1 And the king Ahasuerus laid a tribute upon the land, and upon the isles of the sea. 2 And all the acts of his power and of his might, and the declaration of the greatness of Mordecai, whereunto the king advanced him, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? 3 For Mordecai the Jew was next unto king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the wealth of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed.
[AD 856] Rabanus Maurus on Esther 10:1-3
Why are we told that King Ahasuerus exacted tribute from every land, and from all the islands of the sea? Because the historical king of the Persians and Medes never held every land under his sway, and could not exact tribute from all the islands of the sea since not even his name could have reached the aforementioned islands and parts of the world; whereas this statement more accurately reflects our king and Lord Christ, whose power is in Heaven, and on earth, and on the sea and in all the depths. In fact, in the Gospels he calls himself a gateway, since through him we gain the entry to eternal life; and according to a statement of the Psalmist: “The whole world, all the kings of the earth, adore him. All the kings of the earth will serve him, the kings of Tarshish and the islands will offer him gifts, the kings of Arabia and Sheba will bring presents” (Psalms 72). So the strength, and power, and dignity, and grandeur of this king, and how he raised up the true Mordecai—that is, the community of sacred teachers who were leaders of the Church at the head of the Christian people—are documented in the statements and the writings of not only the single people of Judea, but of all the nations as well. He has from the start exalted his chosen ones with the gift of his grace, and has glorified and honored them in the sight of all the nations; these seek the best for their people and whatever they say is concerned with the well-being of their seed, since according to the prophecy of Isaiah: “The watchmen of the Lord will lift up their voices, and will praise altogether (Isaiah 52); their feet are beautiful, the feet of those who bring the gospel of peace, the gospel of good things” (Romans 10). This is because they always ask after the peace of Jerusalem, and their seed will be known among the nations and their offshoots amid the peoples. All who have seen them will know them, because they are the seed which the Lord has blessed.