Book of esther persian king

Persian kings did not marry outside a restricted number of persian noble families and it is impossible that there was a jewish queen esther. Did queen esthers beauty or bravery foil a massacre. Adopted by a jewish exile, esther saves the jews of persia by. In mordecais name esther informed the king, who ordered the two to be hanged. Is xerxes the same person as ahasuerus in the book of esther. Persian law and persian king in the book of esther chapter 5. It is a short story similar to the book of ruth, starting in the palace of shushan susa, one out of the three capitals of the persian empire. Summary of the book of esther esther was a jewish woman who was selected by the persian king ahasuerus to be his wife. The family tree opposite includes a second, later xerxes, but since he ruled only fortyfive days, he cant be the persian king of the book of esther, which spans several years. According to the biblical book of esther, esther was a hebrew woman from persia who became the queen of persian king ahasuerus, generally identified as xerxes i, the fifth king of kings of.

Linguists believe that the name transcribed from hebrew as ahasuerus is intended to refer to the persian king xerxes i 486 465 bce. Esther, the beautiful jewish wife of the persian king ahasuerus, and her cousin mordecai persuade. The message of the book of esther, a work of historical fiction written in the diaspora. Nehemiah s major position within his court and his queen influencing him to order the resumption of the building of the jerusalem temple nehemiah 2.

The book of esther begins with a description of king xerxes or ahasuerus of persia celebrating with the leading men of his kingdom. In the biblical book that bears her name, esther is a beautiful young jewish woman who lives with her cousin and foster parent, mordecai, in the persian royal citadel of susa. Subsequent to esther, ezra leads a second return to the land of israel about. The book of esther describes the jewish heroine esther, who saved the jewish people in persia from annihilation during the reign of king xerxes i ahasuerus. King xerxes of persia was the worlds most powerful monarch who ruled the persian empire around 486 b. Mordecai and his cousin esther, the king s jewish wife, interceded on behalf of the jewish community. In the narrative, ahasuerus seeks a new wife after his queen, vashti, refuses to obey him, and esther is chosen for her beauty. He secures the kings permission to do this, and a date is set, adar this. Most of the jews preferred the comfortable life of the persian empire to an arduous life rebuilding their devastated homeland.

Naturally, being a rather unstable fellow, ahasuerus firesslashdivorces her. Shushan the citadel with bible in hand bible reading. Esther in the picture study bible the book of esther. But hamans plans include something horrible for mordecai and his.

The author also displays an accurate knowledge of persian customs and palaces. He was the son of darius the great and reigned from 486465 b. Esther, the beautiful jewish wife of the persian king ahasuerus xerxes. The name esther was probably given to hadassah when she entered the court of the persian king. Xerxes is the same as king ahasuerus who appears in the book of esther. Women were, in the world of the persian diaspora, as in many other cultures. Xerxes, the persian king, rejected his wife queen vashti, and fell in love with esther at a. The name ahasuerus is equivalent to xerxes both deriving from the persian khshayarsha, and. The kings chief adviser, haman, is offended by esthers cousin and guardian, mordecai, and gets permission from the king to have all the jews in the kingdom killed. Background to the book of esther the story of esther takes place in the persian empire during the reign of ahasuerus, known more familiarly to us by the greek form of his name, xerxes i. The other king who some historians believe to be the ahasuerus of the book of esther is the persian king xerxes.

Who was the king of persia in the book of esther answers. Esther is described in the book of esther as a jewish queen of the persian king ahasuerus. The righteous jew mordecai and the despicable haman square off for control of the young persian king xerxes. The story of esther takes place during the reign of king xerxes i of persia, primarily in the kings palace in susa, the capital of the persian empire. But the jewish rabbis called it also the volume of esther, or simply the. Good battles evil in this timeless story of biblical heroism. Most scholars today agree that the kjv ahasuerus was the. The book of esther and purim secrecy and hiding god. Esther a star, the persian name of hadassah myrtle, daughter of abihail, the son of shimei, the son of kish, a benjamite. This rules out xerxes as the king ahasuerus of the book of esther. The book of esther begins with the queen of king ahasuerusvashtisnubbing the kings request to meet with her. Esther and mordecai under xerxes of persia amazing bible. The story of esther happened after cyrus, the first persian king, called for all deported jews to return to jerusalem to build the house of god 538 b.

He had banished his former wife and chose esther through a contest. The book takes its name from the beautiful, orphaned jewess. In the narrative, ahasuerus seeks a new wife after his queen, vashti. It was written after the death of king xerxes esth. Shushan the citadel or palace of the persian king ahasuerus features heavily in the bible book of esther.

In the old testament, what persian king chooses esther to. They are listed, at least as it seems, in chronological dating order. Esther in ancient jewish thought by aaron koller january 2014. As recorded in the biblical book of esther, purim commemorates the delivery of the persian jewish community from the plottings of haman, prime minister to king ahasuerus xerxes i, king of persia, 486465 bce. It is the story of queen esther and at the same time, this part of the book represnets the time when god was in hiding.

Ahasuerus, the persian king of the book of esther, being identified by the rabbis with the one mentioned in dan. Ahasuerus is better to known to history as king xerxes i, who. The name esther is a common offtheshelf persian word, meaning star. During this time the enemies of israel hired counselors to bring false accusations to the ears of the different persian kings. The jewish historian flavius josephus provides a secular report that persian queen vashti refused to appear before her husband, ahasuerus. The book purports to explain how the feast of purim came to be celebrated by the jews. The persian king traditionally identified as the husband of esther is xerxes the great, who succeeded darius and fought the second persian war. Summary of the book of esther genuine leather bible. An indication of persian wealth from the book of esther. The book of esther, also known in hebrew as the scroll megillah, is a book in the third.

The story told in the book of esther takes place during the rule of ahasuerus, who amongst others has been identified as the 5thcentury persian king xerxes i reigned 486465 bc. Xerxes is identified with the fictional king ahasuerus in the biblical book of esther. Ahasuerusesther in the presence of the persian king. Why did queen vashti refuse to appear before xerxes. The book of esther reverend erwin kurth introduction lesson 1 time slot for the story of esther 515 b. In art the book of esther is represented in the cycle of paintings from the thirdcentury synagogue at. The old testament book of esther tells the story of haman plotting to kill all the jews living in the persian empire. Esther was a jewish woman who was selected by the persian king ahasuerus to be his wife. The book of esther tells us that esther married king xerxes ahasuerus of persia and became queen, but the story ends with both xerxes and esther still alive so the.

Hadassah was an orphaned jewish girl, who was also. He is said to have ruled from india even unto ethiopia, over an hundred and seven and twenty provinces that is, over the achaemenid empire. Esther foils the plan, and wins permission from the king for the jews to kill their enemies, and they do so. The book of esther is about a jewish girl adopted by her uncle, mordecai, after her parents died. In the hebrew bible and the septuagint the book of esther bears only the word esther as title. As such it usage first in a median context as a title for the father of darius the mede dan.