Darius would take the empire to its greatest extent, but before he could accomplish that, he needed to establish his connection to the family. He invited all the military officers of persia and media as well as the princes and. May, 2016 the mighty king, xerxes, who i consider to be a conflation of various historical kings, is often the choice of biblical historians for king ahasuerus of the book of esther. The kings banquet these events happened in the days of king xerxes, who reigned over 127 provinces stretching from india to ethiopia. Is xerxes the same person as ahasuerus in the book of.
Other identifications have been made for cambyses ii or with bardiya greek smerdis who reigned perhaps as an imposter for seven months between cambyses ii and darius i. The other king who some historians believe to be the ahasuerus of the book of esther is the persian king xerxes. The book of the history of the kings of media and persia the chronicles of king ahasuerus the. King of babylon is dropped from the royal titulary and is never again used throughout the balance of xerxes reign or in any of his successors. Xerxes i xerxes the great was the fourth and the most famous king of the archaemenid dynasty of persia. Modern commentators associate him with xerxes i who reigned from 486 bc until 465 bc. He ruled from 486 bc until his assassination in 465 bc at the hands of artabanus, the. The ancient historian herodotus notes in his histories that xerxes first wife amestris also in the later years remained his first wife. Esther and mordecai under xerxes of persia amazing bible. During this time the enemies of israel hired counselors to bring false accusations to the ears of the different persian kings.
The book of esther began in the third year of the reign of ahasuerus which was around 484 bc during a great feast in shushan susa. Being a jew, mordecai refused to do obeisance to haman son of hammedatha, the agagite, xerxes favorite noble. The chronology of the book of esther is surprisingly detailed, sometimes down to the month, and its chronology dovetails amazingly well with the extrabiblical historical events that occur during the reign of king xerxes i of persia called ahasuerus in hebrew. Linguists believe that the name transcribed from hebrew as ahasuerus is intended to refer to the persian king xerxes i 486 465 bce. Xerxes reconquered egypt in the second year of his reign, which was the year 484 bc. In it, esther asturya, the daughter of mordecai, marries xerxes called ahasuerus, in order to foil a plot by the wicked haman who seeks to organize a pogrom against the jews. The persian conqueror astride the ancient world irans age of empire book.
Here we take an in depth look at king xerxes and how he and his lineage has played a roll in gods plan for israel. It documents the only other festival given in old testament outside the books of moses, the festival of purim. In the bible, daryavesh of medea precedes koresh, but he daryavesh of. In essence, herodotus breaks off his account of xerxes reign at this point, after the description of these events that took place in xerxes seventh year subsequent to the kings return from the greek campaign. Xerxes i is notable in western history for his failed invasion of greece in 480 bc. Esther 610 nlt the king honors mordecai that night. It tells us that he ruled over one hundred and twentyseven provincesfrom india, even unto ethiopia esth. Xerxes i the great, king of persia geni family tree. It is common to read commentators identifying the ahasuerus of the book of esther with xerxes i, the great c. King xerxes was murdered shortly before king artaxerxes ascended the throne.
Xerxes i commonly known as xerxes the great, was the fourth king of kings of the achaemenid. Xerxes is portrayed by richard egan in the 1960 film esther and the king and by joel smallbone in the 20 film, the book of esther. We have access to more than 20 old persian inscriptions written during his reign, but they do not add much to our knowledge of the man and his. Leave comments, share and subscribe for more content on biblical discussions. No former king of persia had been their lord, and though they formed part of the empire, which darius bequeathed to his son xerxes, they were lost to xerxes after that destruction of his fleet at mycale in the seventh year of his reign, which we have had occasion to relate. Esther and mordecai under xerxes of persia amazing bible timeline. Xerxes is identified with the fictional king ahasuerus in the biblical book of esther. Xerxes i 519465 bc world history for the relaxed historian. Soured by this failure, which modern historians consider the beginning of achaemenian decline, xerxes retired to susa and persepolis. Sep 30, 2019 the book of esther, which may be a work of fiction, is set in xerxes rule and was written about 400 bce. Their relatives, like thousands of jews, had been taken captive by an invading army and exiled there in decades past. The ahasuerus king of persia, referred to in ezra 4. He is best known for his massive invasion of greece from across the hellespont 480 bce, a campaign marked by the battles of thermopylae, salamis, and plataea.
His father was the former king xerxes and he ruled the persian empire from 465 b. He was the son of the former persian king darius i he is traditionally considered to be the persian king ahasuerus referred to in the biblical story of esther. Haman, however, determined to get his revenge against mordecai and his people. Feb 22, 2016 here we take an in depth look at king xerxes and how he and his lineage has played a roll in gods plan for israel. In the bible, daryavesh of medea precedes koresh, but he daryavesh of medea is almost certainly not a historical figure. One of the most famous of these can be found in aeschylus play, the. Plutarch, in his life of artaxerxes, relied for the description of the first part of this kings reign chiefly upon. Achaemenes, ariabignes, ariomardos, arsamenes, arsames, artobarzanes, gobryas, hyperantes.
The book of esther in the bible contains the whole. Xerxes and ahasuerus parallel lives, also bc afterglows in ad. Ascending the throne upon the death of his father, he subdued a rebellion in egypt, and then spent three years preparing a great fleet and army to punish the greeks for aiding. His reign is most marked by the persian campaigns against greece and the battles of thermopylae, salamis, and plataea, which may explain part of the reason why the persian king has been heavily criticized by writers especially the ancient greek ones over the years. The book of esther was written during a time when the persian empire ruled the world and ahasuerus probably xerxes i was the king of persia. Ctesias, for that of the later years chiefly upon deinon. The book of the history of the kings of media and persia the chronicles of king ahasuerus the book of annals. The stand of leonidas and the 300 against his army at thermopylae is a byword for courage, while the failure of xerxes expedition has overshadowed all the other achievements of his twentytwoyear reign. Xerxes is familiar to students of the bible since he appears in two books. King of babylon is dropped from the royal titulary and is never again used.
Xerxes i of persia biography facts, childhood, life history. Xerxes was the oldest son of darius i, from his first wife, atossa, daughter of cyrus ii. The jews called him ahasuerus, the hebrew form of his persian name. Apr 18, 2020 xerxes i, persian king 486465 bce, the son and successor of darius i. He was a son of king xerxes ahasuerus and is often referred to as artaxerxes i longimanus. This biography profiles his childhood, family, personal life, life history, achievements, campaigns, administration, death and other facts. At the capital city of persepolis, darius architects, working from. Xerxes persian king xerxes was the oldest son of darius i, from his first wife, atossa, daughter of cyrus ii. The mighty king, xerxes, who i consider to be a conflation of various historical kings, is often the choice of biblical historians for king ahasuerus of the book of esther. He is traditionally considered to be the persian king ahasuerus referred to in the biblical story of esther. Artaxerxes of persia amazing bible timeline with world history. King ahasuerus xerxes plays a prominent role in the book of esther. The first fullscale account of a persian king vilified by history. His ultimate defeat spelled the beginning of the decline of the achaemenian empire.
At that time xerxes ruled his empire from his royal throne at the fortress of susa. Secular history knows him better by his greek name, king xerxes i who ruled persia from 486 to 465 b. The book of esther deals only with one period of his reign. When an investigation was made and mordecais story was found to be true, the two men were impaled on a sharpened pole. This was during a time just before the wall of jerusalem was rebuilt. Mordecai and esther live in susa during the reign of xerxes. He is traditionally considered to be the persian king ahasuerus referred to in the. Nov 26, 2012 king xerxes of persia was the worlds most powerful monarch who ruled the persian empire around 486 b. Sep 27, 2011 the book itself was written between 470 and 430 b. He is identified as the ahasuerus of persia in the biblical book of esther although his son, artaxerxes i, is also a. The book of esther tells of king xerxes having a feast that lasted for 180 days in the third year of his reign, so that king was not intended to be xerxes ii. The persian empire at the time of esther according to esther 1. Sometimes this book is called the book of the upright or the book of the just. Ezra and nehemiah both traveled from persia to jerusalem from the court of artaxerxes.
The chief persian title, king of lands, though used earlier in babylonia, now became standard. Darius was the fourth king of the achaemenid empire, but not directly descended from the founder cyrus ii 600530 bce. They are listed, at least as it seems, in chronological dating order. Nov 28, 2012 artaxerxes i of persia was the fifth king of the achaemenid dynasty. During the third year of xerxes reign, he held a huge festival so that he could. How many children did queen esther and king xerxes have. Mar 14, 2018 xerxes i ruled 486465 bce, also known as xerxes the great, was the king of the persian achaemenid empire. The book of esther was committed to writing sometime after the 12th year of xerxes and evidently by the end of xerxes reign c. Artaxerxes i of persia was the fifth king of the achaemenid dynasty. Jan 02, 2020 king ahasuerus xerxes plays a prominent role in the book of esther. The book of the history of king xerxes reign this book is mentioned 3 times in the book of esther 2. He then furthered the depletion of the onceenormous resources he had gathered, through multiple taxation, by launching a vast construction program. In chapter 2 of the book of esther, we are introduced to a jew named mordecai and an orphan girl in his charge named esther.
Esther 610 new living translation nlt the king honors mordecai. She was the daughter of one of darius is fellows in arms with whom he conquered the empire. For such a time as this the story of ahasuerus and esther. King xerxes of persia was the worlds most powerful monarch who ruled the persian empire around 486 b. He is best known for his massive invasion of greece from across the hellespont 480 bc, a campaign marked by the battles of thermopylae, salamis, and plataea. His powerful empire spread from india to ethiopia esth. Ahasuerus is also given as the name of a king of persia in the book of ezra.
In 465 bc, xerxes i was murdered by hazarapat commander of thousand artabanus, the commander of the royal bodyguard and the most powerful official in the persian court, with the help of a eunuch, aspamitres. In the third year of his reign, he gave a banquet for all his nobles and officials. The greek expedition will be considered from a persian perspective, while the effect of its failure on persian policy in general, and on xerxes in particular, forms a major theme of the. This ahasuerus is probably xerxes of history, esther 1. Its use for the first time in xerxes reign early in the fifth year is an argument. Archaeology and the book of esther andrews university. Xerxes, great king of the persian empire from 486465 b. In at least one of these films, the events of the book of esther are depicted as taking place upon xerxes return from greece. Xerxes was the oldest son of darius i, and the offspring of the kings first wife, atossa, daughter of cyrus ii. Persian king 486465 bc, the son and successor of darius i.
In chapter 1 he gives a great banquet for his nobles and, after several days of eating and drinking, orders that the queen vashti appear at the banquet so the men there might see her great beauty. King xerxes of persia was the worlds most powerful monarch who ruled the. Xerxes i persian khshayarsha circa 519465 bc, king of persia 486465 bc, the son of darius i and atossa flourished 6th century bc, daughter of cyrus the great. Xerxes was the oldest son of darius i, and the offspring of the king s first wife, atossa, daughter of cyrus ii. He was the son of the former persian king darius i. The persian king traditionally identified as the husband of esther is xerxes the great, who succeeded darius and fought the second persian war. The events in the book of esther probably took place around 521495 bc. Xerxes i, persian king 486465 bce, the son and successor of darius i. To navigate the timeline, click and drag it with your mouse, or click on the timeline overview on the bottom. May 04, 2015 the persian king traditionally identified as the husband of esther is xerxes the great, who succeeded darius and fought the second persian war. Pdf queen esther wife of xerxes fairy tale or history. The man of the house was none other than the king of the greatest empire in the world of his day. In the third year of his reign he made a feast to show his riches and splendor.
It was written either at the end of xerxes reign or during the reign of his son artaxerxes who ruled from 465 to 424 b. If achashverosh is xerxes, is esther his wife amestris. Xerxes was born about 518519 bce, the eldest son of darius the great 550 bce486 bce and his second wife atossa. In western history, which is based on the accounts of the greeks, xerxes is one of the principal villains, especially if youve seen popular comic book films, like the 2006 film, 300. Xerxes held a feast in the third year of his reign and that soon.
Artaxerxes was probably born in the reign of his grandfather darius i, to the emperors son and heir, xerxes i. This rules out xerxes as the king ahasuerus of the book. This rules out xerxes as the king ahasuerus of the book of esther. Xerxes i of persia biography facts, childhood, life. This was all recorded in the book of the history of king xerxes reign.