Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1893-03-08
The SUNDAY SCHOOL
international Lesson for March IL. 1893
Esther Before tho. King-Esther <:Io-

Ills seventh year. Esther made queen clio
/ B. c. 470.
His thirteenth year. Humans plot culmi
mated go D. c. f73
The time Of the special .les.on for TODAY
was therefore forty-six years before our last
| lesson, twenty-nine years before Nehcrniah's
hrst visit 70 Jerusalem. and sixty-three years
after the FIRST return OF the exile.
PLACE -Shushan (Susa), the winter capital
OF the Persian empire, about two hundred miles
nearly cast from Babylon and one hundred and
| twenty-five miles north OF the Persian gulf The
site OF the ancient Susa has been explored and
-emains OF the great palace have been discov.
cred For description, see The Book OF Es
Their, by Rev J. w. Haley.
| PLACE IN BIBLE HISTORY The Book of
! Esther belongs in the ffty-eight years interval
between the sixth and seventh chapters OF
Ezra 1t was after the dedication of the sec
ond temple, II. @. Sis, and before Ezra camo 70
| Judea Ii. q. ass
LESSON NOTES.
The Persian Empire. When, more
than a century before this time, Nebu-
chadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and
carried the Jews captive 10 Babylonia
| (0O6-5S6), 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 $3.50, and in $50
| fifty thousand Jews returned from exile
under Zerubbabel. In twenty years
! (5l5) the temple was built. Then came
a 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 its sway over the
known world. According TO Keil the
Persian empire in its whole extent from
India TO Ethiopia must have contained
a population of at least one hundred
million. Canon Rawlinson estimates
the population at fifty millions.
Xer1es, 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 n key fits a
lock. Their &erXes is the Greek short
ened form of Ahasuerus. The martial
deeds of XerXes are fully told by Gre
clan historians, especially by Herodotus
and Nenophon. 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.
| THS I,rrJy Eisusf a. IL
otus, Aerxes 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. 1t lasted
one hundred and eighty days or six
months. The king, having before this
conquered Egypt, determined ito Law a
bridge over the Hellespont, and to
transport an army into Greece to pun
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 to
reduce the whole earth into one empire;
being assured that no city or nation
viii dare to resist my arms" At this
iong-continued fete were gathered the
chief officers and mobiles of the whole
empire. Everything was done to i'm
press upon them the greatness and
power of the king, and the unlimited
resources at his command.
The Var icith greece. An interval of
four years occurs before a new queen is
found in place of Vashti 1t was dur
ing this interval that his great invasion
of Greece took place. Dipping his pen
in the lifc-blood of Persan's noblest, he
wrote for himself n record on fame's
g!ittering temple. II is said that the
army with which he invaded Greece
numbered 5,2s3,220 souls, exclusive of
women and other attendants. This
multitude was met at Thermopylm by
Leonidas and his 800 Spartans. at whose
| hands 10000 Persans fell August Z. $50
Il. c. Two months later the Persians
were terribly defeated in the great
naval battle OF Salamis. Themistocles.
with $50 Greek vessels, defeated Xerxes
with 1000 sail. This disaster was close.
ly followed by others, which compelled
NerXes 60 abandon the field and return
/ home with scarcely 1000 soldiers left
Of all the multitude with which he
set out.
queen Esther. After the return Of
NerXes thus defeated. he ceased for
time from warfare. and sought consola-
ton in the pleasures of the harem. At
this time, the seventh year OF his reign
| t2;l6), occurs the story Of Esther's eie-
walton 70 the throne as given in chap
/ tcrs and 2. She must have been
/ young at this time, between fifteen and
eighteen years old; for maidens in Per.
/ STA (says JustD arc in their glory AZ
/ twelve, and fade by the age o. twenty.
| She was very beautiful; and She seems
/ to have preserved her purity and beauty
\ Of character, even amid the baseness OF
/ an Oriental court. Esther has not been
| Identified with any queen mentioned i'm
secular history. The Persian enperors
/ had many wives, so that 10 Is not
strange that Esther is not mentioned I'm
/ secular history. IL would be strange if
/ she had been
/
FACTS ~ ASTRONOMY.
THr nearest fixed star is q 900, 900, 900
/ miles from thc earth.
THE moon is without water, and des-