Reading the Megillot: A Literary and Theological Commentary

The Jewish festival scrolls known as the Megillot is a collection of Old Testament books that recognize that life itself—with all its joys and griefs, successes and failures, achievements and yearnings—can be a key to interpreting Scripture.

In Reading the Megillot, Jeanette Mathews uses her own translations to reimagine each book as a different type of performance: Songs of Songs as a Greek play, Ruth as a miniseries, Lamentations as performance poetry, Ecclesiastes as a television talk show, and Esther as a pantomime. Each script is introduced with historical and literary context and followed by commentary highlighting performative features that shed new light on biblical traditions. These close readings reveal important connections between the books and contemporary issues. Through these scrolls, the drama of human experience becomes a touchpoint for faithful reenactment by new audiences.