Chris Seeman

Antisemitism, anti-Judaism

Antisemitism is an ideology and political movement that seeks to remedy the ills of society by eradicating Jews from its midst. Keywords: anti-semitism; ideology; Judaism; racism; religious history

Enter the Dragon: Mordecai as Agonistic Combatant in Greek Esther

Mordecai’s refusal to bow before Haman provokes the central conflict of the Book of Esther. In the Hebrew version of this story, Mordecai’s defiance is never explained. By contrast, in both Greek versions, he claims to have acted out of pious motives (“so as not to set human glory above God’s glory”). While most readers of Greek Esther take Mordecai’s words at face value, I argue that, when read in connection with other passages in the book, the credibility of his defense is called into question. The author of Greek Esther depicts Haman and Mordecai as “two great dragons, both ready to come forth to wrestle,” an image that hints at agonistic self-assertion on the part of both characters. This article explores the valence of dragons and wrestling in their Hellenic and Judean cultural contexts.

Book Reviews: Carolyn Osiek, R.S.C.J., What Are They Saying about the Social Setting of the New Testament? New York, NY/Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1992. Pp. vi + 127. Paper,

In this volume the result of this approach is sheer delight. Sixty-six identifiable &dquo;scenarios&dquo; are sketched, including social systems such as patronage and clientism, betrothal and marriage, inheritance, kinship, and gossip networks. The list also contains outlines of dominant cultural values, such as honor and shame, ingroup and outgroup, worldviews on demons and demonology, and forgiveness. Where appropriate there is a cross reference in the notes to applicable scenarios indicated by an arrow (~) and a bold-type title. One effect of this is, of course, to repeat the scenario often. This is due to the nature of the synoptic material and is to