3. Argument.
We have briefly expressed the argument of the book in the words of Saint Athanasius on its name. Namely, it covers what especially memorable happened to the Jews in the times of Ahasuerus, the ascension of Esther, Haman’s deep hatred and deadly counsel against the Jewish people, the liberation of the Jewish people, and the administration of Mordecai: It is a Mirror of God’s Divine providence concerning believers, whom He allows to be vexed in astonishing ways, and to be led, as it were, to the gates of death: but those converted to the Lord by prayer and faith He brings up from the depths in a marvelous way, and gloriously triumphs over the pride and cruelty of tyrants. Moreover, it is a type of the vanity of the royal life: and Haman is an example of an ambitious, unjust, and cruel tyrant, who, elevated from small beginnings unto the highest peak of dignity, is suddenly overthrown: on the other hand, Mordecai is an example of the best sort of Prince, ornamented with all virtues, whose condition for this reason remains stable.