Ahasuerus/ ?-HAZ-ew-EER Modern: 'A?ašveroš, Tiberian: 'A?ašweroš, commonly Achashverosh, Koine Greek: ?s??????, romanized: Asou?ros, in µ Septuagint; Latin: Assuerus in the Vulgate) is a name applied in the Hebrew Bible to three rulers and a Babylonian official (or Median King) in the Book of Tobit.
Contents
• 1Etymology
• 2Biblical references
o 2.1Book of Esther
? 2.1.1Historical identification
o 2.2Book of Ezra
o 2.3Book of Daniel
o 2.4Book of Tobit
• 3. In legends
• 4. Notes
• 5. Xerxes
• 6. Ahasuerus
• 7. Fast Facts
1 Etymology
It is believed that the Hebrew form derives from the Old Persian name of Xerxes I; this became Babylonian A?šiyaršu (a?-ši-ia-ar-šu), then became Akšiwaršu (ak-ši-i-wa6-ar-šu), borrowed into Hebrew A?ašwêrôš, and thence into Latin as Ahasuerus, the form traditionally used in English Bibles.
The Persian name was independently rendered in Ancient Greek as Xérxes. Many newer English translations and paraphrases of the Bible have used the name Xerxes. Finally, the word is translated as Ahasuerus
2.1.Book of Esther
There is no reference to known historical events in the story; the narrative of Esther was invented to provide an etiology for Purim, and the name Ahasuerus is usually understood to refer to a fictionalized Xerxes I, who ruled the Achaemenid Empire between 486 and 465 BCE. In the Septuagint, the Book of Esther refers to this King as 'Artaxerxes.' Persian kings did not marry outside a restricted number of Persian noble families. It is unlikely that there was a Jewish queen Esther; in any case, the historical Xerxes's queen was Amestris.
2.1.1 Historical identification
Numerous scholars have proposed theories as to whom Ahasuerus represents. Most scholars generally identify him with Xerxes I, as did 19th-century Bible commentaries. Three factors, among others, contribute to this identification:
1. It is agreed that the Hebrew 'Ahasuerus' descended from the Persian name for Xerxes I.
2. Historian Herodotus describes Xerxes I as being susceptible to women and in the habit of making extravagant offers to them, just as he did to Esther ("up to half my kingdom"). Herodotus mentions that the Persian empire stretched from India to Ethiopia and refers to the magnificent royal palace in Shushan (Susa), corroboration of what is stated in the Book of Esther. In addition, Herodotus mentions an assembly of Persian nobles called by Xerxes to advise him on the proposed war against Greece. Although Herodotus does not give the location of this assembly, the date - "after Egypt was subdued" - corresponds to Xerxes' third year when Esther records an assembly of Persian nobility at a feast. (Histories VII.8) Herodotus also mentions that following his defeat at Salamis, Xerxes I became involved in harem intrigues involving his wife Amestris and his daughter-in-law, whom he became enamored. (Histories IX.108) Herodotus relates that this occurred in the tenth month of his seventh year as King — the same time Ahasuerus was choosing beautiful women for his harem (Esther 2:16).
3. Annals from the reign of Xerxes I mention an otherwise unattested official by the name of "Marduk," which some have proposed refers to Mordecai, as both are mentioned serving in the King's court.
The Septuagint, the Vulgate, the Midrash of Esther Rabbah, I, 3, and the Josippon identify the King as Artaxerxes I. The historian Josephus relates that this was the name he was known to the Greeks.
2.2 Book of Ezra
Ahasuerus is also given the name of the King of Persia in the Book of Ezra. Modern commentators associate him with Xerxes I, who reigned from 486 BC until 465 BC. Other identifications have been made for Cambyses II or Bardiya (Greek Smerdis), who reigned (perhaps as an imposter) for seven months between Cambyses II and Darius I.
2.3 Book of Daniel
Ahasuerus is given the name of the father of Darius the Mede in the Book of Daniel. Josephus names Astyages as the father of Darius the Mede. The latter's description as uncle and father-in-law of Cyrus by medieval Jewish commentators matches Cyaxares II, who is said to be the son of Astyages by Xenophon. Thus this Ahasuerus is commonly identified with Astyages. He is alternatively identified with the Ahasuerus of the Book of Tobit, as Cyaxares I said to be the father of Astyages. Views differ on how to reconcile the sources in this case. One view is that the description of Ahasuerus as the "father" of Darius the Mede should be understood in the broader sense of "forebear" or "ancestor." Another view notes that on the Behistun Inscription, "Cyaxares" is a family name, and thus considers the description as literal, viewing Astyages as an intermediate ruler wrongly placed in the family line in the Greek sources.
Most scholars view Darius the Mede as literary fiction or possibly a conflation[a] of Darius the Great with prophecies about the Medes.
[a] Synonyms for conflation admixture, alloy, amalgam, amalgamation, blend, cocktail, combination, composite, compound, emulsion, fusion, intermixture, meld, mix, mixture, synthesis
2.4 Book of Tobit
In some versions of the deuterocanonical Book of Tobit, Ahasuerus is given the name of an associate of Nebuchadnezzar, who, together with him, destroyed Nineveh just before Tobit's death. A traditional Catholic view is that he is identical to the Ahasuerus of Daniel 9:1. In the Codex Sinaiticus Greek (LXX) edition, the two names in this verse appear instead as one name, Ahikar (also the name of another character in the story of Tobit). Other Septuagint texts have the name Achiachar. Western scholars have proposed that Achiachar is a variant form of the name "Cyaxares I of Media," who historically did destroy Nineveh in 612 BC.
In legends
In some versions of the Legend of the Wandering Jew, his actual name is Ahasuerus - even though the Biblical King is not described as a Jew, nothing in the Biblical account of him is similar to that myth. This is the name by which Immanuel Kant refers to the Wandering Jew in The Only Possible Argument in Support of a Demonstration of the Existence of God.
4. Notes
Of all the characters mentioned in the story of Esther, the only one for which there is any historical record outside of the biblical text is King Ahasuerus, who most scholars today link to the Persian King Xerxes I. Known by this Greek version of his name in the West, he was known in the east by the Persian version, Khshayarsa. He was the grandson of Cyrus the Great, who founded the Persian Achaemenid Empire and ruled from 485 to 465 BCE.
In addition to being featured in the story of Esther, a king named Ahasuerus is mentioned in the books of Ezra and Daniel. His father, Darius the Great, chose him as his successor over his older brother Achaemenes because of his royal connection to Cyrus the Great through his mother, Atossa. By the time Xerxes ascended to the throne, the Persian Empire was at the height of its might and reached from India down to Ethiopia and parts of Sudan – as in the story of Esther Ahasuerus is said to have ruled over 127 provinces from India (Hodu) to Kush, generally taken to be the Upper Nile Valley region.
The story of Esther would have taken place in the third year of Xerxes' reign in 483 BCE, noted Dr. Yigal Bloch, curator of the Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem. "This does not mean the story is real, but it gives a chronological anchor for when it should have taken place," he said.
Xerxes held several capital cities, including Susa, known as Shushan in the Bible, which served as the empire's administrative capital and where he had a summer palace. However, he is most famous for building up the city of Persepolis after a failed military campaign to conquer Greece. He started a lavish construction project to build a new palace and began work on a monumental Hall of a Hundred Columns.
It was in this city that the annual Persian New Year festival took place during the spring equinox with plenty of pageantry and splendor, similar to that described at the banquet in the story of Esther with soldiers, courtiers, and subject people coming to greet the King and bring him gifts, and offerings noted Bloch. The King would extend his scepter to signal a favorable reception of gifts or people as he did with Esther.
ON A LIMESTONE relief in the Bible Lands Museum from Persepolis of that period, two courtiers are depicted carrying provisions for a banquet, each in different costumes, indicating their different places of origin. One, from Persia, wears the usual trousers and ankle-length pleated robe and scarf wrapped several times around his head and chin, while the servant from Medea wears a round felt cap with a neck flap and chin strap and a tight, knee-length, long-sleeved leather tunic and trousers.
Indeed, said Bloch, it was common for people from the empire to serve as courtiers in the King's court, so Jews would have also easily been a part of that group, as Mordechai is described in the Purim story.
"All the splendor of the royal court [as described in the story of Esther] is true," said Bloch. "Could there have been a Jewish courtier? Yes, there could have been."
Xerxes
Xerxes was known for his drinking, lavish banquets, strong temper, and enormous harem – the main wing of the harem building in Persepolis was excavated by a team from the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago in the early 1930s. Royal intrigue with the King was also well documented, as he unsuccessfully pursued his brother's wife, then fought an insurrection by his brother whom he killed, and then turned his attention to his niece.
The names of Xerxes' main wives are known, said Bloch, and there is none recorded thought to be Esther, though, of course, he added, one such name could have been among his secondary wives.
"Xerxes is particularly famous as an example of arrogance," said Hebrew University of Jerusalem professor of Jewish history Daniel Schwartz. "When people want to tell a story of an arrogant ruler, they talk about Xerxes."
These are typical stories of Asian despots [tyrants] that people like to tell and which Greeks liked to tell about Persians.
On his way to fight the Greeks, Xerxes had his forces build a bridge at Hellespont Strait between Greece and Turkey, today known as the Strait of Gallipoli, and when the sea destroyed it in a storm, he had the ocean whipped. Later, he had his men dig a canal through the base of the Mount Athos Peninsula in Greece as he made his way to battle, noted Schwartz. Though the canal has been covered up over time, its contours are still visible today.
Despite having won some battles, Xerxes failed in the end to conquer Greece, and in 479 BCE, after his governor, Mardonius, was defeated at the Battle of Plataea, his forces returned home.
In a podcast with the Jewish People Policy Institute promoting her 2020 book, Esther Unmasked, Dr. Thamar Eilam Gindin, a researcher at the University of Haifa's Ezri Center for Iran and Persian Gulf Studies, noted that though the story of Esther is only documented in the Bible, a similar story is documented of the succession to the throne of Xerxes' father, King Darius, including the danger of an imposter king wielding power.
In Ezra 4:6, Ahasuerus is mentioned as a king of Persia, to whom the enemies of the Jews sent representatives opposing the rebuilding of the Temple of Jerusalem. He thus occupies a place in a chronological series of those Persian rulers who were directly concerned with Jewish history events. In Daniel 9:1, Ahasuerus is presented as the father of "Darius the Mede," who is said to have become King over Babylonia upon the death of Belshazzar. However, the name seems impossible here and may result from some accident in the literary transmission. No other name resembling Ahasuerus, nor any name like Darius, is found in the list of Median kings. Moreover, it is known that the immediate successor of Nabonidus and Belshazzar as ruler of Babylonia was Cyrus II.
Ahasuerus appears most prominently in the Book of Esther, and the intrigues of the King's court provide the biblical origin of the festival of [c]Purim. The Jews of the Persian empire were threatened with destruction due to the machinations of Haman, the chief minister to Ahasuerus. Queen Esther uses her influence with the King to thwart the plot; however, the Jews were instead given royal sanction to attack their enemies. The mention of Ahasuerus in Tobit 14:15 in some Greek manuscripts is likely the result of a copyist's error.
[c] Purim (/'p??r?m/; Hebrew: ???????? Purim, lit.?' is a
A holiday that commemorates the saving of the Jewish people from Haman, an official of the Achaemenid Empire who was planning to have all of Persia's Jewish subjects killed, as recounted in the Book of Esther (usually dated to the 5th century BCE).
The name Ahasuerus was revived in 1602 in the German pamphlet Kurze Beschreibung und Erzählung von einem Juden mit namen Ahasverus (“A Brief Description and Narration Regarding a Jew Named Ahasuerus”). In this tale, Ahasuerus is the name given to the Wandering Jew, a character of Christian Legend doomed to roam the Earth until the Second Coming because he taunted Jesus on the way to the Crucifixion.
Ahasuerus is a royal Persian name occurring throughout the Old Testament. Immediately preceding Artaxerxes I in the line of Persian kings, Ahasuerus is evidently to be identified with Xerxes.
In Ezra 4:6, Ahasuerus is mentioned as a king of Persia, to whom the enemies of the Jews sent representatives opposing the rebuilding of the Temple of Jerusalem. He thus occupies a place in a chronological series of those Persian rulers who were directly concerned with Jewish history events. In Daniel 9:1, Ahasuerus is presented as the father of "Darius the Mede," who is said to have become King over Babylonia upon the death of Belshazzar. However, the name seems impossible here and may result from some accident in the literary transmission. No other name resembling Ahasuerus, nor any name like Darius, is found in the list of Median kings. Moreover, it is known that the immediate successor of Nabonidus and Belshazzar as ruler of Babylonia was Cyrus II.
Ahasuerus appears most prominently in the Book of Esther, and the intrigues of the King's court provide the biblical origin of the festival of Purim. The Jews of the Persian empire were threatened with destruction due to the machinations of Haman, the chief minister to Ahasuerus. Queen Esther uses her influence with the King to thwart the plot; however, the Jews were instead given royal sanction to attack their enemies. The mention of Ahasuerus in Tobit 14:15 in some Greek manuscripts is likely the result of a copyist's error.
The name Ahasuerus was revived in 1602 in the German pamphlet Kurze Beschreibung und Erzählung von einem Juden mit namen Ahasverus (“A Brief Description and Narration Regarding a Jew Named Ahasuerus”). In this tale, Ahasuerus is the name given to the Wandering Jew, a character of Christian Legend doomed to roam the Earth until the Second Coming because he taunted Jesus on the way to the Crucifixion
Fast facts: Ahasuerus, Xerxes
1. Scholars are uncertain which King is referred to by this name.
2. They believed it was another name for Xerxes I for a long time, which reigned from 485 to 465 BCE.
3. He was the son of Darius I of Persia; his mother was the daughter of Cyrus the Great. During his reign, he dealt with revolts in Egypt and Babylon.
4. He was successful in both ventures but highly unpopular in Babylon after melting down the revered statue of the idol Marduk.
5. Some scholars think this might have been the cause of subsequent rebellions by the Babylonians.
6. He was also in command during the Battle at Thermopylae when 300 Spartans and 1000 Greeks stood up to the entire Persian army.
7. Though the Spartans were ultimately defeated (by the treachery of a fellow countryman), their stand allowed the people of Athens time to vacate the city.
8. The city of Athens was destroyed (whether on purpose or by accident is a matter of debate), which led to high anti-Persian sentiment.
9. After unsuccessfully trying to defeat the Greeks on the sea, Xerxes had to return to Babylon to deal with further unrest in that area.
10. Generally, Xerxes I was thought to be a just and worthy king.
11. This is most likely due to his representation in the Book of Esther, and it surely did not hurt that he had destroyed the statue of Marduk.
12. However, the Septuagint (Greek Bible) and Josephus (first-century historian) refer to Ahasuerus as Artaxerxes I. Many scholars now agree with this.
13. According to Josephus, "after the death of Xerxes, the kingdom came to be transferred to his son, Cyrus, whom the Greeks called Artaxerxes."
14. Josephus claims this King married a Jewish wife, who was responsible for saving the Jews.
15. He relates the story of Vashti, Esther, and Mordecai.
16. There is no question that the Ahasuerus of the Septuagint is, indeed, Artaxerxes.
17. Some scholars maintain that it was common for kings to have multiple names. Otherwise, there seems to be no reasonable explanation for the different names.
18. Artaxerxes I was the third son of Xerxes I
19. Legend has it that Xerxes I was killed by Artabanus, who was a political figure of some stature.
20. Supposedly he was Xerxes' bodyguard. It is unknown whether he intended the throne for himself or was afraid of the King.
21. He killed Xerxes and accused Darius, Xerxes' firstborn, of committing the deed.
22. Based on those accusations, Darius was executed.
23. That left Artabanus in a position to act as Regent since Artaxerxes I was still relatively young.
24. However, this did not last long because Artaxerxes killed Artabanus – reasons again are unknown.
25. (Some scholars think that Artabanus was the inspiration for Haman in the story of Esther.)
26. Xerxes' second son, Hystaspes, tried to revolt against Artaxerxes but could not prevail even after mounting two separate battles.
27. He disappeared from history at this point, so scholars think he was probably killed in the second battle.
28. Artaxerxes I reigned from 465-424 BCE.
29. In Latin, Artaxerxes' name is Longimanus – presumably because his right hand was longer than his left.
30. Relations between Greece and Persia were still strained during his reign.
31. Artaxerxes tried to undermine the Athenians by assisting their enemies in Greece.
32. Eventually, the Athenians moved the royal treasury to another city.
33. This resulted in more fighting (450BCE), which eventually led to a ceasefire between Athens and Persia.
34. This was known as the peace of Callias, whereby Persia was given the island of Cyprus in exchange for allowing all the other Greek cities to remain free.
35. Artaxerxes gave asylum to Themistocles when he was ostracized from Athens.
36. Artaxerxes also had to deal with a revolt of Egypt in 460 BCE and Syria in 448.
37. Scholars generally believe that Ezra and Nehemiah were officials in his court.
38. He commissioned them by a decree letter to return to Jerusalem and work on the Temple.
39. Ezra, supposedly, left Babylon in 457 BCE, which would have been in the seventh year of Artaxerxes' reign.
40. The return to Jerusalem commenced when Cyrus was King (537 BCE). However, work on the Temple had stalled.
41. Artaxerxes I died in 424 BCE and was succeeded by his son, Xerxes II.
42. He had two other sons, Sogdianus and Ochus, the latter of which took the name, Darius.
43. Xerxes II only reigned for 45 days before he was assassinated (probably by one of his brothers, the offspring of different mothers and considered illegitimate).
44. First, Sogdinaus killed Xerxes II, and he was killed by Ochus (Darius II).
45. Darius II reigned for nineteen years, and little is known about him except that he bore a son called Artaxerxes
46. Plutarch (died 359 BCE) wrote several tracts about Artaxerxes II, who reigned from 405 to 359 BCE.
47. Some scholars now think that this might be the Artaxerxes of the writings of Ezra and Nehemiah.
48. If that is not confusing enough, there was also an Artaxerxes III (359-337 BCE) and an Artaxerxes IV who only reigned for two years, lasting from 338-336BCE. (There would be only one more, Persian King before Persia would be conquered during the wars of Alexander the Great.)
49. Daniel 9:1 also mentions Ahasuerus, who was supposedly the father of Darius, King of Media. Unfortunately, no such individual is known, so scholars do not give this much credence.
50. Most scholars presume that most of the biblical references refer to Artaxerxes I. There is, however, no consensus on this (see above), leading to lively discussions among scholars who try to correlate biblical passages with specific kings.
