Few women in ancient civilizations were given opportunities to demonstrate their strengths as females, although some societies provided notable exceptions. The reign of Egypt’s Queen Hatshepsut built upon earlier imperial successes yet she was usually depicted as a male. Archaeologists point to Minoan civilization’s higher female status, a conclusion based, in part, on religious practices featuring several female goddesses. The story of Queen Esther in the Old Testament, however, relates the providential example of an ordinary woman raised to a position of greatness, but who uses her status courageously to save her people from death.
The Elevation of Esther to Queen of Persia
Esther’s story begins with two banquets. Biblical scholars point out that banquet details in the story conform to Old Persian customs and appear to be historically accurate. In this case, the banquets take place at the royal palace in Susa, capital of the empire and the home of King Ahasuerus. The king’s banquet was attended by important male officials and lasted several days. Much wine was consumed, as was the custom.
At the end of the first paragraph of the story, the author notes that the king’s wife, Queen Vashti, gave her own banquet, “for the women in the palace…” The drama began on the seventh day when the king summoned Vashti, but she refused to obey. Obedience to spouse was a cornerstone prerequisite for family and social order. In the mythological story of Eden, Eve disobeyed and brought sin into the world; Lot’s wife disobeyed and was turned into stone.
Vashti’s refusal to obey the king’s summons was deemed a dangerous precedent by Ahasuerus’ advisors. Wives throughout the kingdom might be inclined to follow her lead. Disobedience would result in disrespect. Following his counselor’s recommendations, the king set aside Vashti and ordered a search for another woman to take her place.
Esther, known to her people the Jews as Hadassah, had been brought up by her uncle Mordecai. Sixty years after Cyrus the Great allowed Jews to return to Jerusalem, many had stayed in Susa and the other Persian provinces to which they had been deported by Nebuchadnezzar. Following what might be termed a lengthy interview process, the king took Esther as his new wife, unaware of her ethnicity – a fact she kept to herself upon the advice of Mordecai.
The Plot to Kill the King and Haman’s Folly
Mordecai never abandoned Esther but kept a vigilant eye and ear at the king’s gate. During one of his watches, he overheard a plot against the king. Confiding in Esther, the plot was foiled when Esther disclosed it to her husband. But Mordecai’s presence at the gate was also cause for an even greater calamity: the utter destruction of the Jews.
Haman, recently promoted by King Ahasuerus, was offended when Mordecai refused to bow down in his presence. Haman then ordered the building of a gallows and convinced the king that an edict must be published throughout the empire ordering the massacre of a group of people in the empire that flouted the king’s laws, including women and children. Haman’s aim was the obliteration of all the Jews.
Esther was faced with a terrible dilemma. The king had not summoned her in thirty days and the punishment to enter without an invitation was death. Additionally, Esther was a Jew, challenged by her conscience to defend her people at the cost of her own life. Mordecai reminded her that even if she remained silent, deliverance would come from somewhere else. Her uncle also noted that her elevation to become queen might have been accomplished for this very moment in time.
A Heroine Saves her People
From her actions, it is easy to conclude that Esther was intelligent and cunning, planning the destruction of Haman carefully. Following a sleepless night, the king ordered that the “book of records” be read. From the reading, he learned of Mordecai’s role in preventing the previous plot against him. Summoning Haman, the king asked the prince how best to reward a man that deserved honor. Haman, thinking only of himself, pronounced the honors that then went to Mordecai, angering Haman even more and further hardening his heart against the Jews.
Esther, however, invited her husband and Haman to a banquet. During the banquet, Esther identified herself as a Jew and implicated Haman as the architect of their massacre: this was the group within the king’s empire that Haman had maligned in order to obtain the edict of their destruction. Angered, Ahasuerus ordered the execution of Haman who was then led to the gallows he had constructed to hang Mordecai.
Esther had taken a significant risk. She entered the king’s presence without a summons. She identified herself as Jewish – a fact hidden by her from her husband the king. She challenged Haman, one of the most powerful men in the Persian Empire. At the same time, the king must have recognized qualities in Esther that enabled him to trust her.
Great Women in the Ancient World Over-Shadowed
The story of Esther begins and ends with a banquet. Although some writers compare Esther to Cinderella, fairy tale love played no role in her heroism. Esther’s courage was motivated by political and social concerns. She used her position to save her people from mass murder. The banquets were both public and private vehicles, undoing one proud queen and enabling a more humble queen to take necessary action.
Ironically, Queen Vashti was far more the feminist than Esther. This alone validates the conclusions that women in the ancient world were expected to know and function within their proscribed roles. Vashti broke the rules, and was dismissed. Esther broke out of that role also, but her motives were far-reaching and less self-inclined. Despite her heroism, however, the story ends with Mordecai, who received great honors and became “second only” to the king.
References:
- Esther, New American Standard Bible (Moody Press, 1973)
- John Urquhart, “Ester,” The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1939)
Join the Conversation