Xerxes I Xerxes I, who reigned over the Persian Empire from 486 to 465 BC, was the son and successor of Darius I (Hystaspes). He inherited a vast empire from his father and his maternal grandfather (Cyrus II), but he was unable to govern Persia effectively due to his cruelty and instability. Early in Xerxes’ reign, Egypt and Babylon revolted against Persian rule. Xerxes crushed the revolts and kept the tax revenues flowing, but his brutal treatment of his subjects began cementing his reputation for despotism. In the third year of his reign, Xerxes convened an assembly of his leaders to plan an invasion of Greece. (The book of Esther begins with a banquet that probably reflects that situation.) In 480 BC the legendary but ill-fated campaign to conquer Greece began. Xerxes’ tyrannical cruelty is exemplified by two accounts that Herodotus records from this campaign. When he and his armies reached the Hellespont (the waterway connecting the Black Sea with the Mediterranean), his engineers built a bridge so his armies could cross, but a storm destroyed the bridge. Xerxes responded by beheading the engineers and whipping the water before building a stronger bridge. Later in the...

Ethnic Hatred Selfish pride, a desire to maintain power, and hatred for those who stand in the way have often been the basis for the persecution of racial or religious groups. Many people have died through the centuries because of such hatred. In the book of Esther, Haman hated Mordecai because Mordecai would not bow down as everyone else did when Haman passed by (Esth 3:1-5). Haman thus despised a man of integrity who would not obey laws that were against his convictions. This personal hatred of Mordecai the Jew developed into a murderous desire to destroy all Jews (3:6). His charge against the Jewish people was what he hated in Mordecai: They did not assimilate with other people, they had unique laws and customs, and they did not obey some of the laws of the king (3:8). The Spanish Inquisition (1400s) and the Holocaust in Nazi Germany (1930s–40s) were other terrible attempts to wipe the Jewish people off the face of the earth. Religious and ethnic hatred still leads to diabolical plans today. God disapproves of such hatred against any ethnic or religious group, and he will eventually hold accountable those who attempt to carry out such plots (see Deut 30:7; Pss 21:7-1...