The Great Mistake of Alexander: How One Decision Crumbled an Empire

From the time of Alexander the Great onwards, Hellenistic states engaged in a cultural exchange with the Greek world: they learned from it, and it from them. However, initially, Greek culture did not penetrate the state of Judea. The Jews were uninterested, and the Greeks could not grasp Jewish religious concepts, far removed from the pagan world they knew.

Alexander the Great, after conquering the world, fell ill at the age of 33 and was on the brink of death in 323 BCE. When his companions asked, "Who would you like to succeed you?", he replied: "The best of them." This answer, though sophisticated, was a bitter mistake, as everyone believes themselves to be the best. This led to his four great generals waging wars for the throne, turning into a series of conflicts known as "The Wars of the Diadochi."

In 301 BCE, the great Battle of Ipsus occurred near the village of Ipsus, in modern-day Turkey. The battle resulted in the division of Alexander's empire into several parts. Two major kingdoms emerged: the Seleucid Kingdom, the largest, ruled by Seleucus, one of Alexander's commanders who took over much of the empire, stretching throughout the Middle East up to Babylon and eastern countries to India; and the Ptolemaic Kingdom, ruling Egypt and the surrounding region.

The Land of Israel became part of the Ptolemaic Kingdom. For exactly a century, Israel was part of the Ptolemaic Kingdom. The governance in Judea at that time continued under conditions similar to those under the Persian Empire, as Alexander had promised Shimon the Righteous. In Judea, a Greek "oikonomos" collected taxes instead of the Persian tax collector. However, other matters were managed by the Sanhedrin, which received rights to run affairs according to "the laws of the Jewish ancestors." Judea was recognized as a separate "ethnos," a state distinct from the Syrian area. The laws of the empire prohibited idol worship within Judean borders. The Jews had one commitment, pledged by Shimon the Righteous to Alexander: not to interfere in foreign affairs.

Along the coast of Israel were several cities primarily inhabited by non-Jews engaged in shipping and foreign trade, leading to the formation of cities classified as "polis," with inhabitants holding Greek citizenship, such as the port city of Acre. However, this did not concern the state of Judea, which focused on Jerusalem, the lowlands, and the mountain region. Life in Judea revolved around the Temple and the Great Sanhedrin, known in Greek as "Gerousia," or the council of elders, consisting of notable priests and the elders of family homes of Judea.

Foreign policy, as stated, was in the hands of the Ptolemaic Empire, responsible for military affairs with other states. In the country, a Greek "strategos" commanded the garrison. A massive fortress was built in Jerusalem, called the "Bira" or "Acra." It was impenetrable, made from massive stones, with a well-guarded entrance and narrow passages impervious to military assaults. It was tall, offering views of all military formations in Jerusalem and the area. The state of Judea stretched from the fortress of Beth Zur in the south, on the border of "Idumea," the Edomite settlement in the Judean Desert, to Bethel and Beth Horon in the north, a relatively small territory.

The king of the Ptolemaic Empire was Ptolemy, son of Lagus, appointed by Alexander himself as governor of Egypt, in the city he founded, Alexandria. Ptolemy was one of the commanders in the grand Battle of Issus, where Alexander defeated the Persians, and served as his deputy and bodyguard. He established his kingdom, which included Egypt and Israel. He showed little interest in Israel, as he was a general and military man, with no philosophical inclinations. In Egypt, he found great interest, as the state's grain production offered him tremendous tax revenue. The Greeks termed Egypt "the granary of the East," a role it had since the days of Pharaoh during the time of Joseph the Righteous. Ptolemy ruled as king for about twenty years.

Some change occurred during the time of his son, Ptolemy II, which will be discussed in the next chapter.

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