|
A
Bit of World History
The story of Purim takes place at the very end of the era known
in Jewish history as the Babylonian Exile. In 422 B.C.E.*, Nebuchadnezzar
and the Babylonian empire destroyed the Temple and Jerusalem and
exiled the Jews from the Land of Israel. Scattered, the Jews waited
for the end of the 70 year exile prophesied by the prophet Jeremiah.
In the year 372 B.C.E., however, the Babylonian Empire was itself
crushed by the combined armies of King Darius of Media and King
Cyrus of Persia (both part of current day Iran) and the new Persian
Empire was formed under the rule of Cyrus. Unlike his Babylonian
predecessors, Cyrus was not interested in destroying the individual
cultures of his subjects, unless they were in direct opposition
to him. Known as Cyrus the Great, he issued an edict in 373 B.C.E.,
allowing the Jews to return to the land of Israel. Shortly afterwards,
the first group of exiles returned under the leadership of the prophet
Nechemiah. In Jerusalem, they began to lay the foundations for the
rebuilding of the Holy Temple, paving the way for their Jewish brethren
who remained scattered across the empire. The enemies of the Jews,
however, convinced Cyrus to stop the Temple's rebuilding.
The rise of King Achashverosh, the king of the Purim story, begins
around the year 360. There is much debate as to the exact identity
of Achashverosh. Some sources say that Achashverosh was actually
Cambys, the son of Cyrus, some say that he was the son of Darius
the Mede. Still others say that he was a commoner who usurped the
throne through cunning and by marrying Vashti, the great-granddaughter
of Nebuchadnezzar, to give him legitimacy. Regardless of how Achashverosh
achieved power, he took over the reign of the Persian Empire in
360 B.C.E., and continued the ban on the rebuilding of the Temple
in Jerusalem.
Achashverosh ruled over 127 provinces, a vast empire from Ethiopia
to India. His capital was the city of Shushan, known today as Susa.
Thinking that the 70 year prediction that the Temple would be rebuilt
started with the exile of King Yechonia and the Jewish elite, Achashverosh
miscalculated the correct date for the end of the Jewish exile.
Secure that the Jewish prophecy had come to naught, he threw a great
party. This is opening of the Book
of Esther
Following the defeat of the enemies of the Jews (355 B.C.E.), Achashverosh
remained in power with Mordechai as his Prime Minister.
In 352 B.C.E., the Jews in the Land of Israel completed the rebuilding
of the Second Temple and the Babylonian exile officially came to
an end as Jews streamed home.
*
There is a discrepancy of 164 years between the traditional Jewish
chronology and secular chronology.
|
