Esther

The book of Esther takes its name from the beautiful Jewish orphan who became the queen of the Persian king Xerxes. Xerxes is generally considered to be the monarch Xerxes 1, who succeeded Darius 1 in 485 B.C. and governed for twenty years over 127 provinces, from India to Ethiopia. The story develops during a period of four years, which begins in the third year of Xerxes' reign at a banquet celebrating this event and ends with Mordecai’s greatness being extolled.

The story...