept. by a piece which tells us that Mordecai, who was in the service of Artaxerxes, dreamt of the dangers which threatened his people, and of their deliverance (1-12). He afterwards discovered a conspiracy against the king, which he discloses to him, and is greatly rewarded for it (13-18). This is in the Vulgate and English Version, xi. f, xii. 6.
IL Between verses 13 and 14 of ch. iii. in the canonical hook, the Septuagint gives a copy of the king's edict addressed to all the satraps, to destroy without compassion that foreign and rebellious people, the Jews, for the good of the Persian nation, in the fourteenth day of the twelfth month of the coming year. This is in the Vulg. and Eng lish version xiii.
III. At the end of iv. 17 of the canonical book, the Septuagint has two prayers of Mordecai and Esther, that God may avert the impending destruc tion of his people. This is in the Vulg. and English version xiii. 8; xiv.
IV. Between verses 1 and 2 of ch. v. in the canonical book, the Septuagint inserts a detailed account of Esther's visit to the king. This is in the Vulg. and English version xv. 4-19.
V. Between verses 13 and 14 of ch. viii. in the canonical books, the Septuagint gives a copy of the edict, which the king sent to all his satraps, in accordance with the request of Mordecai and Esther, to abolish his former decree against the Jews. This is in the Vulg. and English version xvi. 1-25.
VI. At the close of the canonical book, x. 3, the Septuagint has a piece in which we are told that Mordecai had now recalled to his mind his extraordinary dream, and seen how literally it has been fulfilled M. all its particulars. It also gives us an account of the proclamation of the Purim festival in Egypt.
3. Origin, historical Character, and Unity. — The patriotic spirit with which the Jewish nation so fondly expatiated upon the remarkable events and characters of bygone days, and which gave rise to those beautiful legends preserved in their copious literature, scarcely ever had a better opportunity afforded to it for employing its richly inventive powers to magnify the Great Jehovah, embalm the memory of the heroes, and brand the names of the enemies of Israel, than in the canonical book of Esther. Nothing could be more natural for a nation, who have a zeal of God,' than to supply the name of God, and to point out more distinctly, His interposition in their behalf in an inspired book, which, though recording their marvellous escape from destruction, had for some reasons omitted avowedly to acknowledge the Lord of Israel. Besides, the book implies and suggests far more than it records, and it cannot be doubted that there are many other things connected with the history it contains, which were well known at the time, and were transmitted to the nation. This is evident from the fact that Josephus already (Antio. xi. 6. 6, seqq.) gives the edict for the destruction of the Jews in the Persian empire, the prayers of Mordecai and Esther, and the second edict autho rising the Jews to destroy their enemies ; and that the second Targum, the Chaldee, published by De Rossi, and Josippon ben Gorton (ed Breithaupt, p. 74, ff.), give the dream of Mordecai as well as his prayer and that of Esther. Bearing in mind these facts, we shall have no difficulty in ac counting for the apocryphal additions. The first addition which heads the canonical book, and in which Mordecai foresees in a dream both the dangers and the salvation of his people, is in ac cordance with the desire to give the whole a more religious tone. The second addition originated from the fact that iii. 13 of the canonical book speaks of the royal edict, hence this piece pretends to give a copy of the said document ; the same is the case with the third addition, which follows iv.