This collection of 15 papers is a significant addition to our textual evidence for the world of the Bible: it presents over 50 inscriptions, tablets and seals from the collections of Shlomo Moussaieff, in Hebrew, Idumean, and cuneiform. Most of these texts are being published here for the first time. Contents David Noel Freedman, The Almost Perfect Fake and/or the Real Thing Ada Yardeni, A Note on a Qumran Scribe Peter van der Veen, Gedaliah ben Ahiqam in the Light of Epigraphic Evidence Martin Heide, Impressions from a New Alphabet Ostracon in the Context of (Un)provenanced Inscriptions: Idiosycrasy of a Genius Forger or a Master Scribe? Bezalel Porten and Ada Yardeni, The House of Baalrim in the Idumean Ostraca Bezalel Porten and Ada Yardeni, Why the Unprovenenced Idumean Ostraca Should be Published Edward Lipinski, Silver of Ishtar of Arbela and of Hadad Richard Hess, Aspects of Israelite Personal Names and Pre-exilic Israelite Religion Andre Lemaire, New Inscribed Hebrew Seals and Seal Impressions W.G. Lambert, A Document from a Community of Exiles in Babylonia Meir Lubetski, Two Egypto-Israelite Seals Chaim Cohen, The Yehoash Tablet Kathleen Abraham, An Inheritance Division among Judeans in Babylonia from the Early Persian Period Meir Lubetski, The Seal of a Royal Servant of the Judahite Monarchy Meir Lubetski, A Personal Seal: Shrhr ben Zephaniah

This comprehensive bibliography to scholarly works on the biblical book of Esther contains over 1500 references. It includes titles of books, collected works, Festschriften, theses, journal articles, essays in collections, encyclopedia and dictionary articles, and online material. It is a classified bibliography, arranged in three categories -- commentaries, biblical chapters and verses, and subject headings in alphabetical order. The scope of the bibliography is international, and its focus is on research from the last hundred years. Scholars, students, clergy, and librarians -- among them literary scholars, sociologists, historians, linguists, art historians, feminists, and Christian and Jewish scholars -- will find this unique volume an indispensable resource and stimulus to further research.