The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1893-03-09
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
1ntsrnstionsI Lesson for March ~, 1893
Esther Before the King-Esthsr A,10-


His third year The great feast Q:3) u. Q. 4s3.
His seventh year. Esther made queen C2:16)
b. G. 479
His thirteenth year. Haman's plot culmi.
mated (3:D B. @. 473
Tho time Of the special lesson for to-day
was therefore forty-six years before our last
lesson, twcnty-nine years before Nehemiah's
first visit TO Jerusalem, and sixty-three years
after the first return Of the exiles.
PLACE -Shushsn (Susa), the winter capital
Of the Persian empire, about two hundred miles
nearly east from Babylon, and one hundred and
twenty-five miles north of the Persian gulf The
site Of the ancient Susa has been explored, and
remains Of the great palace have been discov-
cred. For description, see The Book Of Es
thor, BY Rev J. w. Haley. sFI
PLAoh m BIBLE HIsToRT.-7The Book Of
Esther belongs IN the ffty.cight yssfs' Interval
betweeh tho sixth and seventh chApters Of
EZRA twas after the dedication Of the sec
ond temple. B. Q. siS. and before Ezra came TO
LESSON NOTES.
The Pertain Empire. When, more
than century before this time, Nebu-
chadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and
carried the Jews captive to Babylonia
(o06-5s6), he was the greatest king then
living, his empire the most powerful,
his capital the most magnificent. Then
followed the seventy years captivity.
Nebuchadnezzar's successors were as
little likely to permit the Jews to re-
turn as was the great king himself.
But God saw the way out When the
time came, the Babylonian empire was
conquered by Cyrus (53s), and in $50
fifty thousand Jews returned from exile
under Zerubbabel. In twenty years
(515) the temple was built. Then came
pause of nearly sixty years in the his
tory of the Jews. In the meantime the
Medo-Persian empire had become larger
than any previous one known in the
world, and surrounded its chief with
almost unimaginable splendor and
wealth. Its ambition was to conquer
Greece, and extend it's sway over the
known world. According to Keil the
Persian empire in it's whole extent from
India to Ethiopia m ust have contained
a population of at least one hundred
million. Canon Rawlinson estimates
the population at fifty millions.
Xerees, the Persian Emperor. The
Ahasuerus of Esther has been identified
almost beyond doubt with Xerxes, the
son of Darius Hystaspes (the one under
whom the temple of Zerubbabel was
| completely The dates of Esther and
of secular history agree, as a key fits q
lock. Their Xerxes is the Greek short
ened form of Ahasuerus. The martial
deeds of Xerxes are fully told by Gre
| clan historians, especially by Herodotus
and Xenophon. He was remarkable for
his natural beauty, but he was proud,
| self-willed, amorous, careless of contra
! vening Persian customs, reckless of hui
man life, yet not actually bloodthirsty,
impetuous, facile, changeable.
The Great Feast. According to Herod-
otus, Xerxes held an assembly to ar
range for the Grecian war in the
third year of his reign, and it is prob
ably this feast which is described in
the first chapter of the book Of
Esther, as given to the mobiles OF
the realm, assembled at Shushan
from all parts of the empire. It lasted
one handred and eighty days or six
months. The king, having before this
conquered Egypt, determined "to lay a
bridge over the Hellespont, and tc
ish the Athenians' for their defeat OF
his father Darius at Marathon. Then
he added: 81 intend to march through
all the parts of Europe, and tc
reduce the whole earth into one empire
being assured that no city or nation
will dare to resist my arms" At this
long-continued fete were gathered the
chief officers and mobiles of the whole
empire. Everything was done to i'm
press upon them the greatness ant
power of the king, and the unlimited
resources at his command
The War aoHh Greece An interval o.
four years occurs before neW queen il
found in place of Vashti 1t Was dur
ing this interval that his great invasion
of Greece took place. Dipping his pei
wrote for himself a record on fame.
glittering temple. 1t is said that tn,
army with which he invaded Greco,
numbered $685. ,220 souls, exclusive o
women and other attendants. Thi
multitude was met at Thermopylw b,
Leonidas and his 800 Spartans, at who's
hands 10000 Persans fell August Z, 4s
B. G. Two months later the Persian
were terribly defeated in the grea
naval battle of Salamis. Themistocles
with $50 Greek vessels, defeated Xerxe
with 1000 sail. This disaster was close
ly followed by others, which compelle
Xerxes to abandon the field and return
home with scarcely 5000 soldiers lef
of all the multitude with which h
set out
Queen Esther. After the return O
Xerxes thus defeated, he ceased for
time from warfare, and sought consoia
ton in the pleasures of the harem. A
this time, the seventh year of his reigl
(2:16), occurs the story Of Esther's ele
vation to the throne as given in char
ters and 2. She must have bee
young at this time, between fifteen an
eighteen years old; for maidens in Pei
STA (says JustD are in their glory a
twelve, and fade by the age of twenty
She was very beautiful; and she seem
to have preserved her purity and beaut