by Summer Tyme

Created on: December 09, 2008

In the Bible book of Daniel, chapter 11 verses 1 through 4, the reader can see a reference to Alexander the Great. No, he is not mentioned by name. But many Jews and other Bible readers understand the words to be written about this ancient young ruler of the Greeks.

Verse one gives us the time frame of the days of the Medes and Persians. Verse three states that a king will stand up and will rule with extensive dominion and will do according to the way he wishes (Daniel 11:1-3). The reader can then read verse four and discover that this young king would die and four men would take his place in the seat of rulership, but none of these men would have the power and authority that Alexander had.

The Jewish writer Josephus explains that when Alexander went to Jerusalem, he met with the Jewish high priest. He was given the book of Daniel to read and it was explained to him that these verses in the eleventh chapter spoke of him and his conquest. Alexander was impressed. He was said to recognize that God of the Jews had given him the rulership over such a large area and over so many peoples. He then honored this God by allowing the Jews to continue to obey their ancient laws given them by God. He even went so far as to say that if any Jew was to join his army, this one would also be allowed to continue in his worship.

Because of this reference in the ancient book that means so much to Jews, Christians and even religious historians, Alexander the Great is an important man of history. Yes, he was an intelligent military leader, brilliant in his strategy. And he had been taught by one of the most revered men in the world of education of that time period. He had conquered vast land masses, defeated the powerful Medes and Persians and ruled over a numerous and diversified people. All of these are said to be what made Alexander great. And of course, each fact about the young ruler is important. He died at a young age, but had already accomplished so much more than most men years older than he. And after he died, four of his generals divided his kingdom among them, just as Daniel had written.

But what made Alexander the Great of such historical significance was his treatment of the Jews, God's chosen people. The people that would supply the young virgin, her faithful husband, and would become the brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ. Alexander the Great recognized that he could not have become ruler over so many persons, conquered so many armies and brought so much land area under his control had it not been for the God of the Jews. He gave privileges to them that he gave to no other group of people. This is what makes Alexander the Great so important a figure in the history of mankind.

I have done extensive reading on this subject as part of my religious studies. However, for this article, I visited the following for a reference I could provide for the reader who may wish to know more on this subject of Alexander the Great, ruler of the Greeks, and his treatment of the Jewish people.

Broyde, I. Jewish Encyclopedia.com(unknown) referenced only December 9 .2008 from http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?letter=A&artid=1120

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