The book of history of king xerxes reign

Apr, 2019 xerxes ruled the achaemenid empire from 486465 bc. 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. His father was the former king xerxes and he ruled the persian empire from 465 b. This was during a time just before the wall of jerusalem was rebuilt.

Leave comments, share and subscribe for more content on biblical discussions. Xerxes khashayar was born around 520 bce in the southern province of persis fars. Darius would take the empire to its greatest extent, but before he could accomplish that, he needed to establish his. Immediately after seizing the kingship, darius i of persia son of hystaspes married atossa daughter of cyrus the great. 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. At that time xerxes ruled his empire from his royal throne at the fortress of susa. The persian empire at the time of esther according to esther 1.

Artaxerxes i was the sixth king of kings of the achaemenid empire, from 465424 bc. 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. Secular history knows him better by his greek name, king xerxes i who ruled persia from 486 to 465 b. He was a son of king xerxes ahasuerus and is often referred to as artaxerxes i longimanus. In greek sources he is also surnamed longhanded, allegedly because his right hand was longer than his left. 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 persian empire around 486 b. Persian king 486465 bc, the son and successor of darius i. Being a jew, mordecai refused to do obeisance to haman son of hammedatha, the agagite, xerxes favorite noble. Is xerxes the same person as ahasuerus in the book of. 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. In the third year of his reign, he gave a banquet for all his nobles and officials. Ezra and nehemiah both traveled from persia to jerusalem from the court of artaxerxes. Darius would take the empire to its greatest extent, but before he could accomplish that, he needed to establish his connection to the family.

If achashverosh is xerxes, is esther his wife amestris. Haman, however, determined to get his revenge against mordecai and his people. The events in the book of esther probably took place around 521495 bc. This ahasuerus is probably xerxes of history, esther 1. Xerxes is the protagonist of the opera serse by the germanenglish baroque composer george frideric handel.

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 ahasuerus king of persia, referred to in ezra 4. Artaxerxes of persia amazing bible timeline with world. 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 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.

Mar 14, 2018 xerxes i ruled 486465 bce, also known as xerxes the great, was the king of the persian achaemenid empire. She was the daughter of one of darius is fellows in arms with whom he conquered the empire. Esther 610 nlt the king honors mordecai that night. The persian king traditionally identified as the husband of esther is xerxes the great, who succeeded darius and fought the second persian war. The ancient historian herodotus notes in his histories that xerxes first wife amestris also in the later years remained his first wife. 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. 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 i makes extensive preparations to invade mainland greece by building depots, canals and a boat bridge across the hellespont. Jan 02, 2020 king ahasuerus xerxes plays a prominent role in the book of esther. 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. Xerxes was the oldest son of darius i, and the offspring of the king s first wife, atossa, daughter of cyrus ii. 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.

During this time the enemies of israel hired counselors to bring false accusations to the ears of the different persian kings. 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. The chief persian title, king of lands, though used earlier in babylonia, now became standard. The kings banquet these events happened in the days of king xerxes, who reigned over 127 provinces stretching from india to ethiopia. Nov 26, 2012 king xerxes of persia was the worlds most powerful monarch who ruled the persian empire around 486 b. Xerxes i of persia biography facts, childhood, life history. Esther and mordecai under xerxes of persia amazing bible. He is identified as the ahasuerus of persia in the biblical book of esther although his son, artaxerxes i, is also a. 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. Xerxes persian king xerxes was the oldest son of darius i, from his first wife, atossa, daughter of cyrus ii. For such a time as this the story of ahasuerus and esther. Xerxes was the oldest son of darius i, and the offspring of the kings first wife, atossa, daughter of cyrus ii.

If the author had any knowledge of persian history, he could not have referred to xerxes ii, because xerxes ii. Sep 27, 2011 the book itself was written between 470 and 430 b. Achaemenes, ariabignes, ariomardos, arsamenes, arsames, artobarzanes, gobryas, hyperantes. This rules out xerxes as the king ahasuerus of the book of esther. He was a powerful king who ruled achaemenid persian empire from 486465 bce. It documents the only other festival given in old testament outside the books of moses, the festival of purim. Xerxes i of persia biography facts, childhood, life. He ruled from 486 bc until his assassination in 465 bc at the hands of artabanus, the commander of the royal bodyguard. Soured by this failure, which modern historians consider the beginning of achaemenian decline, xerxes retired to susa and persepolis. In the third year of his reign he made a feast to show his riches and splendor. Like his father and predecessor darius i, he ruled the empire at its territorial apex.

He then furthered the depletion of the onceenormous resources he had gathered, through multiple taxation, by launching a vast construction program. The book of esther deals only with one period of his reign. Its use for the first time in xerxes reign early in the fifth year is an argument. It tells us that he ruled over one hundred and twentyseven provincesfrom india, even unto ethiopia esth. In the bible, daryavesh of medea precedes koresh, but he daryavesh of medea is almost certainly not a historical figure. Xerxes i the great, king of persia geni family tree. Xerxes and ahasuerus parallel lives, also bc afterglows in ad. 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 jews called him ahasuerus, the hebrew form of his persian name. The man of the house was none other than the king of the greatest empire in the world of his day.

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. At the capital city of persepolis, darius architects. Artaxerxes i of persia was the fifth king of the achaemenid dynasty. Xerxes, great king of the persian empire from 486465 b. 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. When an investigation was made and mordecais story was found to be true, the two men were impaled on a sharpened pole. 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. Archaeology and the book of esther andrews university. Xerxes was born about 518519 bce, the eldest son of darius the great 550 bce486 bce and his second wife atossa.

It is common to read commentators identifying the ahasuerus of the book of esther with xerxes i, the great c. How many children did queen esther and king xerxes have. 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. Darius was the fourth king of the achaemenid empire, but not directly descended from the founder cyrus ii 600530 bce. 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.

Xerxes i 519465 bc world history for the relaxed historian. Also known as xerxes the great he was the fourth zoroastrian king of kings of the achamenid empire. He may have been the artasyrus mentioned by herodotus as being a satrap of the royal satrapy of bactria. He invited all the military officers of persia and media as well as the princes and. He is traditionally considered to be the persian king ahasuerus referred to in the. The book of the history of king xerxes reign this book is mentioned 3 times in the book of esther 2. This biography profiles his childhood, family, personal life, life history, achievements, campaigns, administration, death and other facts. It was first performed in the kings theatre london on 15 april 1738.

He was the son of the former persian king darius i. His ultimate defeat spelled the beginning of the decline of the achaemenian empire. Xerxes was darius the greats eldest son by queen atosa daughter of cyrus the great. Xerxes is the central character of the aeschylus play the persians. 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. Sometimes this book is called the book of the upright or the book of the just. Linguists believe that the name transcribed from hebrew as ahasuerus is intended to refer to the persian king xerxes i 486 465 bce.

He was the son and successor of darius the great and his mother was atossa, a daughter of cyrus the great, the first achaemenid king. Xerxes is familiar to students of the bible since he appears in two books. Xerxes i, persian king 486465 bce, the son and successor of darius i. Xerxes i, commonly known as xerxes the great, was the fourth king of kings of the achaemenid empire, ruling from 486 to 465 bc. Xerxes reconquered egypt in the second year of his reign, which was the year 484 bc. The book of the history of the kings of media and persia the chronicles of king ahasuerus the book of annals the book of chronicles the book of the history of the kings of judah. This was all recorded in the book of the history of king xerxes reign. Xerxes i ruled 486465 bce, also known as xerxes the great, was the king of the persian achaemenid empire. 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. 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 had been designated official heir perhaps as early as 498 bce, and while crown prince he had ruled as the kings governor in. His powerful empire spread from india to ethiopia esth. 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.

Esther 610 new living translation nlt the king honors mordecai. Xerxes i xerxes the great was the fourth and the most famous king of the archaemenid dynasty of persia. The other king who some historians believe to be the ahasuerus of the book of esther is the persian king xerxes. King ahasuerus xerxes plays a prominent role in the book of esther. Their relatives, like thousands of jews, had been taken captive by an invading army and exiled there in decades past. To navigate the timeline, click and drag it with your mouse, or click on the timeline overview on the bottom. Artaxerxes was probably born in the reign of his grandfather darius i, to the emperors son and heir, xerxes i.