Classical Texts and History • Evagoras & Esther

Isocrates, Evagoras 9.26
While he preserved for Evagoras those means whereby it was possible for him to gain the rule in accordance with piety and justice. For one of the princes, starting a conspiracy, slew the tyrant and attempted to arrest Evagoras.

According to Diodorus (xiv. 98) this conspirator was Abdemon (𐤏𐤁𐤃𐤄𐤌𐤍), a name compounding 𐤏𐤁𐤃, so without it is 𐤄𐤌𐤍 which
is also the name Haman in the book of Esther.

Esther 3.1
Ahasuerus promote Haman

Evagoras is contemporary with Artaxerxes II and in the Septuagint version of Esther, Ahasuerus is called Ἀρταξέρξης (Artaxerxes).

Diodorus Siculus, Library 14.98
In Cyprus, Evagoras of Salamis, who was of most noble birth, since he was descended from the founders of the city, but had previously been banished because of some factional quarrels and had later returned in company with a small group, drove out Abdemon of Tyre, who was lord of the city and a friend of the King of the Persians.

So here 𐤏𐤁𐤃 𐤄𐤌𐤍 is friend of the Persian King, the noble-birth of Evagoras is emphasized as is of Mordecai and Esther, the name Εὐαγόρας also resembles אביחיל (Abihail), father of Esther .

Isocrates, Evagoras 9.47
After he had taken over the government of the city, which had been reduced to a state of barbarism and, because it was ruled by Phoenicians, was neither hospitable to the Greeks nor acquainted with the arts, nor possessed of a trading-port or harbor, Evagoras remedied all these defects.

Isocrates, Evagoras 9.62
but when Evagoras was forced to go to war, he proved so valiant, and had so valiant an ally in his son Pnytagoras, that he almost subdued the whole of Cyprus, ravaged Phoenicia, took Tyre by storm

The type of anti-Phoenician sentiment is used throughout the Old Testament which also mentions the falling of Tyre.


Evagoras complains to Artaxerxes that Phoenicia was reduced to a state of barbarism and this parallels the Book of Nehemiah, in verse 2.1 Nehemiah is with Artaxerxes and complains to him in 2.3 that Phoenica, lieth waste [חרבה, πορθεῖτα]

Statistics: Posted by Ethan — Thu Jan 30, 2025 11:09 am

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