Enter the Dragon: Mordecai as Agonistic Combatant in Greek Esther

Abstract

Mordecai’s refusal to bow before Haman provokes the central conflict of the Book of Esther. In the Hebrew version of this story, Mordecai’s defiance is never explained. By contrast, in both Greek versions, he claims to have acted out of pious motives (“so as not to set human glory above God’s glory”). While most readers of Greek Esther take Mordecai’s words at face value, I argue that, when read in connection with other passages in the book, the credibility of his defense is called into question. The author of Greek Esther depicts Haman and Mordecai as “two great dragons, both ready to come forth to wrestle,” an image that hints at agonistic self-assertion on the part of both characters. This article explores the valence of dragons and wrestling in their Hellenic and Judean cultural contexts.