By A. A. Nemirovsky

Artaxerxes

[Persian: Khshayârshâ, Greek: ̓Αρταξέρξης], the name of the Persian king Xerxes I (c. 486-465 BC) of the Achaemenid dynasty, used in the Synodal translation of the Book of Esther, influenced by the LXX translation. In 1 Esdras, he is called Ahasuerus; his name is correctly listed in the list of Persian rulers (1 Esdras 6:4). By the time of Josephus, Xerxes was mistakenly identified with his successor, Artaxerxes I (see Antiquities 11:6, where the names and deeds of these kings are confused). According to the Book of Esther and other sources, Aram was distinguished by vanity, instability, and a desire to place royal power above any moral norms (cf. Herodotus. History. VII 29, 38-39; VIII 118-119; IX 108-113). In 465 BC, he was assassinated by conspirators. Aram zealously asserted Zoroastrianism as the state religion of Persia: in the first years of his reign, he launched a persecution against a number of cults alien to it: he destroyed temples in Egypt and Babylonia, and destroyed the sanctuaries of those who worshiped the devas, implanting the cult of Ahura Mazda. To this time, the Book of Esther attributes Aram’s intention to exterminate all the Jews in the Persian Empire, which was not realized thanks to Esther and Mordecai (c. 483 BC). Apparently, the persecution to which the king intended to subject the Jews is on a par with other punitive measures against cults incompatible with the Achaemenid state religion. In the Book of Esther, the initial plan to persecute the Jews is attributed to the royal official Haman (3:6). During the same years, the Samaritans filed a denunciation against the inhabitants of Jerusalem to Aman (1 Esdras 4:6), accusing them of rebellious intentions. Probably, Aman treated this denunciation with confidence and subjected the inhabitants of Judea to significant restrictions and oppression. Later ancient authors even believed that he was the first of the Persian kings to conquer Judea (Pompey Trogus. General History XXXVI 3:8). Under the influence of Esther, who became one of his wives, Aman changed his attitude toward the Jews. Perhaps such a drastic change, consistent with Artaxerxes’s character, was one of the reasons for his confusion in subsequent tradition with Artaxerxes I, who pursued a similar policy.

Artaxerxes I

[Greek: Μακρόχειρ, Latin: Longimanus – Long-armed], Persian king (465-424 BC) of the Achaemenid dynasty, son and successor of Xerxes I (1 Esdras 4:7; 6:14; 7:1; 8:1; Nehemiah 2:1; 5:14; 13:6). Artaxerxes concluded the lengthy Greco-Persian Wars with the so-called Peace of Callias (449 BC). While maintaining the unity of the Persian Empire, Artaxerxes patronized the Jews. In the 7th year of his reign (c. 458 BC), he permitted the return of a group of immigrants from Babylon and supported the restoration of the temple, exempting the community in Jerusalem from taxes. Along with part of the people, the priest Ezra returned to Jerusalem, who received from the king the right to govern all the Jews of the Persian province of Abarnachar (Aramaic – beyond the River, i.e., the area from the Khabur and Euphrates to the borders of Egypt) “according to the law of God” (1 Ezra 7:14). Then A. separated Judea from the Samaria region, which was hostile to Jerusalem, into a special region of Yehud. In the 20th year of his reign, A. appointed his courtier Nehemiah as governor in Jerusalem (445 BC). At the same time, he patronized Sanballat, the governor of Samaria, who was at odds with Nehemiah. Toward the end of his reign, Achaemenid, following a denunciation from the Samaritans, forbade the construction of walls in Jerusalem begun by Nehemiah, fearing that, with strong fortifications at their disposal, the inhabitants of Judea might secede from the Persian Empire. The king entrusted the enforcement of this ban to the Samaritans, who, following the king’s orders, marched on Jerusalem and halted the construction work. Construction of the walls resumed only in 422 BCE. Nevertheless, under Achaemenid, the Jerusalem community became the main bulwark of Persian power in Palestine.

References: Olmstead, A. T., History of the Persian Empire. Chicago, 1948; Littman, R. J., The Religious Policy of Xerxes and the Book of Esther. Jewish Quarterly Review. 1975, Vol. 65, pp. 145-155; Dandamaev, M. A., Political History of the Achaemenid Empire. Moscow, 1985.

Source in Russian: A. A. Nemirovsky, Achaemenids, Dynasty of Persian Kings. Artaxerxes. – Orthodox Encyclopedia, vol. 3, p. 452.

Illustrative Photo by Masih Shahbazi: https://www.pexels.com/photo/wall-carvings-at-the-gate-of-all-nations-in-persepolis-iran-7760099/