The Prophecies of Daniel: Part 3, Daniel and Alexander the Great.
JK Selers
March 15, 2024 Updated 10/21/21
The Emperor Alexander Paying Tribute to the Grand Priest Jaddus, Jacopo Amigoni (c. 1675-1752)
Introduction
In this article I explore Josephus’ account of Alexander’s 332 BC entry into Jerusalem amid his Persian campaign as told in his book, Jewish Antiquities (11.317-345).After subduing Tyre, Alexander sought Jerusalem’s support, only to be rebuffed by High Priest Jaddua, a loyalist of Darius. Facing Alexander’s wrath, Jaddua, guided by a dream from God, met him in white robes. Alexander, recalling a dream of conquest linked to Daniel’s visions (Dan. 8:3-8, 11:1-4), saluted Jaddua, entered the temple, and granted favors, seeing himself as Daniel’s Greek “he-goat” toppling Persia. This article tackles controversy, as secular historians reject Josephus’ unique tale, dating Daniel post-Alexander to discredit the prophecy. Daniel’s 6th-century prophecies, proven by Alexander’s recognition, reflect God’s foreknowledge, urging readers to trust in God’s revelation over scholarly skepticism.
Backstory
After the death of King Phillip in 336 BC, many of the newly conquered kingdoms and city states of Macedonia rebelled against the young heir, Alexander, thinking him to be a pushover. Unfortunately for them he inherited his father’s well trained army and was an even more brilliant strategist than his father. Alexander was quickly able to reunify Macedonia with a combination of speed, lightning strikes with his cavalry, and diplomacy. With Macedonia now taken care of, Alexander then set his eyes and forces upon his northern neighbors. In early 335 BC he conquered Thracia, Triball and marched his army to the Danube to discourage the tribes on his northern flank from any raiding while he was off campaigning.
While Alexander was away the cats at home began to play. Several city states rebelled, again, against his rule. The sack of Thebes and its partition to other more loyal territories cowed the rest of the rebels. Solidifying his borders from threats from within and without, Alexander now set his sights on Macedonian’s ancient enemy, the Persian Empire.
After crossing the Hellespont, Alexander was the first of his army to step foot onto Persian soil. Stepping onto the beach he threw his spear deep into the sand, proclaiming that Asia would be his ‘spear won territory’ (it’s a Greek thing). The next order of business was to free the Greeks who lived along the coast and on nearby islands. This included the ancient site of Troy. In 334 BC Alexander fought and won three major battles to take Asia Minor (present day Turkey) from Persia.
The Battle of the Granicus River , Charles Le Brun, 1665
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During 333-332 BC, Alexander went against Darius’ numerically superior army, outmaneuvered it and defeated the Persian army at Issus. Darius fled in a panic, leaving behind a collapsing army, his family, and a fabulous treasure. After ransoming the royal family, Alexander was able to take possession of Syria and most of the Levant coast (roughly present-day Lebanon and Israel). Alexander’s goal was to take the entire east coast of the Mediterranean, from Greece all the way to Egypt, to secure his western flank and facilitate the resupply of his army by sea.
The most important port on the Levant coast was the Phoenician port city of Tyre (about 10 miles north of Israel/Lebanon border). For his plans to work, Alexander needed to take this strategic port from Persia. The siege took seven months and was very costly to the Macedonians. As typical in ancient warfare, the city and the attacking army knew the rules. Surrender and receive light or no punishment. If the city decided to fight and force the invading army to a costly assault or siege, then the city would be punished. Typically, the leaders and many of the population would either be killed or enslaved, and the city sacked and burned.
The Siege of Tyre (332 BC) Wikipedia
This was the case for Tyre. 6,000 Tyrians were killed in the assault, 2,000 were crucified on the beach and 30,000 citizens were sold into slavery. This was Tyre’s cost for not surrendering to Alexander. Why didn’t they just capitulate before the attack? Hubris. Tyre, from past experience, thought they were impregnable from conquering armies. In the past Tyre had withstood a five-year long siege by Assyria and a thirteen-year siege by Nebuchadnezzar. The leaders of Tyre thought they would be safe from Alexander and his army. They thought wrong.
This is where we turn to Josephus and his story.
Alexander’s visit to Jerusalem
During Tyre’s siege, Alexander sent a message to Jaddua, the high priest of Jerusalem, with a request for assistance in the form of auxiliaries (foot soldiers and manual labor), provisions and the tribute Darius was supposed to receive. (A large army sitting for seven months in one place consumes a lot of food and animal fodder. In addition, the causeway Alexander built to assault Tyre required lots of manpower to construct.) Alexander also asked Jerusalem to switch allegiance from Darius to Alexander, which would make sense since Alexander had conquered half of the Levant anyway. The annual tribute that went to Darius would then go to Alexander's coffers.
A relatively small city like Jerusalem would be foolish to deny Alexander his request, seeing as to what was about to happen to Tyre. However, Jaddua’s reply to Alexander’s letter was not expected. Jaddua said that “he had given his oath to Darius not to bear arms against him; and he said that he would not transgress this while Darius was in the land of the living.” This angered Alexander to the point where he promised, as soon as Tyre and nearby Gaza were taken, to teach the high priest and Jerusalem a lesson. That it was not wise to keep your oath to the enemy of a conquering army while it was in your neighborhood.
So Jaddua and the rest of Jerusalem anguished over their fate as they witnessed the fall and sack of both Tyre and Gaza and awaited their turn. Once Gaza was taken, Alexander “made haste to go up to Jerusalem,” probably with a large contingent of his cavalry while the rest of his army prepared for its march to Egypt. Jaddua asked the people to pray and offer sacrifices seeking God’s protection from Alexander’s fury.
That night Jaddua had a dream. In this dream God told Jaddua to “take courage, and adorn the city, and open the gates.” God then instructed Jaddua to have the population wear white clothing and that he and the priests should adorn themselves with their finest priestly apparel and await Alexander. When Jaddua got word that Alexander was near, he formed a procession with he and his priests in the lead and headed out to meet the coming army.
As Alexander approached the city, he promised his troops that they would have the pleasure to “plunder the city and torment the high priest to death.” However, when Alexander saw in the distance the multitude dressed all in white and the priests in the forefront, he did something most unexpected to his own troops and to the people of Jerusalem. Alexander rode out alone, went up to the high priest and saluted him. Whereupon the crowd from Jerusalem, “with one voice, salute(d) Alexander, and encompass(ed) him about.”
In wonder, his highest-ranking officer, Parmenio, asked Alexander why he of all people was honoring the high priest of the Jews rather than having him executed. Alexander replied:
"I did not adore him, but that God who hath honored him with his high priesthood; for I saw this very person in a dream, in this very habit, 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 in that habit, and now seeing this person in it, and remembering that vision, and the 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 in my own mind." (Josephus, Flavius, Antiquities of the Jews — Book XI, Chapter 6, 5)
Alexander rode into Jerusalem with Jaddua running along at his side, not as a conqueror but as a friend. Jaddua escorted the king to the temple where he led him in offering sacrifices. He and the other priests treated Alexander “magnificently.” When Jaddua showed Alexander the prophesies in Daniel, that the Greeks would destroy the Persian empire, Alexander knew that it was he that was spoken of in Daniel and that he would lead his Greek army in the downfall of Persia.
Alexander the Great in the Temple of Jerusalem, Sebastiano Conca (1680-1764)
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Here are the verses that the priests, in all probability, showed Alexander:
Daniel 8:3-8; 20-22 (KJV)
3 Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram (Persia) which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last.
4 I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great.
5 And as I was considering, behold, an he goat (Greece) came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn (Alexander) between his eyes.
6 And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power.
7 And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand.
8 Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken (Death of Alexander); and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.
20 The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.
21 And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.
22 Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power.
Daniel 11:1-4 (KJV)
1 Also I in the first year of Darius the Mede, even I, stood to confirm and to strengthen him.
2 And now will I shew thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia.
3 And a mighty king shall stand up (Alexander), that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will.
4 And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven; and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he ruled: for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those.
The next day Alexander granted favors to Jerusalem. That they would be able to worship freely and be able to obey the Laws of God. That they could be free of paying tribute on the seventh year and that their fellow Jews in Babylon and Media could enjoy these same benefits also. He also permitted any Jew who joined his army the same privileges, which many did.
Sounds plausible, right? Not to secular scholars.
The Controversy
Among all the ancient historian, Josephus (37 AD-100AD) is the only one to recount this story. The primary source material for Alexander’s history, Arrian (circa 86-160 AD), Diodorus Siculus (90-30 B.C.) and Quintus Curtius Rufus (first century AD), do not have this side ‘adventure’ of Alexander’s, but rather have him going from Gaza directly to Egypt.
“Josephus (A.D. 37-c. 100) was a Jewish statesman and soldier high in the esteem of the emperors Vespasian and Titus and the author of two historical works for a Roman audience: Wars of the Jews and Antiquities of the Jews. In Book XI of the latter work, Alexander emerges without preface, having crossed the Hellespont, won his first victory at the Granicus River, and subdued Asia Minor. Unlike other sources, Alexander is not the focus of Josephus’ work—not even of the small segment of it in which he appears. The great conqueror is woven into another story, taking center stage only when he intersects the history of the Jewish people. Among the historians, Josephus alone reports this interaction, and he alone records that Alexander visited Jerusalem.” From: Did Alexander the Great Visit Jerusalem? by Justin D. Lyons
Historians discount Josephus’ story since the three other ancient historians did not include this side trip of Alexander’s to Jerusalem. This is a fallacy. Just because it is not found in other source materials, does not mean it never happened. In the grand scheme of things, this trip was minor (unless you were a Jew living in Jerusalem at the time).
So why is there a controversy? Because most scholars date the Book of Daniel to the 2nd century BC, a hundred years after Alexander died! Now why would they do that? Didn’t Daniel say he was taken by Nebuchadnezzar to Babylon? That would be around 597 BC. The reason is that scholars can not accept the fact that a prophet living in the 6th century BC could accurately predict, hundreds of years in the future, that Greece would conquer Persia, that the Greek king would suddenly die and his kingdom would be split among his four generals. So, the theory is that some guy in the 2nd century made up the book of Daniel and it’s all a fiction! Their reasoning goes, “how could Alexander be shown a book that hadn’t been written yet!”
Daniel, accurately seeing the future, is dismissed because the scholars discount that God could ever communicate with man. On the other hand, billions of past and present Christians and Jews have felt the Spirit of God in their personal lives. In fact, it was Moses who wished that all were themselves prophets, one who asked God for guidance and assistance, were confident in receiving an answer, and waited for that “still small voice” to give us direction.
Numbers 11:29 (NIV)
And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them!
Not all can be like Daniel and receive visions of the future, that is for those chosen by God, but we all can be our own personal ‘prophet’ and receive direction in our lives and our loved ones.
So, yes, Alexander did read in the Book of Daniel his role in history. Yes, Daniel was a prophet of God who saw the coming of the Messiah and predicted it to the exact day. Scoffers may mock but, in the end, everyone will know the Messiah and Savior of the world.
JK Sellers
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See also:
The Prophecies of Daniel: Part 1, The Historical Setting
The Prophecies of Daniel: Part 2, Who was Daniel
The Prophecies of Daniel: Part 4. Chapter 9, 70 Weeks-The Coming of the Messiah.
The Prophecies of Daniel: Part 5. Chapter 2 Nebuchadnezzar's Image.
The Prophecies of Daniel: Part 6. Chapter 7, Daniel's Four Beasts.
The Prophecies of Daniel: Part 7. Chapter 8, The Ram, Goat and the Little Horn.
The Prophecies of Daniel: Part 8. Chapters 10-12, The Wars of the Kings of the North and the South.
The Prophecies of Daniel Part 9. Daniel's Fourth Beast was not Rome. It was the Seleucid Empire.