Reading for September 5th

 Read Esther 1.1-9. In 1.1-9: In the royal court. In verse 1: Ahasuerus is usually identified with Xeres (486-465 BCE). "Strapies" is the more usual description of Persian administrative units than provinces. One hundred twenty-seven does not correspond to any reckoning known outside the Bible. In verse 2: Susa, at the foot of the Zagros mountains, was one of three royal residences. It consisted of a citadel, or fortified city (enclosed with gates), and an unfortified lower city. In verse 3: Media was a large province of the Achaemenid Persian empire. In verses 4-8: The extended period of Banqueting, as well as the extensive list of furnishings, paints a picture of a lavish, extravagant gentile (non-Jewish) court. Vashti is not mentioned in Persian literature. Although the Greek historian Herodotus reports that Persian men and women banqueted together, Vashti's separate banquet explains to the reader why she must be summoned, and the heavy drinking of the all-male audience may suggest that danger Vashti faced in appearing before them. Comments or Questions..