Considerations in Preparing a Biblical Bibliography: Case Study: The Scroll of Esther

A bibliography is fundamental to serious scholarship in any discipline. We conceived this bibliography of the Scroll of Esther as a basic tool for researchers, students, clergy, and librarians, as it assembles items scattered all over the world, in many languages, covering a century of scholarship. In addition, it was meant to provide both the novice and the expert with material on a wide range of topics. We wanted to bring together an assortment of views, affording the researcher the opportunity to see the diversity of scholarly opinion on specific subjects. For example, different authors perceive Queen Esther quite differently: One sees her as a feminist; another as a deceitful and relentless person; a third as a model for the successful conduct of life in the Diaspora; and a fourth as a stereotypical woman in a man’s world. We wanted our readers to sample a smorgasbord of views and then decide what was most appetizing.