NOTES for Est 1:1-12
The beginning of the Book of Esther portrays the political situation that will form the background to the central events of the narrative. The action of the book takes place in the Persian Empire, whose rulers favored the chosen people. After the Persians conquered Babylon and destroyed the Babylonian power, the Jews were able to return to Jerusalem. Many took advantage of this opportunity, but a great many remained in Mesopotamia and lived among the Babylonians, Persians, and other peoples who inhabited the domains of the Persian kings. The introduction translated from Greek, which concerns Mordecai’s dream, is somewhat reminiscent of the account in Genesis of Joseph in Egypt and of several other biblical narratives. Its essential meaning for us is that the Jews, who worshiped the one God, stood at the heart of the events in the life of a state foreign to them and occupied a significant position within it. The account of the feast given by Artaxerxes completes the picture: the action takes place beyond Judea geographically, historically, and culturally. Yet here too, as we shall see later, God’s purpose is fulfilled through the destinies of particular people, directing the course of both sacred and universal history.