arrian josephus

7/27/2019 Arrian Josephus

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Alexander in Babylon and Susa (Arrian,Anabasis 3.16.2-9)

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Dareius was not mistaken, for Alexander leaving

Arbela at once took the road to Babylon. He was

now not far from Babylon, and was leading his

force in battle order, when the Babylonians came

to meet him in mass, with their priests and chiefmen, each section of the inhabitants bringing gifts

and offering surrender of the city, the citadel, and

the treasure. Alexander entering Babylon bade the

Babylonians build up again the temples which

Xerxes destroyed, and especially the temple of Bel,

whom the Babylonians honor before all gods. He

appointed Masaeus satrap of Babylon and Apollo-

dorus of Amphipolis guard of the troops left be-

hind with Masaeus, and Asclepiodorus son of Philo

to collect the taxes. He sent also as satrap to Arme-

nia Mithrines, who had given up the acropolis of

Sardis to Alexander. It was at Babylon he cameacross the Chaldaeans, and he carried out at Baby-

lon all that the Chaldaeans suggested in regard to

sacrifices, sacrificing especially to Bel, according

to their instructions.

He himself, however, set out towards Susa, and

there met him on the way the son of the satrap of

Susa and a letter-carrier from Philoxenus, whom

Alexander had sent to Susa directly after the battle.

In Philoxenus' letter it was stated that the people of

Susa had yielded up the city and that all the treas-

ure was in safe-keeping for Alexander. In twenty

days from Babylon Alexander arrived at Susa; heentered the city and took over the treasure, about

fifty thousand talents of silver, and all the rest ofthe royal belongings. A good deal else was cap-

tured there, all that Xerxes brought back from

Greece, and among this bronze statues of Harmo-

dius and Aristogeiton. These Alexander sent back

to the Athenians, and they are now set up at Athensin the Cerameicus, on the way by which one as-

cends the Acropolis, just opposite the Metroon, not

far from the altar of the Eudanemi. Anyone who

has been initiated into the mysteries of the Twin

Goddesses at Eleusis is aware that the altar of Eo-danemos is in the plain. There Alexander sacrificed

with the traditional ceremonial, and held a torch

race and an athletic contest. He left behind as sa-

trap of the district of Susa Abulites, a Persian, and

as garrison commandant in the citadel of Susa,Mazarus, one of the hetairoi, and, as general,

Archelaus, son of Theodorus; and then he ad-

vanced towards the Persians.


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Alexander in Jerusalem (Flavius Josephus,Antiquitates Iudaicae 11.325-339)

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Alexander, after taking Gaza, was in haste to go up

to the city of Jerusalem. When the high priest Jad-

dus heard this, he was in an agony of fear, not

knowing how he could meet the Macedonians,

whose king was angered by his former disobedi-

ence. He therefore ordered the people to make

supplication, and, offering sacrifices to God to-

gether with them, besought Him to shield the na-

tion and deliver them from the dangers that were

hanging over them. But, when he had gone to sleepafter the sacrifice, God spoke oracularly to him in

his sleep, telling him to take courage and adorn the

city with wreaths and open the gates and go out to

meet them, and that the people should be in white

garments, and he himself with the priests in therobes prescribed by the law, and that they should

not look to suffer any harm, for God was watching

over them. Thereupon he rose from his sleep,

greatly rejoicing himself, and announced to all the

revelation that had been made to him, and, afterdoing all the things that he had been told to do,

awaited the coming of the king.

329 When he learned that Alexander was not far

from the city, he went out with the priests and the

body of citizens, and, making the reception sacredin character and different from that of other na-

tions, met him at a certain place called Saphein.This name, translated into the Greek tongue, means

Lookout. For, as it happened, Jerusalem and the

temple could be seen from there. Now the Phoeni-cians and Chaldaeans who followed along thought

to themselves that the king in his anger would nat-

urally permit them to plunder the city and put the

high priest to a shameful death, but the reverse of it

happened. For when Alexander while still far off

saw the multitude in white garments, the priests at

their head clothed in linen, and the high priest in a

robe of hyacinthblue and gold, wearing on his head

the mitre with the golden plate on it on which wasinscribed the name of God, he approached alone

and prostrated himself before the name and first

greeted the high priest. Then all the Jews together

greeted Alexander with one voice and surrounded

him, but the kings of Syria and the others were

stuck with amazement at his action and supposed

that the kings mind was deranged.

333 Parmenion alone went up to him and asked


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why indeed, when all men prostrated themselves

before him, he had prostrated himself before the

high priest of the Jews, whereupon he replied: It

was not before him that I prostrated myself but the

God of whom he has the honor to be high priest,

for it was he whom I saw in my sleep dressed as he

is now, when I was at Dium in Macedonia, and, asI was considering with myself how I might become

master of Asia, he urged me not to hesitate but to

cross over confidently, for he himself would leadmy army and give over to me the empire of the

Persians. Since, therefore, I have beheld no one

else in such robes, and on seeing him now I am

reminded of the vision and the exhortation, I be-

lieve that I have made this expedition under divineguidance and that I shall defeat Darius and destroy

the power of the Persians and succeed in carrying

out all the things I have in mind.

336 After saying these things to Parmenion, hegave his hand to the high priest and, with the Jewsrunning beside him, entered the city. Then he went

up to the temple, where he sacrificed to God under

the direction of the high priest himself. And, when

the Book of Daniel was shown to him, in which he

had declared that one of the Greeks would destroy

the empire of the Persians, he believed himself tobe the one indicated; and in his joy he dismissed

the multitude for the time being, but on the follow-

ing day, he summoned them again and told them to

ask for any gifts which they might desire. When

the high priest asked that they might observe theircountrys laws and in the seventh year be exempt

from tribute, he granted all this. Then they begged

that he would permit the Jews on Babylon and

Media also to have their own laws, and he gladly

promised to do as they asked. And, when he said to

the people that if any wished to join his army while

still adhering to the customs of their country, he

was ready to take them, many eagerly accepted

service with him.

arrian josephus

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