Purim in Early Judaism

Purim, the Festival of Lots, also called the Festival of Esther, is a late biblical observance that began in the eastern diaspora. The book of Esther is set in Persia during the reign of Aḥashverosh, either Xerxes I (r. 486–465 BCE) or possibly Artaxerxes II (r. 404–358 BCE). The book is a work of fiction, full of both novelistic and comedic touches. The festival that it authorizes later came to resemble European carnival in its customs and falls at the same time of year, anticipating the arrival of spring.

Second Maccabees is the earliest postbiblical source to mention Purim, here called Mordecai’s Day, although the mention is only in passing. The Hasmoneans’ penchant for observing days on the calendar that commemorate significant military victories, such as Nicanor’s Day, shows the degree to which they came to behave like other Hellenistic rulers. (See also “The Hasmonean Defeat of Nicanor.”)

Rabbinic treatment of this festival focuses on the rules for reading the scroll of Esther (Heb., megillat ’Ester, also referred to simply as “the Megillah”). The Mishnah discusses when it should be publicly read in commemoration of Purim. Large towns read it on the fourteenth of Adar, and cities surrounded by ancient walls read it on the fifteenth. However, small towns may move up the reading to Monday or Thursday, to coincide with days of assembly. The holiday is also moved so as to not coincide with the Sabbath. This discussion reveals a fluidity to the Purim holiday that renders it subsidiary not only to the Sabbath but also to general convenience.