Page 41 - Advanced Bible Geography ebook

Campaigns of Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great
• Born 356 BC/Died 323 BC

• Ruler of Greece at age 20
• Ruler of the known world by age 30

• Promoted “Hellenism” in his empire

• Gave the world the Greek language

• His reign set the stage for the

Roman Empire

It is difficult to overstate how important this spread
of “Hellenism” was. For the first time since the
Tower of Babel, the world’s people were united in
several ways. From Athens to the Euphrates,
people had a common language. They shared
common ideas, a common commerce and were
invited to enjoy Greek theater and athletic
competition.

However, the Greeks also introduced dozens of The ruins of the Parthenon in Athens, Greece still convey the
their “gods” to these cultures. This caused an grandeur of the ancient Greek Empire.
enormous tension in Jewish Israel. The Greeks
never forced a conversion to Hellenism, but their Hellenism
Greek city-states were sprinkled throughout the
empire. As people sampled Greek life, Hellenism At the height of its military power under Alexander the Great, the
world’s best scientists, philosophers, writers, athletes and artists
became more and more popular. People were were Greeks.
“enlightened” by the new thoughts.
As Alexander conquered ever larger territories, he introduced
elements of his homeland’s culture to the new lands. As a result,
the world had a common language for the very first time.
When the New Testament was written three centuries later, the
writers all wrote in Greek and their message was immediately
understood on three continents.

Alexander planted 10 Greek-styled cities near the Sea of Galilee
in Israel, including Bet She’an, pictured below. These pagan cities
were called “The Decapolis.” According Mark 7:31, Jesus visited
“the region of the Decapolis.”

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