The Aramaic Bible: Targums in their Historical Context

TARGUMIZATION AS THEOLOGIZATION:
AGGADIC ADDITIONS IN THE TARGUM SHENI OF ESTHER*
Beate Ego
At first sight the biblical story of Mordecai and Esther seems to be
quite profane, since there is at no stage any explicit talk about God.
But even the Septuagint displays a theological dimension by inserting
prayers 1 which demonstrate the piety of the principal figures
Mordecai and Esther, as well as God's partaking in the events. 2 This
theological interpenetration of the narrative content finds its continuation
and elaboration in the Targums of Esther. In fact, this process is
one of the most important tasks which they perform through their
numerous aggadic expansions and additions. 3
That God acts, intervenes to save, and directs events is made clear
* The quotations from Targums of Esther are cited according to the translation
by B. Grossfeld, The Two Targums of Esther: Translated with Apparatus and Notes
(Aramaic Bible, 18; Edinburgh, 1991). I would like to thank Majella Franzmann and
Jo Van Vliet for their assistance with the English translation of my article.
1. H. Bardtke, Zusatze zu Esther (JSHRZ, 1: Historische und legendarische
Erzahlungen; Giitersloh, 1973); J.A.F. Gregg, 'The Additions to Esther', in
R.H. Charles (ed.), The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament in
English. I.Apocrypha (Oxford, 1913), pp. 665-66, 670; C.A. Moore, Esther.
Introduction, Translation and Notes (AB; New York, 1971), p. Ixi.
2. Cf. Targ. Esth. II 3.3; 4.1, 16; 5.1; 6.1, 11; 8.15, where we also find
prayers. In Targ. Esth. II 1.1; 4.11, 13; 5.1; 6.11; 8.15 the power of prayer is
emphasized.
3. On prayer in the Targums in general cf. R. Le Ddaut, 'Un phdnomene
spontane" de 1'hermeneutique juive ancienne, le targumisme', Bib 52 (1971),
pp. 505-25, esp. 516; E. Levine, The Aramaic Version of the Bible. Contents and
Context (BZAW, 174; Berlin/New York, 1988), pp. 131-34; A. Shinan, The
Aggadah in the Aramaic Targums to the Pentateuch. Literary analysis and description
of the Aggadic Material contained in the so-called 'Palestinian' Targums to all jive
books of the Pentateuch, with examination of this genre against its background
within Rabbinic literature and Judaism (Hebrew) (Jerusalem, 1979), pp. 327-35.