Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great (July 20/21, 356 BC – June 10/11, 323 BC) was the King of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. His name, Alexander, means “defender (ἀλέξω) of mankind (ἀνήρ).” Born in Pella in 356 BC, at age 13, his father arranged for the philosopher Aristotle to be his tutor. At twenty, he inherited the Macedonian throne from his father, Philip II. Almost his entire reign was dedicated to unprecedented large-scale military conquests. By the age of thirty, he had established the largest empire of his time, stretching from Greece, Asia Minor, Egypt, Persia, Mesopotamia, Afghanistan, and into northwestern India. He was never defeated in battle and is considered one of the greatest generals in history.

Alexander defeated Persia in a series of decisive battles, notably the Battle of Issus and the Battle of Gaugamela, overthrowing the Persian King Darius III and conquering the entire Persian Empire. This expanded his empire’s territory from the Adriatic Sea to the borders of India.

In his quest to find and reach “the ends of the world and the Great Outer Sea,” Alexander the Great invaded India in 326 BC, but eventually had to withdraw at his army’s insistence. In 323 BC, Alexander the Great died in Babylon, his planned imperial capital, without having had the chance to realize his plans for invading Arabia. After his death, with no suitable heir, his generals, who were unwilling to submit to each other, began to contend for his vast empire, eventually leading to the Wars of the Diadochi (Successors). Alexander’s empire quickly disintegrated. It was initially formally unified but soon the generals ruling various territories fell into open conflict, known as the “Wars of the Successors.” Ultimately, Alexander’s empire was divided into four main parts: Cassander ruled Greece, Lysimachus took Thrace, Seleucus I, known as “the Victor,” gained Mesopotamia and Persia, while Ptolemy I received the Levant and Egypt. This fulfilled the vision Daniel saw: “The goat grew exceedingly great, but when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and instead of it there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven” (Daniel 8:8).