Esther

A Jewish woman allegedly married to the Persian emperor Ahasuerus, and a book of the BIBLE that tells about her. According to the book of Esther, Haman, the vizier of Ahasuerus (Xerxes I, who ruled 485–464 B.C.E.), plotted to destroy the Jews. Esther, whom the emperor did not know was Jewish, and her cousin Mordecai managed to thwart the plot. On the day appointed for the attack on the Jews, the Jews destroyed their enemies instead. The book is not generally regarded as history. It probably derives from the time right before the Hasmonean revolt against the Seleucid Empire (167–164 B.C.E.). It is important today because it is the basis for the festival of PURIM. During Purim the book of Esther is read in the SYNAGOGUE with light-hearted revelry.