KC Podcast - Episode 117: Passing the Baton

Mordecai's Anger

Mordecai in the book of Esther is one of the most ambiguous characters in the Old Testament. However, I had never thought much about Mordecai until reading Peter Leithart's survey of the Old Testament, A House for My Name. Leithart pointed out that there was no law prohibiting an Israelite from doing obeisance before a public official, and that Mordecai was not necessarily justified in refusing to bow to Haman. This makes the story more complex and realistic as well as adding to the tension throughout. I briefly discussed this previously.

Douglas Wilson responded to Leithart's position here, bringing up one very interesting objection dealing with the ancestry of Haman.

Now James Jordan has written an excellent article, answering Wilson's objection and defending the position that Mordecai is an ambiguous fellow. I highly recommend it.

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