Esther and Ruth

by Patricia K. Tull

In classic Interpretation Bible Studies style, Patricia Tull leads the reader through a ten-session study of the entire Old Testament books of Esther, with its stories of faithfulness, courage, and survival, and the ethical questions posed by its ending, and Ruth, with its themes of community, loyalty, and friendship.

Interpretation Bible Studies (IBS) offers solid biblical content in a creative study format. Forged in the tradition of the celebrated Interpretation commentary series, IBS makes the same depth of biblical insight available in a dynamic, flexible, and user-friendly resource. Designed for adults and older youth, Interpretation Bible Studies can be used in small groups, in church school classes, in large group presentations, or in personal study.

112 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2003

Reviews

[Fred Kohn]

This is another book I inherited from my father in law when he passed away. Since he was conservative in his theology I expected that this book would be as well. I also expected that since it was part of a Christian Bible study series it would be filled with pseudo-inspirational pablum. I was pleasantly surprised on both counts. The author looks to be a bona fide scholar, and the bibliography references many well known scholars of Esther and Ruth, some of whom I have read (and some of whom I probably *should* read!). The author references these authors at appropriate points in the text along with the relevant pages so that those who want to study deeper can do so.

I’m not sure how study groups in conservative churches would react to this book. The author characterizes Esther as historical fiction, which would probably not go over very well with some. The study focuses on the text, with little "God-talk" (Esther doesn’t mention God at all, and in Ruth God only acts twice).

Although the scholarship in this book is fine (surprisingly to me, the author even brings up the alpha-text of Esther) I could only rate this three stars, because the scholarship is pretty rudimentary. Nonetheless, I always enjoy reading books I have inherited from my father in law. The book seems to be brand new. Not only are the pages lying perfectly flat but there are no markings in it. My father in law had a habit of underlining in his books, and as there is no underlining in the book, I suspect he never read it.

[Douglas]

These are easy to follow and thought provoking studies of these two books. There are references to the hardback commentaries for each book throughout this text.

[Jeffrey]

An excellent commentary.....insightful, helpful, easy to use. strong similarities between these two books of the Hebrew Scriptures. Makes a good bible study to study both together.