The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1893-03-10
TIE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
International Lesson for March az. 1So9
Father i:efare the King Esther lslo-


~. IN "A year. The great feast l:3l ID q. go
~ se,esih year Esther made queen g Icj
&c. AZ
u.s thirteenth year Humans pio, cuiri-
satei go Il &. AZ.
The time OF the special 'lesson for to-day
Vas therefore fortysix years before our last
re>snn. iwcnty-alae years before Nchcmlshs
rs. visit 70 jerusalem and slyty-,hrec years
s..4r the frat return of the cxies
PLACE -Shushal (susa,. the Water capital
n. The Persian empire, about two hundred miles
,rarly east from Babylon. and ono hundred and
,-cnty- ave miles north 81 the Persian gulf The
go oi the ancient Susa has been explored. and
remains 81 the great palace have been diseov-
81 For description. see Ihc Book OF Es-
rher. b Rev J. W. H-..-,.
P--Acr IN EIuiS HssTrsy The Book Of
Esther belongs - NJ fffy-eighi years interval
between tse sixth and seventh chapters OF
Ear, Nwas after the dedication Of the SEQ
crd temple. II. G. SIS. and before Ezra came u
JrdeA ID. G. 455
LESSON NOTES.
: The Persian Empire. When. more
than 4 century before this time, Nebu-
chadnczzar destroyed Jerusalem and
carried the Jews captive 10 Babylonia
t6O6-5s5). he was the greatest king then
living. his empire the most powerful.
4
followed the seventy years captivity.
Ncbuchadnczzar's successors were as
little likely to permit the Jews to re-
turn rs was the great king himself.
But God saw the way ont. 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
t5i5l the temple was built. Then came
q Pause If nearly sixty years In the his
tory Of the Jews. In the meantime the
Medo-Pcrsian empire had become larger
than any previous one known in the
world. and surrounded its chief with
almost unimaginablc splendor and
wealth. Its ambition was To conquer
Greece. and extend its sway over the
known world. According 10 kcil the
Persian empire in its whole extent from
India To Ethiopia IN lust have contained
population of at least one hundred
million Canon Rawlinson estimates
the population at fifty millions.
ye-r-s. he Persian Emperor. The
Ahasuerus OF Esther has been identified
almost beyond doubt with Xerxes. the
son Of Darius Hystaspes tihc one under
whom the temple of Zerubbabel was
completely The dates Of Esther and
Of secular history agree. as key fits a
lock Their Ncrxes is the Greek short
ered form of Ahasuerus. The martial
deeds of Xerxes are fully told by Gre
elan historians, especially by Heyodotus
ard Ncnophon- lie was remarkable for
his natural beauty, but he was proud.
seif-willed. aincrous. careless of contra
vening Persian customs. reckless Of hui
man life, yet not actually bloodthirsty,
inpetuous. facile. changeable.
The Grrat Fast. According to Hcrod-
otus. Nerxes held an assembly to ar
range for the Grccian war in the
third year of his reign. and i: 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
conquered Egypt. determined Ito lay
bridge over the Ilellcspont. and to
transport an army into Greece to pun
ish the Atheaians' for their defeat Of
his father Darius 1T Marathon. Then
he added: Il intend 10 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 10 resist my arms" At this
long-continued fetc were gathered the
chief officers and mobiles of the whole
- r.~
press upon them the greatness and
power Of tho king. and the unlimited
resources a. his command.
The War Nth Greer. An interval Of
four years occurs before q new queen il
found in place of vashti. 1t was dur
ing this interval that his great invasion
Of Greece took place. Dipping his pen
In the life-blood Of Persan's noblest, he
wrote for himself record on flames
gittering temple. 1t is said that the
army with which he invaded Greece
women and other attendants. This
multitude was met at Thermopyl@ by
Leonidas and his 500 Spartans. at whose
hands $4,000 Persans fell August :. $50
q. g. Two months later the Persians
were terribly defeated in the great
naval hattie Of Salamis. Themistocles,
with $50 Greek vessels. defeated Xerxcs
with 1000 sail. This disaster was close
~ followed by Others. which compelled
Aerxcs to abandon the field and return
home with scarcely 5000 soldiers left
Of all the multitude with which he
Get out
Queea EsfAsr. After the return Of
Aerxcs thus defeated. he ceased for .
time frcn warfare. and sought consola-
ton in the pleasures of the harcm- At
This time, the seventh year Of his reign
2:lel. occurs the story Of Esthcr's cle-
Va'ion To the throne as given i'm chap
tiers | and .. She must have been
Young ut this time. between fifteen and
eighteen years old: for maidcns in Per-
80 says Justi) are in their glory at
twelve. and fade by the age Of twenty.
she was very beautiful; and she seems
% have preserved her purity and beauty
81 character. even amid the baseness Of
an Oriental court. Esther has not been
identified with any queen mentioned in
secular hf~tor-- The o,rr,n~.>rx