Page 103 - Biblical Backgrounds

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. 149

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
introduced the concept of loyalty on religious grounds rather than on political grounds alone. 150 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
significant to be ignored, hence his sobriquet 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.

When Alexander died, the entire expanse of his conquered land was up for grabs. Prominent officers
divided, each wanting full control, and ended up dividing the empire. All of Alexander’s successors were
Greek. For the sake of this study, the focus will be on Ptolemy and Seleucus. Ptolemy took charge of
Egypt, and Seleucus of Mesopotamia.

Ptolemy ruled from Alexandria, a city founded by and named after Alexander the Great himself. While
he was at the apex, power also lay within the Greek aristocracy that settled there. He also convinced the
people that he was the rightful Pharaoh. The Egyptians considered Alexander the Great to be pharaoh,
and since Ptolemy was succeeding Alexander, it was only logical that Ptolemy was now pharaoh. To
validate his move, Ptolemy moved Alexander’s body and buried it in Egypt as per the custom of the
Egyptians. At this time, Judah was under the control of Egypt. This dynasty continued to flourish but
would later be overshadowed by the Seleucids (Seleucus’ line) and, much later, overpowered by Rome.

149 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.
150 Ibid.

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