The Banquet of Esther and Ahasuerus

A convivial feast gives Esther a chance to defend her people. It provides a period of relaxed intimacy that allows her to gain the favor and the ear of King Ahasuerus.

The Banquet of Esther and Ahasuerus

In the 5th century B.C., King Ahasuerus ruled over 127 provinces, from India to Ethiopia. After repudiating his wife, Vashti, the king chose Esther, a beautiful Jewish woman whom her guardian, Mordecai, had offered in marriage to the king. Mordecai ordered Esther not to reveal that they were both Jewish. In time, Esther gained the favor and love of the king. One day, an anti-Semite called Haman was promoted to a high position among the princes and immediately took a strong dislike to Mordecai, who was not under his authority. Out of spite toward Mordecai, Haman told Ahasuerus that among his subjects was a scattered people who threatened the unity of his rule because they avoided common observances. Ahasuerus gave Haman full authority to act, and he began to persecute the Jews. In desperation, Mordecai and Esther appealed to God to spare their people, and after days of prayer, Esther decided to beg the king for mercy. To her surprise, she was warmly received, and, summoning her courage, she invited her future husband and Haman himself to two successive splendid banquets. At the second, Esther revealed that she was Jewish, and that she, Mordecai, and the Jewish people were the objects of fierce persecution on the part of Haman. Ahasuerus listened and was both surprised and indignant at what was taking place in his kingdom. He moved immediately against Haman, saving Esther's people.

Sources

Esther 5:4-8

Iconography

Esther's banquet is depicted less often than her meeting with Ahasuerus. As with the other feasts in the Old Testament and the Gospels, it was especially favored by court painters and the prestigious personalities who placed commissions with them, because it provided a pretext for representing scenes of luxury

Giorgio Vasari, The Banquet of Esther and Ahasuerus, ca. 1548. Arezzo, Museo Statale di Arte Medievale е Moderna.