Page 89 - Biblical Backgrounds student textbook

129
predominately won over the rebels through negotiation and promises of good will. Meanwhile, those
(like the Athenians) who showed contempt and tardiness in recognizing his leadership, he threatened
utter destruction, eventually subduing them.

In successfully consolidating Greece, Alexander gave a foretaste of the strategy he would employ to
conquer Persia and subject the known world to his rule and influence: Opposition will be destroyed, but
cooperation will be rewarded. For example; while Alexander destroyed Tyre for its resistance, he only
assimilated the cooperative and welcoming Egypt and Judah.

Alexander seemed to show respect for those he conquered. It is widely narrated that he was sorry to
hear of Darius’ death even though he pursued him.

Alexander declared that Persians were to have a place in administration along with Greeks, under his
rule. As he organized conquered territories, he carefully kept a line of communication open with
Macedonia. In effect, he simply took over the Persian satrapy system. But to make sure that the satraps
did not become so powerful that they might set themselves up as independent kings, Alexander divided
their authority. That is, he put them in charge of civil administration in the provinces, while military and
financial officers reported directly to Alexander.
130

While some interpret this as courtesy and diplomacy from Alexander, some simply take it as a strategy
to placate and win over those he subjugated.

Another important aspect of Alexander’s governance is the urban strategy. He founded and identified
several cities which he developed into key centers. It is difficult to arrive with certainty at Alexander’s
real intentions for developing these cities. These cities became the residence of many Greeks and
consequently, dissemination centers of Greek culture and thought - (a phenomenon we will hereafter
refer to as Hellenization).

Meanwhile, Vos H.F. notes that a year before the end of his short life, Alexander tried a new tactic for
the management of the empire. He issued an order for his deification in the Greek centers. This
131
introduced the concept of loyalty on religious grounds rather than on political grounds alone. More
details on this aspect of Alexander’s governance will be provided under the “religion” sub-section.
Alexander stayed at the helm of power for a short period of time (12 years) but his story is too
important and significant to be ignored, hence his surtitle of “the Great”. Scanning through his legacy,
we can see his employment of all strategies deemed necessary for his rise to power and dominance:
subjugation, courtesy, propaganda, et cetera. In the same line, the fact that his empire fell apart almost
immediately on his death just shows how completely his entire enterprise depended on him. However,
his conquests set in motion a long and complex chain of cultural exchanges that helped forge the
modern world.

129 Simmons, W. (2016). Alexander the Great. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C.
Sinclair Wolcott, … W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

130 Vos, H. F. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible manners & customs: how the people of the Bible really lived (p.
348). Nashville, TN: T. Nelson Publishers.
131 Ibid.

88