Read for you by Best-Selling Narrator, Steve Cook, Esther's story is the basis for the Festival of Purim; a joyous commemoration of God's salvation of the Jewish people. Esther acted against the social and political norms of her day to win a victory against misplaced political power. The Book of Esther continues the theme of God's promise to bless the Jewish people given in the Book of Genesis, and His providence and sovereignty over all things.
The Apocrypha contains what is known as the "Rest of Esther", an additional 10 verses of Chapter 10 of the biblical Book of Esther, as well as 6 more full Chapters. In modern times, the Apocrypha (and the "Rest of Esther" along with it) has only been excluded from the Old Testament in some Protestant publications. Jesus himself is said to reference texts from the Apocrypha using the Old Testament language which was familiar to those he was teaching. It is also interesting to note that the Apostolic Fathers of the Early Church referenced the Apocrypha, and quoted from it as they did the Old Testament. It was hard not to do so, as the Jewish Old Testament included the Apocrypha.
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