Midrash of Alexander the Great

Midrash of Alexander

In the early 330's B.C., Alexander the Great conquered the territory of Judea, the home of the Jews. The Midrash of Alexander describes the interaction between the great conqueror and the Jewish people while simultaneously acting as a learning tool. Alexander's journey through the Holy Land is filled with events that can be used to teach moral lessons: among the topics include such things as honoring God, respecting wisdom, and the meaning of justice.

God must be the focus of a person's life, and this includes great conquerors such as Alexander the Great. When Alexander first entered Judea the Jews refused to join with him because of their previous pledge to Darius. For their refusal to join his campaign Alexander marched on Jerusalem with the intention of punishing the Jews, however the appearance of a welcoming Jewish population and the high priest Jedua altered his plan. When Alexander saw the high priest he immediately bowed before him saying "Blessed be the God who's servant you are." (Rapaport, 1907, p.12) His army was astounded by this display of reverence for a foreign god and when they asked Alexander about it he simply told them about a vision he had experienced. In his vision a man advised Alexander to undertake the invasion of the Persian Empire and that man was the high priest Jedua. Alexander was demonstrating the proper reverence for God by respecting the high priest and granting privileges to the Jewish people.

Later in the Midrash of Alexander, the Macedonian conqueror, who had been taught by none other than Aristotle himself, demonstrated his respect for wisdom and knowledge. When he arrived in Judea, "his first step was to have the men distinguished for their wisdom brought before him," where he put to them ten questions to prove their wisdom. (Rapaport, 1907, p.16) The answers to these question involve the meaning of wisdom, strength, wealth, and a good life. But the question of how a man can obtain the love of his fellow man brought about a contradictory response from Alexander. While the wise men answered by not seeking dominion over others, Alexander felt that one must "acquire might and power and use them with discretion." (Rapaport, 1907, p.16) In Alexander's view power may be a necessary evil that one must use only with great caution not to become tyrannical. This disdain for power can be compared with the Roman general Cincinnatus, who, after gaining absolute power simply gave it all up to return home. Unfortunately, despite his claims, this was a lesson that seemed to be lost on Alexander.