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The hero of the Book of Esther is a Jewish woman who lived in Susa and became queen when she was chosen to be the wife of King . As his first bit of counsel, he told her to conceal the fact that she was Jewish. Another challenge Esther faced was dealing with her evil stepmother, who constantly tried to undermine her. Thinking that the king was talking about him, Haman advised that the man should be dressed in royal robes and the crown of the king, mounted on the king's royal horse, and glided around while a herald called "See how the King honors a man he wishes to reward!" 2. Haman then obtained the kings permission to execute his plan. Jesus compared Christians to salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16). Some other sources believe that the graves of the queen and Mordecai lie in the ancient Jewish village of Kfar Bar'am in northern Israel. Finally, it was Esthers turn to meet King Xerxes. She never questioned whatever Mordecai demanded of her. King Xerxes plan of controlling Greece had failed. Esther was one of the beautiful maidens who were taken to the harem in the citadel of Susa, which was under control of the eunuch Hegai. A shrine in Hamadan, Iran, grew up around a tomb purported to contain the cenotaphs of Esther and Mordekai, which dates no earlier than the thirteenth century. This decree was obtained through a cunning deception that, at its core, was essentially an act of revenge on the part of Haman against Mordecai. She was of the tribe of Benjamin and lived during the time Israel was exiled. Special thanks to John R. Cross, The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus, GoodSeed International. Moreen, Vera B., trans. Subscribe for virtual tools, STEM-inspired play, creative tips and more. After Haman's execution, Esther and Mordecai were awarded all of Haman's estate. 16 September 2012. Previously, she was a member of the harem of the Persian king Ahasuerus, who was also known as King Xerxes. Did Esther meet a tragic end? - The Jewish Chronicle The name Esther is probably from Old Persia, MORDECAI (Heb. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society of America. Esther herself, a model of Christian womanly virtues, evidently represented the sponsor, while Vasthi (Vashti) represented the king's former mistress, Madame de Montespan, heightening the political implications of the play. On the night of the second banquet, the king told Esther that he would grant whatever she would ask. *Silman's Megillat Esther by the *Ohel theater, the music was written by Y. https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/esther, "Esther Esther was one of the four most beautiful women in the world (ibid. Encyclopedia.com. Esthers cousin Mordecai told Esther to keep it a secret that she was a Jew, and Esther obeyed his wish. 726. [CDATA[ Upon becoming queen, Esther was overjoyed. When you buy through the links on our site we may earn a commission. The narrative of this post-exilic book also provides the etiology of Purim, the carnival-like holiday that Jews celebrate every spring with much merriment even in the early-twenty-first century. . During the second banquet, Queen Esther revealed her origin to the king, begged for her life and the life of her people, and named her enemy (7:36). A Feminist Companion to Esther, Judith and Susanna. This was around the time that Ahasuerus began to look for a new queen after his first wife, Vashti, was deposed. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents. Retrieved February 22, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/esther. Throughout the sacred record, however, she is referred to by her Persian name, Esther, which means "star.". The message was written down. The Legends of the Jews (19091938). Ancient Persia, notably the capital city of Susa, is the setting for the book of Esther. This does not influence our choices. ." First, Esther came to symbolize the court Jew who risked everything to defend the nation so often slandered, despised, and threatened. She would enter in the evening and return in the morning to the second harem, where she was kept in the care of Shaashgaz, the king's eunuch, who was in charge of the concubines. Spiritual & Religious Leaders. Kidadl is supported by you, the reader. They choose to hurt other people. She possessed the trait of patience. The event was attended by people from one hundred twenty-seven provinces of Persia, a kingdom that stretched from India to Ethiopia. That's exactly what happened to Queen Elizabeth II in 1952 when her father, King George VI, died and she was appointed to the throne. The kings servants who attended him said, Let a search be conducted in the kings behalf for attractive young women. Encyclopaedia Judaica. Shortly after Esther became the queen, Haman the Agagite, the prime minister of Persia and a favorite of the king, obtained a royal decree that authorized the slaughter of all of the Jewish people living within the borders of the Persian Empire. Before Esther was made queen, Ahasuerus would compare women who entered with a statue of Vashti that stood near his bed. How old was Esther when she became queen. The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 0 responses ; tenth century b.c.e. When Vashti, the first wife of Ahasuerus, defied the kings wish to appear at his banquet and display her beauty, she was banished. The name Esther is probably from Old Persia Esther, Esther Persian Queen Esther (492 B.C.-c. 460 B.C. The king would meet with each of them, and the one he liked the most would take Vashtis place as queen (Esther 2:4). Encyclopedia.com. 24:1719). ), daughter of Abihail, an exile at *Susa, and heroine of the Book of Esther. When her parents died, Mordecai adopted her and raised her in his home. . When Haman, Ahasuerus' prime minister, convinced the king to issue an edict condemning the Jews to extermination, Esther presented herself before the king unbidden (an act punishable by death) and invited him and Haman to two banquets. Encyclopedia.com. At a young age, she was taken to become a part of a harem in the citadel of Susa under the authority of the eunuch Hegai. ." Renaissance artists such as Botticelli, Filippino Lippi, Mantegna, Tintoretto, and Paolo Veronese painted subjects from the Book of Esther. hadassah) she was of ideal height, neither too short nor too tall (ibid. According to some traditions she died at the age of 40, while some reports state she died at the ages of 74-75. Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. But when the former queen, Vashti, fell into disfavor with her husband, Ahasuerus, the king chose Esther to be his wife and queen. He was born in 518BC. Later, when *Haman, the prime minister, persuaded the king to issue an edict of extermination of all the Jews of the empire, Esther, on Mordecai's advice, endangered her own life by appearing before the king without being invited, in order to intercede for her people (4:1617). Mordecai, the son of Jair, of the tribe of Benjamin, raised Esther as his own daughter. A second soiree leads to the disgrace of Haman, the elevation of Mordecai, the disclosure of the plot against the Jews, and, finally, royal permission for the Jews to protect themselves on the day of the planned uprising (Est. After King Ahasuerus dismissed his wife Vashti for insubordination, agents were sent out to find a replacement. The story of Esther begins with a grand banquet at the palace of King Ahasuerus, also referred to as King Xerxes. 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 the Persian Achaemenid Empire. R. 6:13; Meg. Esther was taken from her home and came to live in the palace along with many other girls of the harem. Mordecai suggested that maidens be again assembled as if the king wished to remarry and that Esther, aroused by jealousy, would comply with his wishes. Adopted and raised by her cousin Mordecai, Esther, whose name is derived from the Persian stara, "star," plays a crucial role in the event of persecution and deliverance of the Jews in the ancient Persian empire that the late biblical Book (or Scroll) of Esther purports to record. Report Victoria | Biography, Family Tree, Children, Successor, & Facts Encyclopedia.com. 1. Application: King Xerxes took advice from those around him, and that advice changed the lives of himself, his wife, and everyone in the kingdom. In addition, everyone took her to be one of his own people (Meg. 22 Feb. 2023 . ." We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. A somewhat nebulous figure, the Queen of Sheba (fl. ELIZABETH KNOWLES "Esther The information given by Mordecai was written in the book, and this was the beginning of Haman's downfall (Esth. Queen Esther Was a Jewish 'Cinderella' 22 Feb. 2023 . A good answer provides new insight and perspective. Encyclopaedia Judaica. In art the Book of Esther is represented in the cycle of paintings from the third-century synagogue at *Dura-Europos and also in the ninth-century mural in the basilica of San Clemente in Rome. Weird Things You Didn't Know About Queen Esther - Grunge.com Encyclopedia.com. At one time, God wanted His people to be separated from those around them to keep them pure (Deuteronomy 7:16, Judges 2:2-3). . . It would be final. Mordecai understood and canceled the Passover festivity, replacing it with a fast (Esth. All the nobles and officials, military leaders, princes. After an investigation, the eunuchs were executed, and Mordecai's loyalty and aid to the king was recorded in the chronicles of the kingdom. A work of the same period was Solomon *Usque's Esther, first staged in Venice in 1558. What we suggest is selected independently by the Kidadl team. World Encyclopedia. King Ahasuerus has been described as a sensualist who enjoyed drinking and other forms of debauchery. April 24 2017 Encyclopedia.com. She was Jewish, but as Mordecai had recommended, she never exposed her ethnicity or family background. There is speculation as to the exact nature of this refusal. "Esther Does the devil have power to make us sick? Say: The King asked the wise men around him what he should do about Queen Vashti. The book elucidated that during a festival, a heavily drunk King Ahasuerus ordered Queen Vashti to come before the guests wearing her crown and to show her beauty (1:1011). She was one of the women gathered up to be taken to the palace. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. It is believed that the correct translation was "to appear wearing only her royal crown." Vashti is banished, a decree is issued that all wives must honor their husbands, and the stage is set for a search to replace the defiant queen. With Mordecai and the Persian King, we see her humility. Encyclopedia of Religion. Empresses & Queens They could be seen clearly from the women's benches, and it has been suggested that they were placed there because women normally came to synagogue to attend the reading of the Scroll of Esther which, according to *Joshua bar Levi (Meg. . The Persian King, Xerxes (a.k.a. While some people who have grown up in difficult circumstances question God's goodness and become cynical of Him and others, Esther's heart was compassionate and she was nice to others. Retrieved February 22, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/culture-magazines/esther. Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! She then invited the king and Haman to a feast (5:35). 3. The king complied with Esther's request, and the edict of destruction was changed into permission given to the Jews to avenge themselves on their enemies. Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. "Queen Esther," hyperhistory.net, http://www.hyperhistory.net/apwh/bios/b1estherp1mw.htm (January 6, 2005). She is credited with sparing her people, the Jews, from annihilation. How old was Esther when she married King Ahasuerus? It is believed she adopted the Persian name Esther when she entered the Persian court harem when she was a young girl. The story of Esther is found in the Biblical book that bears her name. Esther's appeal to the king involved her requesting that he attend a banquet in her quarters, and that he be accompanied by Haman. This was around the time that Ahasuerus began to look for a new queen after his first wife, Vashti, was deposed. When her opportunity finally came to appear before the king, Ahasuerus was immediately taken with Esther's attractiveness, and he made her his new queen. After the Babylonian empire was itself conquered by the Persians under Cyrus the Great, the exiled tribes were allowed to return to Jerusalem. Esther was the Queen of Persia, but she didn't rule her people like a tyrant. Encyclopedia.com. Following this, she was adopted by her cousin, Mordecai (Esther 2:7). 22 Feb. 2023 . At the outset, the Persian ruler Ahasuerus has a grand feast that is spoiled when his wife, Vashti, refuses his demand that she perform before the assembled males. We also link to other websites, but are not responsible for their content. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Since Esther is an Iranian heroine, it is not surprising that Iranian Jews have preserved her memory with great devotion. The Jewish holiday of Purim, which typically falls sometime in March, tells Esther's story.