Alexander in Palestine

Darius’ peace proposal (C 4.5.1-8)

10,000 talents

all the land he had conquered

marriage of his daughter and alliance

Alexander rejects

Submission

Phoenicia

Syria

Palestine

Judea

Alexander’s generals and fleets take many of the surrounding areas (C 4.5.13-22)

Bessus, governor of Bactria (C 4.6.2-4)

Most warlike of Persians

Has royal aspirations

Siege of Gaza

A 2.25.4-27; C 4.6.7-31; D 17.48.6-7

Spice trading transit from desert and Red Sea to Mediterranean

Batis, Persian governor resists

Excellent walls, high position,

Problem of the sand

Arab mercenaries

Alexander’s ramp

55 high

conscripts local workers

Batis’ sortie

Alexander’s bad omen

Withdrawal, sortie, return

Siege engines reach walls

Breach

Three assaults fail

Alexander wounded by arrow and leg cracked by stone

Recovers and resumes siege

City captured

Fourth assault

Enters city and captures gate

Arab mercenaries fight to the death

Massacre and slavery for inhabitants

Batis dragged behind chariot

Jewish Sources on Alexander

Bible

Possible prophecies of Alexander in Daniel

Daniel 2 (esp. 2:39)

Daniel 7:7

Daniel 8 (esp. 8:5-8, 21-22)

Daniel 11:3-4

Possible additional prophecies

Zech 9:1-8 = Alexander’s conquest of coast of Levant

But Zech 9:9 = cited about Jesus’ triumphal entry (Mt 21:2-7, Jn 12:14-15)

1 Macc 1:1-8, 6:2

synopsis of history of Alexander

Pseudo-Calisthenes

Alexander and the High Priest of Jerusalem (Josephus, Antiquities 11.8)

Sanballat = enemy of Jews (Nehemiah 2:10-19, 6:1-9)

Jaddua, High Priest of Jerusalem under Darius III (Neh 12:22)

Later tradition changes this to Simeon the Just

Alexander orders him to provide men and supplies

Jaddua refuses because of his oath to Darius

Alexander advances on Jerusalem after taking Gaza

Jaddua’s dream

People of Jerusalem welcome Alexander

Alexander’s prostration to High Priest

Alexander’s dream

Visits temple and offers sacrifice

Shown book of Daniel prophecies

Grants Jews special privileges

Talmudic Version (BT Yoma 69a; Nadich, 37-8)

Simeon the Just is High Priest

Confusion over Simeon (first ruled 310-291, second 219-199)

Jews destroy Samaritan temple because of their duplicity

Actually destroyed by Hasmonean ruler John Hyrcanus I

Tomb of Simeon the Just in Jerusalem

Rabbi tells me Jewish High Priest had blessed Alexander to conquer the world

Alexander and the Temple (Nadich 38 = #32)

Entry forbidden

= Pompey the Great

Image of Alexander in the Temple (Nadich 39)

Antiochus III Epiphanes

Caligula

Controversies with rivals over land (Nadich 38-9; #29-31)

With Ishmaelites (Arabs), Canaanites, Egyptians and Samaritans

Alexander settles in favor of the Jews

Questioning the Jewish wise men (#33, Nadich 40-41)

= Hindu Gymnosophists

Search for the ends of the earth

Africa and the mountains of darkness (Nadich 41, #34)

Women ruling Carthage

Golden bread

Spring of Paradise (Nadish 41)

Opening the gates of Paradise (Nadich 41-2)

Attempted ascent to heaven (Nadich 42)

Attempted descent to the oceans (Nadich 42)

King Kazia (Nadich 42-43, #35)

Alexander would kill the men and take gold

Alexander eating gold (cf. Midas)

Eyeball as insatiable

Bones of Jeremiah and Alexandria (Nadich 43)

Tomb of Daniel in Alexandria = Tomb of Alexander?

Throne of Solomon (Nadich 43)

Used by each succeeding world ruler

(cf. use of Menorah in Rome, Carthage, Constantinople and Jerusalem)

In Monastery of the Cross in Jerusalem

Arab legend of the Table of Solomon in Andulusia