Thx! I am a big fan of your work. In case you (or anyone) may be interested, I think the chronology of Esther is indirectly tied into Daniel's 70 weeks and thus, even more so, to Christ. I hope what follows in this comment is not deemed inappropriate, but here is my version of the timeline:
462 BC - On 13 Nisan (in the 1st month) the King's scribes endorsed Haman's date as an edict for the end of that year. However, on 23 Nisan (LXX) the King authorized the Jews to defend themselves against the attack on the 13th - which is the same day as the previous edict (MT) or day prior to the previous edict (LXX). In any case, on 13 Adar – the Jews overcame their adversaries (Esther 9:1). The Feast of Purim was instituted on the 14th and 15th day of Adar. Important to the "rest of the story" is the proposal that this providential day of freedom and deliverance likely inspired the Jews to use that year as the restart of the jubilee cycle. Which is why…
455 BC - Is the year Nehemiah was appointed governor of Judea (probably based on Mordecai’s influence) and Ezra makes his 2nd return to Jerusalem in the 20th year of Artaxerxes (when the "Hakhel" Torah reading ceremony was observed). And yes, I know 455 BC is a minority opinion for Atraxerxes 20th, but see Gertoux for support of this dating. Which is why…
AD 29 - After Daniel's 62 x 7 = 434 years, Christ is baptized, followed by his 3.5 year ministry (which is the beginning of the first half of Daniel’s 70th week of years). Just as King David, Christ was anointed with the Holy Spirit for (kingly/theocratic) service less than three months short of his 30th birthday (and so he was “about” 30 years old). Jesus’ baptism likely occurred in the Fall (e.g., 10 Tishri would have been 16 to 18 Oct). If the Sabbath year was 28/29 (contra Wacholder who espoused 27/28), then this Tishri 29/30 would mark the beginning of the 10th (and last) Jubilee year since the restart in 462 BC. Thus, Jesus’ baptism was 483 years after the 20th year of Artaxerxes I in 455 BC. (I have a theory-explanation about the fulfillments associated with the time period 539-455 BC on my website, which I will not plug here ;>) In John 4, with reference to the harvest, Jesus indicated the end of that Jubilee year was still 4 months away. Sometime later, in Luke 4, Jesus proclaimed the Jubilee year while in the synagogue in Nazareth.
AD 33 - Since Jesus’ baptism marked the beginning of the last week, his crucifixion on 03 Apr AD 33 (followed by his glorious resurrection) marked the mid-point of Daniel’s 70th week. At the crucifixion, Jesus ratified the new covenant with his own sacrificial death on the cross. Thus, he fulfilled the OT sacrifices (and at the same time invalidated the old covenant by means of the new).
AD 67 - The beginning of the end (of the last 3.5 years of the 70th week) would be when Rome officially declared war on Israel in Spring of AD 67. Nero formally commissioned Vespasian as his general to lead the war. Vespasian marched into Judea with an army of 60,000 men. At least 150,000 Jewish inhabitants of Galilee and Judea were killed in the coming months.
AD 70 - The war continued to the climactic destruction of Jerusalem 3.5 years later in August.
Thanks James! Much food for thought here. I really appreciate your showing us the multiple analogies and correspondences between the flood story and Esther’s story.
Do you subscribe to Aleph Beta? Their latest series in A Book Like No Other is exploring many other way the book of Esther has analogies connecting it to other biblical narratives. It doesn’t discuss the flood story, but it connects the Garden of Eden story to the book of Esther. I highly recommend the series! Paying an annual subscription to AlephBeta.com has been the best investment I’ve ever made in my spiritual growth (speaking of monetary investment only, of course, not other kinds of investment like time).
This study you’ve done on Esther complements the work Rabbi David Fohrman is doing on Esther at Aleph Beta.
Thx! I am a big fan of your work. In case you (or anyone) may be interested, I think the chronology of Esther is indirectly tied into Daniel's 70 weeks and thus, even more so, to Christ. I hope what follows in this comment is not deemed inappropriate, but here is my version of the timeline:
462 BC - On 13 Nisan (in the 1st month) the King's scribes endorsed Haman's date as an edict for the end of that year. However, on 23 Nisan (LXX) the King authorized the Jews to defend themselves against the attack on the 13th - which is the same day as the previous edict (MT) or day prior to the previous edict (LXX). In any case, on 13 Adar – the Jews overcame their adversaries (Esther 9:1). The Feast of Purim was instituted on the 14th and 15th day of Adar. Important to the "rest of the story" is the proposal that this providential day of freedom and deliverance likely inspired the Jews to use that year as the restart of the jubilee cycle. Which is why…
455 BC - Is the year Nehemiah was appointed governor of Judea (probably based on Mordecai’s influence) and Ezra makes his 2nd return to Jerusalem in the 20th year of Artaxerxes (when the "Hakhel" Torah reading ceremony was observed). And yes, I know 455 BC is a minority opinion for Atraxerxes 20th, but see Gertoux for support of this dating. Which is why…
AD 29 - After Daniel's 62 x 7 = 434 years, Christ is baptized, followed by his 3.5 year ministry (which is the beginning of the first half of Daniel’s 70th week of years). Just as King David, Christ was anointed with the Holy Spirit for (kingly/theocratic) service less than three months short of his 30th birthday (and so he was “about” 30 years old). Jesus’ baptism likely occurred in the Fall (e.g., 10 Tishri would have been 16 to 18 Oct). If the Sabbath year was 28/29 (contra Wacholder who espoused 27/28), then this Tishri 29/30 would mark the beginning of the 10th (and last) Jubilee year since the restart in 462 BC. Thus, Jesus’ baptism was 483 years after the 20th year of Artaxerxes I in 455 BC. (I have a theory-explanation about the fulfillments associated with the time period 539-455 BC on my website, which I will not plug here ;>) In John 4, with reference to the harvest, Jesus indicated the end of that Jubilee year was still 4 months away. Sometime later, in Luke 4, Jesus proclaimed the Jubilee year while in the synagogue in Nazareth.
AD 33 - Since Jesus’ baptism marked the beginning of the last week, his crucifixion on 03 Apr AD 33 (followed by his glorious resurrection) marked the mid-point of Daniel’s 70th week. At the crucifixion, Jesus ratified the new covenant with his own sacrificial death on the cross. Thus, he fulfilled the OT sacrifices (and at the same time invalidated the old covenant by means of the new).
AD 67 - The beginning of the end (of the last 3.5 years of the 70th week) would be when Rome officially declared war on Israel in Spring of AD 67. Nero formally commissioned Vespasian as his general to lead the war. Vespasian marched into Judea with an army of 60,000 men. At least 150,000 Jewish inhabitants of Galilee and Judea were killed in the coming months.
AD 70 - The war continued to the climactic destruction of Jerusalem 3.5 years later in August.
Thanks James! Much food for thought here. I really appreciate your showing us the multiple analogies and correspondences between the flood story and Esther’s story.
Do you subscribe to Aleph Beta? Their latest series in A Book Like No Other is exploring many other way the book of Esther has analogies connecting it to other biblical narratives. It doesn’t discuss the flood story, but it connects the Garden of Eden story to the book of Esther. I highly recommend the series! Paying an annual subscription to AlephBeta.com has been the best investment I’ve ever made in my spiritual growth (speaking of monetary investment only, of course, not other kinds of investment like time).
This study you’ve done on Esther complements the work Rabbi David Fohrman is doing on Esther at Aleph Beta.
Now you're just showing off, mate. :)