Melton Course List
Title Page
Dedication
About Melton
Table of Contents
Words of welcome
Introduction from the Author - Curriculum Overview
About the Author
Acknowledgments
Lesson 1 - The Book of Esther as History and as Literature
A. Should Esther be read as history?
B. What is the dominant tone of Esther?
II. The Prologue to Esther: Achashverosh and His Banquets
Key terms
Suggestions for Further Reading
I. Vashti's Cameo (Non-) Appearance
Through the Eyes of the Artists
II. Introducing Mordechai and Esther
III. A New Harem and a New Queen
IV. Interlude: An Assassination Plot Foiled
I. Mordechai's Defiance
II. Haman's Malevolence
III. Haman's Lottery: The Eponym of Purim
Suggestions for Further Reading
Appendix: Haman's Ancestry
Endnotes
I. Achashverosh's Acquiescence
II. Mordechai's Anguish
III. A Fraught Conversation
IV. Where is God?
I. A Daring Entrance
Through the Eyes of the Artists
II. What is Esther's Strategy?
III. Haman's Psyche
IV. A Sleepless Night
Purim in Practice
V. Mordechai's Parade
Purim in Practice
Endnotes
Lesson 6 - Victory and Violence
I. Haman Unmasked
II. An Irrevocable Edict
III. Defending the Jews
Through the Eyes of THE Artists
Through the Eyes of the Cartoonist
Appendix
Suggestions for Further Reading
I. The Letter and Spirit of the Law
II. Subversive Celebrations
III. A Book for the Ages
Purim in Practice
Endnotes
Suggestions for Further Reading – Lessons 1-7
I. An Inauspicious Beginning
II. A Story of Women
III. Orpah's Departure
IV. Ruth's Journey
Endnotes
Lesson 9 - In the Fields of Bethlehem
I. Law and Chesed
Through the Eyes of the Artists
II. God and Chesed
III. Favor and Protection
IV. Law and Family
Key Terms
I. Law and Continuity
II. What is Naomi's Strategy?
III. A Midnight Encounter
IV. Law and Destiny
V. Conclusion: Esther, Ruth and Jewish Identity
Key Terms
Suggestions for Further Reading - Lessons 8-10
Key Names - Lessons 1-10
Melton Travel Seminars
Back Cover