Esther — Book front (modern spelling)

The Original Douay-Rheims (1582/1609), orthography normalized only: spelling regularized and apparatus names modernized, while the 1609 vocabulary, pronouns, and -eth/-est endings are kept. The argument defends the canonicity of the whole book (including the Greek parts), names Mardocheus the author, and explains the fourfold division and the alphabet-letter reading-system for the transposed chapters.

The Argument of the Book of Esther

Of the authority of this book only two or three ancient writers, doubted, before the councils of Laodicea, and Carthage declared it to be Canonical, All the rest did ever esteem it as divine Scripture. For albeit S. Ierom in his time found not certain parts thereof in the Hebrew, and therefore transposed the same to the end of the book, as now we have them: yet in the Greek he found all these sixteen chapters contained in ten. And it is not improbable, that these parcels were sometimes in the Hebrew, as were divers whole books which are now lost. But whether they were at any time in the Hebrew or no, the Church of Christ accounteth the whole book of infallible authority, reading as well these parts, as the rest in her public office. And the council of Trent (sess. 4.) for more express declaration defineth that all the books recited in the same Decree (amongst which is Esther) with all the parts thereof, as they are accustomed to be read in the Catholic Church, and be contained in the old vulgar latin Edition, are sacred and Canonical Scripture.

It containeth a particular great danger of the people of Israel, happening (as is probable) shortly after their general relaxation, & return of some from the captivity of Babylon; and their delivery from it, through the godly zeal and other virtues of Queen Esther, directed herein by Mardocheus, who being also in imminent danger was delivered & advanced. and finally writ the history. Which may be divided into four parts, not by order of the chapters: as they are here transposed: but in order of time, first the author reporteth some things going before the people's danger, in the 11.1.2.12. chapters, and part of the 3. Secondly their danger and distress, in the rest of the 3. and part of 13. chapters. Thirdly their delivery: from the 4. chapter to the middes of the 9. and rest of the 13. and in the 14.15. and 16. Fourthly, the things that ensued hereupon, in the other half of the ninth chapter, the 10. chapter, and first verse of the eleventh.

Who soever will please to read this history, in order of the time as the things happened, adjoining the latter chapters, which are in the Greek, and not in the Hebrew, may follow the letters of the Alphabet, as here we have placed them in the margent, beginning at the second verse of the 11. chapter, where he findeth the letter A. and when he cometh to B. return where the same letter is noted. ch. 1. And so in the rest follow the same direction.