Page 102 - Biblical Backgrounds

a series of territories across India and beyond, before returning to Babylon, where he died in 323 BCE.
There are different narratives on the cause of his death.

Under Alexander the Great (336-323 B.C), Macedonia conquered the entire Persian Empire. Alexander’s
empire extended from the Indus River in the east to the Mediterranean in the west and included
Macedonia and Greece, Asia Minor, and Egypt. The distance across it was more than 3,000 miles.” 146

Government

Even though Alexander the Great is not mentioned in the Bible, scholarship widely agrees that he is
referred to in Daniel 11:3-4:

“Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion and do as he wills. And as soon as he
has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not to his
posterity, nor according to the authority with which he ruled, for his kingdom shall be plucked up and go
to others besides these.”

Obviously, we all marvel at Alexander’s skill and strategy in conquering the world of his day. At the same
time, we must also recognize that he had much to learn from those who surrounded him in his
childhood. One such person is his father. Macedonia was a hereditary monarchy in which the king had
virtually absolute power. He commanded the military forces in person and led them in battle. In foreign
affairs, he initiated diplomatic relations. 147 We have already seen how Philip II ran a campaign to form
the “Greek league.” Before moving his conquest across the Aegean Sea, Alexander faced a test and
undoubtedly employed his father’s strategy to overcome.

Several Greek states welcomed the death of Philip, reasoning that Alexander’s youth and inexperience
provided them with an opportunity to cast off Macedonian rule. In 335 B.C, Athens and Thebes refused
to acknowledge Alexander’s leadership and incited neighboring Greek states to revolt. Alexander
predominantly won over the rebels through negotiation and promises of goodwill. 148 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’s death, even though he pursued him.

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

147 Ibid.

148 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.

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