Mr. Lanser continues: Thus, I believe it makes better sense to view “Ahasuerus” as either a throne name taken by two Medo-Persian kings or as an example of papponymic name repetition. Part V – Darius, Artaxerxes, & the Bible: Confirming Royal Persian Titulature A group of beautiful young virgins from the city of Susa was selected (verse 3). Stick with me here, because this is pretty neat stuff. This Artaxerxes I Longimanus is the Artaxerxes of Ezra, and this Xerxes I is the Xerxes or Ahasuerus of Esther and Ezra (but not of Daniel 9:1). Darius was a Huckster Let’s start by offering some clarifications regarding the name Ahasuerus and Xerxes. But as explained above this is not the case because, the Bible’s Ahasuerus was the rending of the Old Persian word Xšayâršahyâ which means male ruler/king and this word Xšayâršahyâ finds it’s etymological roots in the Median root word xšay (rule) hence it was a Median loan word connected to administration of Medo-Persian affairs. The Seven Wise Men of Artaxerxes … This identification also implies an extent to the kingdom of Persia that was not matched by other Persian kings, otherwise the identification with 127 providence would have had no relevance to the reader. For clarity’s sake, as I go through these quotes from Mr. Lanser  article The Seraiah Assumption (in brown) I will add my own comments in black with further quotations by others in green. It could almost be trite were it not for the seriousness of its underlying message. Trying to apply this distinction to Xerxes, Darius’ son makes no historical sense and undermines the credibility of the Biblical record related to the Persian period. (Esther 1:13-1). 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. In the following quote Richard Tyrwhitt explains why only Darius I qualifies as the Ahasuerus of 127 provinces mentioned in the Esther 1: Claiming that the author of Esther, when distinguishing the Persian king Ahasuerus who ruled over 127 providence from his peers – was reference to Xerxes the son of Darius I – would be the equivalent of an historian today trying to distinguish the Presidency of John F Kennedy from his peers by claiming he was the President of all the 50 Untied States of America. The book of Esther, which may be a work of fiction, is set in Xerxes' rule and was written about 400 BCE. The highlighted red Hebrew letters Alef, Cheit, Shin, (the Chsh sound) would be the Hebrew transliteration of the Old Persian xšay or “ruler”. Esther is portrayed in the Book of Esther—a second-century-BCE Jewish novel—as Xerxes’ second wife although, as far as is known, Queen Amestris was Xerxes’ only wife. Unfortunately for Mr. Lanser’s readers in the above he gave no indication that he only had the Persian Aehaemenid period in mind when he made his statement about Ahasuerus. He is traditionally considered to be the Persian King Ahasuerus referred to in the Biblical story of Esther. Please note here that my email response above to Mr. Lanser was before I understood that in fact the Persian Ahasuerus has etymological roots in the Median administrative nomenclature. During the third year of Xerxes reign, he held a huge festival so that he could display all of his wealth to the high ranking governors and officials of his empire. It contains many winning story elements: a common girl who becomes queen; a dastardly villain and his wicked plot; a clever resolution; and justice served. I continue now with Mr. Lanser’s The Seraiah Assumption: Wrapping Up Some Loose Ends: Consistent with Wilson’s scholarship, I presented in my Seraiah Assumption article a chart where Dr. William Shea summarized the most recent ancient language studies. In the narrative, Ahasuerus seeks a new wife after his queen, Vashti, refuses to obey him, and Esther is chosen for her beauty.The king's chief adviser, Haman, is offended by Esther's cousin and guardian, Mordecai, and gets permission from the king to have all the Jews in the kingdom killed. As a side note here, notice that chronologically there were 120 provinces set up by Darius the Mede when he became the “king of Babylon” under Cyrus the Persian. This, the greatest prophetic chapter of the Bible opens with a chronological synchronism which provides us with a fixing point for when the prophecy was given to Daniel. In his original article he claimed that “Ahasuerus” could not be title or a throne name. Mr. Lanser then updated his Seraiah Assumption article in an attempt to further clarify his position regarding Ahasuerus and several other topics. Biblical References: The book of Esther in the Bible contains the whole entire story of Esther and Mordecai. Philip Brown II, in “The Chronological Relation of Ezra and Nehemiah,” Bibliotheca Sacra 162 (Apr–Jun 2005) (https://bible.org/seriespage/chapter-2-temporal-ordering-ezra-part-ii), whose excellent work we will look further at below, adds: Contrary to older commentators’ frequent citation of the “well-known fact” that Persian kings had multiple names, no extant archeological or inscriptional evidence equates Cambyses with Ahasuerus or Artaxerxes with Pseudo-Smerdis, or uses Artaxerxes as a general title for Persian monarchs. The Final Four: World Powers & the End of this Age Artaxerxes) of Ezra 6 & 7 with Ahasuerus of Esther is found in the so called Persian “Seven”. What can this prophecy tell us about the final world power, that exist before the return of Christ? The Hebrew Achashwerosh is a much closer transliteration of the Persian Khshayârshâ or the Babylonian from Achshiyarshu than is the Greek Xerxes. Together we can share the Biblical evidence for Yahweh’s wonderful redemptive plan for mankind. I would be interested to know if anyone can tell me what happened to Mordecai ?How old was he when he died? Mr. Lanser continues: Moreover, if “Ahasuerus” was just a common “title” for Persian kings generally, what would be the point of mentioning it if the intent of Esther 1:1 was to clarify exactly which king was being discussed? He knew that he had to appeal to Esther to save the people. Who Was Sir Robert Anderson's Artaxerxes? Old Persian Lexicon King Xerxes told the people that they should bow down to him whenever they see him. Queen Esther wife of Xerxes: Chronological, Historical and Archaeological Evidence. Like his efforts related to the Jewish temple worship, Darius efforts on behalf of the Egyptians were not just limited to the codification of their laws. One is by overlooking or dismissing the etymology behind the name, instead suggesting “Ahasuerus” was not the personal name for Xerxes resulting after some translational gymnastics, but a title for some other king who lived between Cyrus and Darius, perhaps Cambyses or Smerdis. So if as we’ve seen in this article, Ahasuerus, (Xšayâršahyâ) given in its Hebrew spelling as Chshwrwsh comes from the Median root xsay (rule) and literally means a king or ruler of all males (men), it is hard to see how this evidence demands that we “must conclude” that Ahasuerus is a personal name. I have sons named Mordecai and Xerxes. (Please understand this is a way oversimplification of the linguistic nuances of the subject), That we are likely on the right track regarding our tentative understanding of meaning of the OP, To help you understand the context of this word I’ve provided three different places this word is used in our Bible. Part I – Cyrus to Darius: The 2nd Temple Context of Ezra 4 Answering More Objections from ABR’s Rick Lanser Likewise it was during the reign of Darius I ‘The Great’ that Persia reached its greatest territorial breath that included 127 provinces. Besides my regular day job as a plumbing contractor, Winnie & I manage our local farmers market as well as tend our nearly two acres of orchards and gardens. If you are just joining this discussion here are the prior articles in this series as well as the original links to Mr. Lanser’s articles posted on the Associate for Biblical Research website. In Esther 9-10 it tells us that the Ahasuerus of Esther still had 127 provinces in his 13th year of reign. In that inscription, which I’ve color coded, you’ll find the cuneiform and phonetic spelling of the words king, Xerxes, Artaxerxes, and Kingdom as well as their English translation. Among this group was Esther, a Jewess who kept her ethnic background hidden (verse 8). He gave Ezra the authority to establish a legal system which was based in the Torah (law of Moses). Yet the Bible clearly tells us that there was a Median king named “Ahasuerus” who was the father of Darius the Mede, the same Median who (under Cyrus) was made king of Babylon circa 538-536 BC. KJA Ester (Greek) 11:2 In the second year of the reign of Artexerxes the great, in the first day of the month Nisan, Mardocheus the son of Jairus, the son of Semei, the son of Cisai, of the tribe of Benjamin, had a dream; KJA 4 Esdras 1:1 The second book of the prophet Esdras, the son of Saraias, the son of Azarias, the son of Helchias, the son of Sadamias, the sou of Sadoc, the son of Achitob,  2 The son of Achias, the son of Phinees, the son of Heli, the son of Amarias, the son of Aziei, the son of Marimoth, the son of And he spake unto the of Borith, the son of Abisei, the son of Phinees, the son of Eleazar,  3 The son of Aaron, of the tribe of Levi; which was captive in the land of the Medes, in the reign of Artexerxes king of the Persians. Now take a look at Xšayâršahyâ as it is represented in Hebrew. The story of Esther begins with a grand banquet at the palace of King Ahasuerus, also referred to as King Xerxes. 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. 21 And I, even I Artaxerxes the king, do make a decree to all the treasurers which are beyond the river, that whatsoever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall require of you, it be done speedily,  22 Unto an hundred talents of silver, and to an hundred measures of wheat, and to an hundred baths of wine, and to an hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much. Treasury of Scripture. Xerxes I, Persian king (486–465 BCE), the son and successor of Darius I. This story sets the background for the rise of an extremely beautiful woman named Esther and her godly cousin Mordecai. Historically speaking we know that the Persian imperial aspirations reached their fullest extent during the reign of Darius I ‘The Great’. making it one of the last Old Testament books written. Now Hadassah was an extremely beautiful young woman, and she was also called Esther. Mar 7, 2018 - Explore Donna's board "Esther / King Xerxes", followed by 120 people on Pinterest. If indeed we are to recognize that the Scripture really has “one Author, God, who we rightly expect to be self-consistent”, then we must include the Medo-Persian usage of Ahasuerus into our interpretational matrix when trying to understand the usage of this word, especially in light of the fact that the word Ahasuerus find its roots in Median administrative nomenclature. The Jews called him Ahasuerus, the Hebrew form of his Persian name. July-September is our family’s busiest time of year. The King’s Edict in Behalf of the Jews. Forasmuch as thou art sent of the king, and of his seven counsellors, Then the king said to the wise men, which knew the times, (for so, Now that I’ve provided you with some fascinating. Name, though, it is the most likely candidate for Esther ’ s,... 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