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About the Authors
Patricia Kathleen Tull is associate professor of Old
Testament at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Louisville,
Kentucky. While obtaining her doctoral degree at Emory University
in Atlanta, she taught courses in Old Testament, Hebrew, and
preaching, and served as adjunct professor at Columbia Theological
Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. An ordained minister in the Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.), she was associate pastor at First Presbyterian
Church, Sterling, Illinois, from 1985 to 1989.
Tull has contributed essays and articles to several volumes,
including the Women's Bible Commentary (Louisville: Westminster
John Knox Press, 1998, rev. ed.), edited by Carol Newsom and
Sharon Ringe, and To Each Its Own Meaning (Louisville:
Westminster John Knox Press, 1999, rev. ed.), edited by Stephen
Haynes and Steven McKenzie. Her own book, Remember the Former
Things: The Recollection of Previous Texts in Second Isaiah,
appeared in 1997 (Atlanta: Scholar's Press).
A native of Austin, Texas, she is the mother of twin teenagers,
Ian and Claire. She enjoys globetrotting with them, as well as
cooking, gardening, singing, and being outdoors as much as possible.
P. K. Tull speaking/workshop schedule for the Esther
Bible study
--April 27-29: St. Augustine Presbytery PW Spring Retreat
at Montgomery Presbyterian Conference Center in Florida. Contact
Betsy Berry (berryjw@ufl.edu)
--May 18-20: Stony Point Conference Center in New York. Contact
Bill Pindar (stonypointcenter@pcusa.org)
--June 11: Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. Contact Mary Lee
Talbot (mltalbot@pts.edu)
--June 14-17: Synod of the Mid-Atlantic Summer Gathering,
Massanetta Springs Conference Center, VA. Contact Ruth Burkins
(rhbdr@aol.com)
--June 25-29: Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA.
Contact Rick Dietrich (dietrichRi@CTSnet.edu)
--July 16-18: Louisville Presbyterian Seminary, Louisville,
KY. Contact Becky Ritchey (britchey@lpts.edu)
--July 20-22: Synod of Living Waters Trienniel Gathering,
Centre College, KY. Contact Ann Smith (annb1 @bellsouth. net)
--July 24-26: Mo Ranch Bible Study Conference, Kerrville,
TX Contact Maria Shupe (marias@moranch.com)
--August 11: Village Presbyterian Church, Prairieville, Kansas.
Contact Diane Quaintance (diane@villagepres.org)
--August 12-16: Montreat Women's Conference, Montreat, NC.
Contact Emily Odom (emilyo@montreat.org)
--September 14-15: Presbytery of New Hope leadership conference
in Smithfield, NC. Contact Marilyn Hein (marilyn_hein@pcusa.org)
--October 26-28: Synod of South Atlantic gathering at St.
Simon's Island, GA. Contact Annie Laura Kelly (113 Christopher
Lane; Stockbridge, GA 30281.
Suggestions for Leaders
Ann Broom is a certified church educator serving as associate
executive for education and leadership in Foothills Presbytery.
A graduate of Montreat College and the Presbyterian School of
Christian Education (PSCE), she has worked with congregations
throughout the southeast. Ann also served the Presbyterian Church
in the United States (PCUS) as a member of its national staff
and as a missionary to Taiwan. More recently, she was a member
of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s delegation to the United
Nations Women's Conference in Beijing, China.
About the Cover
Rembrandt's Ahasuerus, Haman and Esther appears on the
cover. In addition to painting select scenes from the book of
Esther, Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn (1606--1669) portrayed
myriad other subjects from the Bible. Numerous Old Testament
figures, such as Esther, inspired him with their potentialities
and strengths in the face of crisis. Despite Ahasuerus being
a king and the visual center of the piece, Esther's bright skin,
dramatic red gown, and position in the light claim the viewer's
focus. Rembrandt offers a rich depiction with this painting;
in addition to being an illustration of part of Esther's life,
we have a portrait of an orphaned foreigner turned queen of Persia.
Esther's bravery and intelligence demanded Rembrandt's attention
as she does ours.
The setting of this painting is one of the tensest moments in
the book of Esther. With King Ahasuerus's approval, Haman has
condemned all Persian Jews to death. Secretly a Jew herself,
Esther invites her husband and Haman to a feast where she will
use her wits to save her people, defending herself and all Jews
against the king and his vindictive minister. This painting,
like the dramatic storytelling in Esther, leaves the viewer
or reader in anticipation of the outcome of the feast.
Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia/SuperStock
Still available:
Esther's Feast: A Study of the Book of Esther
English, HZN-01-100, $4.00
Spanish, HZN-01-110, $4.00
Korean, HZN-01-120, $4.00
English Large Print, HZN-01-150, $12.00
Braille, HZN-01-160, Free
Audiocassette, HZN-01-180,
CD, HZN-01-181, $10.00, $8.00
Bulletin Covers (pkg; of 100), HZN-01-195, $6.90
Poster Set HZN-01-195, $10.00
Flier, HZN-01-650, Free
Workshop Model, HZN-01-165, Free
Flier Korean, HZN-01-660, Free
Esther's Feast Flier Spanish, HZN-01-670, Free
To order this Bible study call 800/524-2612
Past and Future
Bible studies are listed on other pages on our Web Site.
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