Tetradrachm (Attic Talent) of one of the Successors of Alex- ander.— Obverse; Head of Alexander the Great as a young Jupiter Ammon. fteveme: Pallas seated, holding a Victory, with Monogram and Letter (I); Inscription (in Greek), " Of King Lysimachna."
In the prophetic visions of Daniel the influence of Alexander is necessarily combined with that of his successors. They represented with partial exaggera- tion the several phases of his character; and to the Jews nationally the policy of the Syrian kings was of greater importance than the original conquest of Asia. But some traits of " the first mighty lung" (Dan. viii, 21 ; xi, 3) are given with vigorous distinctness. The emblem by which he is typified (~'Z'S, a he-gnat, from IBS, he leaped, Gesenius, Then. s. v.) suggests the no- tions of strength and speed ; and the universal extent
(Dan. viii, 5, . . .from, the west on the face of the whole earth) and marvellous rapidity of his conquests (Dan. 1. c. he touched not the ground) are brought forward as the characteristics of his power, which was directed by the strongest personal impetuosity (Dan. viii, 6, in the fun/ of his power). He ruled with great dominion, and did according to his will (xi, 3) ; " and there was none that could deliver . . . out of his hand" (viii, 7). See Goat. The name of Alexander is equally celebrated in the writings of the Orientals, as in those of the Greeks and Romans ; but they vary extremely from the accounts which Western historians give of him (D'Herbelot, Bibl. Orient, s. v. Escander; Moses Choren. p. 82). They call him Iscander Dulkarnaim (see Golii, Lex. Arab. 1896), " double-horned Alexander," alluding to the two horns of his empire (or his power) in the East and West. For further details, see Anthon's Class. Diet. ; Smith's Diet, of Class. Biog. s. v. See Greece. 2. Surnamed Balas (Josephus, Ant. xiii, 4, 8, 'AXiZcivSpoc o BdXag Xtyvpti'oe. ; Strab. xiv, p. 751, rbv BdXav ' A\k£avc~ pov ; Justin, xxxv, 1, Subornant pro eo Balam quendam . . . et . . . nomen ei Alexan- dri inditur ; comp. the Aramaean X3"?, the lord), a per- | sonage whose history is detailed in the Maccabees and I Josephus (comp. Justin, xxxv ; Polyb. xxxiii, 14, 16 ; i Liv.Epit.l, liii; Appian. *S'#n'acef,lxvii; Euseb. Chron.). He likewise assumed the titles " Epiphanes" (tTTi^ttw/r, illustrious), " Euergetes" {tinnyeTi;c, benefactor), etc. His extraction is doubtful ; but he professed to be the | natural son of Antiochus Epiphanes, and in that ca- pacity, out of opposition to Demetrius Soter, he was recognised as king of Syria by the king of Egypt, by the Romans, and eventually by Jonathan Maccabams (Strab. xiii; Josephus, Ant. xiii, 2, 1), but he was more generally regarded as an impostor, who falsely assumed the connec'.ion (App. Syr. 67; Justin. 1. c. comp. Polyb. xxxiii, 16). He claimed the throne of Syria in B.C. 152 in opposition to Demetrius Soter, who had provoked the hostility of the neighboring kings and alienated the affections of his subjects (Josephus, 1. c). His pretensions were put forward by Heraclides, for- merly treasurer of Antiochus Epiphanes, who obtained the recognition of his title at Rome by scandalous in- trigues (Polyb. xxxiii, 14, 16). After landing at Ptolemais (1 Mace, x, 1) Alexander gained the warm support of Jonathan, who was now the leader of the Jews (1 Mace, ix, 73) ; and though his first efforts were unsuccessful (Justin, xxxv, 1, 10), in B.C. 150 he completely routed the forces of Demetrius, who himself fell in the retreat (1 Mace, x, 48-50 ; Josephus, Ant. xiii, 2, 4 ; Strab. xvi, p. 751). After this Alex- ander married Cleopatra, the daughter of Ptolemams VI Philometor ; and in the arrangement of his king- dom appointed Jonathan governor (pipiaipxt]c, 1 Mace, x, 65) of a province (Judaea ; comp. 1 Mace, xi, 57). But his triumph was of short duration. After obtain- ing power, he gave himself up to a life of indulgence (Liv. Epit. 50 ; comp. Athen. v, 211), leaving the gov- ernment in the hands of ministers whose misrule ren- dered his reign odious (Diod. Sic. Fragments, xxxiii). Accordingly, when Demetrius Nicator, the son of Demetrius Soter, landed in Syria in B.C. 147, the new pretender found powerful support (1 Mace, x, 67 sq.). At first Jonathan defeated and slew Apollonius, the governor of Ceele-Syria, who had joined the party of Demetrius, for which exploit he received fresh favors from Alexander (1 Mace, x, 69-89) ; but shortly after- ward (B.C. 146) Ptolemy entered Syria with a large force, and after he had placed garrisons in the chief cities on the coast, which received him according to the commands of Alexander, suddenly pronounced himself in favor of Demetrius (1 Mace, xi, 1-11 ; Jo- sephus, Ant. xiii, 4, 5 sq.), alleging, probably with truth, the existence of a conspiracy against his life (Josephus, 1. c. ; comp. Diod.ap. Muller, Fragm. ii, 16). Alexander, who had been forced to leave Antioch (Jo- sephus, 1. c), was in Cilicia when be heard of Ttole-
ALEXANDER
141
ALEXANDER
my's defection (1 Mace, xi, 14). He hastened to meet him, but was defeated (1 Mace, xi, 15 ; Justin, xxxv, 2), and fled to Aba?, in Arabia (Diod. 1. c), where he was murdered, B.C. 14G (Diod. 1. c. ; 1 Mace, xi, 17, differ as to the manner; and Euseb. Chron. Arm. i, 349, represents him to have been slain in the battle). The narrative in 1 Mace, and Josephus show clearly the partiality which the Jews entertained for Alexan- der "as the first that entreated of true peace with them" (1 Mace, x, 47) ; and the same feeling was ex- hibited afterward in the zeal with which they support- ed the claims of his son Antiochus. Balas left a young son, who was eventually made king of Syria by Tryphon, under the name of Antiochus Theos (1 Mace. xi, 13-18; Josephus, Ant. xiii, 4). See Antiochus.