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XERXES

(Gk. Xerxēs)

Xerxes I, Achaemenid king of Persia, 486-465 b.c.e., who ascended the throne upon the death of Darius I. There is inscriptional evidence to suggest that Xerxes I was the crown prince for some time, and held a coregency with his father (he is noted on the south doorway of Darius I’s private palace). This is notable because there is evidence that Darius had earlier indicated that his eldest son, Artobazanes, would succeed him. However, Darius fathered Xerxes by Atossa, daughter of Cyrus the Great and wife of Cambyses. Among the Persepolis inscriptions, Xerxes himself notes that although he had brothers, he was himself selected by the will of Ahura Mazda (the Zoroastrian patron god of the Achaemenid line) to be the new king. From 498 until his accession 12 years later, Xerxes served as satrap of Babylonia, the second most powerful position in the Persian Empire.

Xerxes is noted for a campaign in Egypt, which may have also involved an invasion of Judah along the way. The revolt in Egypt was finally crushed in January 484. The Greek sources narrate his military preparations for an invasion of Greece, but he was preoccupied with rebellion within his own empire — notably in Babylon. There is some controversy as to Xerxes’ policies toward Babylon. It seems certain that his general, Megabyzus, actually melted down the statue of Marduk as part of the policy of reducing Babylon to compliance. This may have been an example of wider policy, as there is indication that Xerxes treated local temples (often the centers of revolt) severely in his responses to insurrection (and in contrast to the more liberal policies of Darius). His burning of Athens was the celebrated cause of Greek hatred of Xerxes, who passed into Greek lore as a despotic monster. He was defeated by the Hellenic fleet at Salamis in September 480, and again suffered defeat of his army at Plataia in 479. It was undoubtedly as a result of his many failures that he was eventually open to receive a peace delegation led by Kallias, who was sent by the Athenians. The peace negotiations carried on, despite palace intrigues that led to the assassination of Xerxes and the eventual succession of Artaxerxes I to the throne; the latter continued to abide by the short-lived peace agreement as well.

Xerxes, in his later reign, is noted in classical literature for many palace and harem intrigues — some of which may provide the historical “background color” behind the popularity of Hebrew stories such as Esther. Jon L. Berquist, however, suggests that only Malachi may come from the time of Xerxes, and Malachi’s concern with temple offerings may reflect Xerxes’ policy of cutting off funds for local shrines — funds that were generous under his father Darius. Such a financial crisis may be reflected in the concern for “tithes,” temple personnel, and temple power in Malachi.

Bibliography. J. M. Balcer, A Prosopographical Study of the Ancient Persians Royal and Noble c. 550-450 b.c. (Lewiston, 1993); J. L. Berquist, Judaism in Persia’s Shadow (Minneapolis, 1996); J. M. Cook, The Persian Empire (New York, 1983).

Daniel L. Smith-Christopher

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

XERXES

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)