Esther, the beautiful Jewish wife of the Persian king Ahasuerus (Xerxes I), and her cousin Mordecai persuade the king to retract an order for the general annihilation of Jews throughout the empire. The massacre had been plotted by the king's chief minister, Haman, and the date decided by casting lots (purim).

Is Ahasuerus the same as Xerxes?

Ahasuerus, a royal Persian name occurring throughout the Old Testament. Immediately preceding Artaxerxes I in the line of Persian kings, Ahasuerus is evidently to be identified with Xerxes. ... No other name resembling Ahasuerus, nor any name like Darius, is to be found in the list of Median kings.

Is Xerxes in 300 the same as in Esther?

Originally Answered: Is the Xerxes of 300 the same Xerxes of Esther? Yes; for all intents and purposes, Xerxes I, Emperor of Persia, the Levant, Asia Minor, Greece, and Pharaoh of Egypt, who reigned from 486–465 B.C., is the same person as the “Ahasuerus” spoken of in the book of Esther.