Mordecai
Mordecai (; also
Mordechai; , ''Mŏrdəḵay''}} IPA: ) is one of the main personalities in the
Book of Esther in the
Hebrew Bible. He is described in
Tanna Devei Eliyahu as being the son of Jair, of the
tribe of Benjamin and member of the
Sanhedrin. Mordecai was also the cousin and guardian of
Esther, who became queen of Persia under the reign of
Ahasuerus (Xerxes I). Mordecai's loyalty and bravery are highlighted in the story as he helps Esther foil the plot of
Haman, the king's
Vizier, to exterminate the
Jewish people. His story is celebrated in the Jewish holiday of
Purim, which commemorates his victory. However, since the 1890s, some academics have suggested that Purim originated from a
Babylonian or
Persian myth or
festival, noting the lack of overt religious elements in the story, with a hypothesis that “The
Book of Esther is a historicized
myth or
ritual”.
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