Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
Introduction
PART I. THE WORK OF THE EXEGETE
1. Jewish Sources for Exegesis
2. Non-Jewish Sources for Exegesis
3. Literary Concerns
4. Theological Issues
PART II. THE WORLD OF THE EXEGETE
5. Persia through European Eyes: Geography, Architecture, Customs, and Institutions
6. Jewish-Gentile Relations and Jewish Attitudes to Gentiles as Reflected in the Commentaries
7. The State of the Jewish People in the Diaspora: Perceptions of Antisemitism
8. The Royal Court
9. The Jews and the Monarchy: The Role of Ahasuerus in the Book of Esther
Concluding Remarks
Appendix I. The Exegetes of the Book of Esther: A Bio-bibliographical Survey with Textual Excursuses
Appendix II. Immanuel of Rome and Dante on the Differentiation of Languages and the Dating of Immanuel's Commentary on the Book of Esther
Notes
Bibliography
Medieval Commentaries on the Book of Esther in Print and in Manuscript
Other Primary Sources
Secondary Sources
Author and Title Index
Subject Index
Index of Scripture Citations
Index of Manuscripts by Depository Libraries