Page 107 - Advanced Biblical Backgrounds Revised

process, later executing another 2,000, and selling the remaining women and children into
slavery. Alexander’s destruction of Tyre specifically fulfilled prophecy. 153

Meanwhile, Darius prepared and restructured his army. After peace offers, which Alexander turned
down, the two armies finally met for the last time. Alexander once more triumphed over Darius at
Gaugamela (331 B.C). This defeat sent Darius as a fugitive in his own empire, eventually getting killed by
one of his closest men.

Finally rid of Darius, Alexander proclaimed himself King of Persia. But another Persian leader, Bessus
(also thought to be Darius’s murderer), also claimed the Persian throne. Alexander couldn’t let the claim
stand. Bessus was handed over by his soldiers and killed at Alexander’s command. Alexander conquered
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.” 154

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. 155 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 it.

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

153 Vos, H. F. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible manners & customs: how the people of the Bible really lived (pp.
356–357). Nashville, TN: T. Nelson Publishers.

154 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.
155 Ibid.

106