Ahasuerus

No verified typological identification of Ahasuerus was found in the Russell period (1879–1916); the occurrences located there are historical. Under Rutherford, the interpretation was introduced in 1931 as royal or regal power and office in the abstract, with Ahasuerus deliberately playing different roles according to the scene: Christ Jesus, Satan and his governing factors, Jehovah God and Christ together, or earthly ruling power. Preservation in 1932 consolidated this explicitly by saying that Ahasuerus could picture Satan, Jesus Christ, or Jehovah, and the 1932 Year Book repeated the Christ identification. No verified typological statement was found in the Knorr period before 1971. In 1971 the explanation became more specific: Ahasuerus pictured royal power in the hands of Jesus Christ, who was also called the Greater Ahasuerus. Under Franz, The Watchtower in 1979 retained the Christological application by comparing Jesus' exercise of regal power over the earth with Ahasuerus' rule over the Persian Empire. The 1980 occurrences located are historical or illustrative rather than new identifications.