ALEXANDER THE GREAT: The Shaggy Goat
ALEXANDER THE GREAT conquered the world and wept when there were no more kingdoms left for him to conquer!
Although Alexander the Great is not mentioned directly in the Bible, it is strongly believed that ‘the large horn that is between the eyes of the male goat” (Daniel 8 v 21) and the ‘mighty king’ in Daniel’s vision of Daniel 11 v 3/4 refer to him.
Alexander was the Son of Philip 11 (King of Macedon) and the founder of the Hellenistic (Greek) Empire.
He was born in 356 BC and ascended the Macedonian throne in 336 BC. He was advised by his teacher, the Philosopher Aristotle that he could rule the world if he could make the people adopt the Greek culture. Alexander extended his empire east from Greece, around the Mediterranean Sea to Egypt and then to the border of India.
Alexander’s birth took place during the interval of approx 400 years between the finish of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament, the age in which man’s wisdom was truly displayed (see chapter on the 400 gap between the Old and New Testament).
Alexander the Great conquered Syria, Lebanon, Egypt and surrounding countries, modern historians have little to say of him visiting the Holy Land. But ancient history records that he had a most remarkable encounter in Jerusalem, where it is recorded that Alexander make a sacrifice to the God of Israel.
Though Alexander the Great was a terrible scourge to many nations, his victories were like an army flying through a land more than taking forcible possession of it, yet by the over-ruling purpose of God, he treated the JEWS with remarkable kindness, though they were much injured by the armies that marched in the course of the war with Judea, and caused great inconvenience and destruction of property.
There is a miraculous account of the preservation of Jerusalem from the anger of Alexander recorded by the Jewish historian Josephus (page 306/307 in the Book 11/8).
In 332 BC Alexander besieged and defeated the coastal cities of Tyre and Gaza in his march toward Egypt. During this campaign he turned toward Jerusalem. Alexander had already demanded men and supplies from the JEWS, who were under the rule of Alexander’s mortal enemy, the Persian king Darius. The High Priest hesitated, saying that while Darius loved they would honour their pledge. Alexander was angry and began on the city of Jerusalem.
As the JEWS had refused to assist Alexander in the siege of Tyre, he marched against Jerusalem with the intention of punishing them. Well aware of the danger, Jaddua asked the people to pray to God for His mercy and protection. Then says Josephus, Jaddua had a dream as to how to entreat the Macedonian king. He and the other priests dressed in their priestly robes and accompanied by others dressed in white garments, formed a procession that went out of the city to a carefully chosen place to meet King Alexander.
They met the young conqueror, who, being struck with a religious veneration, embraced him, entered Jerusalem in a friendly manner, and offered sacrifices to God in the Temple for his recent victories. Alexander said that he had seen in Macedonia this very same person, thus clad, in a night vision. The figure had encouraged him to go on with the war against the Persians, and had promised him success.
Alexander then did the unexpected. Alone, he approached the High Priest and members of the procession and greeted them.
When asked by one of his generals why he welcomed this group, Alexander replied “I did not adore him, but the God who has honoured him with his High Priesthood; for I saw this very person in a dream, in this very habit (garment), when I was at Dios in Macedonia, who, when I was considering with myself how I might obtain the dominion of Asia, exhorted me to make no delay, but boldly to pass over the sea thither, for that he would conduct my army, and would give me the dominion over the Persians; whence it is , that having seen no other exhortation which I had in my dream, I believe that I bring this army under the divine conduct, and shall therewith conquer Darius, and destroy the power of the Persians, and that all things will succeed according to what is on my mind.”
Josephus records that Alexander then accompanied the Priest into Jerusalem and the Temple, where he ‘offered sacrifice to God, according to the High Priest’s direction, and magnificently treated both the High Priest and the Priests.
When Alexander the Great arrived in the famed city of Jerusalem he was greeted by the High Priest and the JEWISH people with respect and awe. The Jewish High Priest knew that Alexander of Macedonia had God on his side. King Alexander did not believe in the Lord but the Jewish people informed him that his kingdom was spoken about in prophecy in the Book Of Daniel, particularly Daniel 8 v 21 “And the SHAGGY-GOAT represents the kingdom of GREECE, and the LARGE HORN that is between his eyes is the first king.” in which the he-goat is interpreted to be the king of Greece, who should conquer the Medes and Persians and Daniel 11 v 3 “And a mighty king will arise, and he will rule and with great authority and do as he pleases.”
Alexander told the JEWS to ask what they should like to have granted to them; and according to their request, he gave them the privilege of being governed by their own laws, and a freedom from tribute or taxes every seventh year, during which, in obedience to the law of Moses, they neither sowed nor reaped. He also gave an of the JEWS permission to go with him to Egypt and settle in the new city of Alexandria, which he built and people with persons from various nations, after he had conquered Egypt. (It was at Alexandria that a Greek translation of the Old Testament, known as the Septuagint was developed).
The trade of Tyre, which he had destroyed (the utter destruction of Tyre was the work of Alexander the Great - Ezekiel 26) was taken to Alexandria, and many JEWS went to live there, where, under the Ptolemy’s of Egypt and the Romans, the JEWS continued to possess all the privileges granted to them by Alexander, and enjoyed the same rights as the Greeks and Egyptians.
Alexander went to live at Babylon, fully determined to make the city as great and as splendid to make the city as great and as splendid as ever by having it as the capital of his empire. He employed many thousands of men in clearing the course of the river, and in removing away the rubbish that lay around the temple of Belus. But the Lord had said that Babylon would be desolate. The young conqueror after his return from India, had only lived in the city for a few months, when he succumbed to a burning fever and in a few days he was dead.
Fifteen years after Alexander the Greats death in Babylon in 323 BC, all of his relatives had died and his vast kingdom was fought over, after 30 years of warfare the FOUR generals divided Alexander’s kingdom toward the FOUR winds of heaven in FOUR parts (Daniel 8 v 8, 22) TWO of his generals soon became more powerful than the other TWO, these were SYRIA and EGYPT.
Daniel in his vision beheld the Goat (Greece) defeat the Ram (Medo-Persian). Daniel saw the Goat’s four horns and how one of these four horns grew a ‘little horn’ that caused havoc for God’s people the JEWS.
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