Difference between revisions of "Alexander"

<p> '''1.''' [[Alexander The Great]]  Born at Pella, 356 B.C., son of Philip, king of Macedon; not named, but described prophetically: "an he-goat" '')Symbol Of Ogility, The Graeco-Macedonian Empire)'' coming from the W. on the face of the whole earth and not touching the ground ''(Implying The [[Incredible]] Swiftness Of His Conquests)'' ; and the goat had A [[Notable Horn]] ''(Alexander)'' between his eyes, and he came to the ram that had two horns ''(Media And Persia, The Second Great World Kingdom, The Successor Of Babylon; Under Both Daniel [[Prophesied]] Long Before The [[Rise]] Of The Macedon-Greek Kingdom)'' standing before the river ''(At The River Granicus Alexander [[Gained]] His First [[Victory]] Over Darius Codomanus, 334 B.C.)'' and ran unto him in the fury of his power, moved with choler against him ''(On Account Of The Persian Invasions Of [[Greece]] And Cruelties To The Greeks)'' , and smote the ram and broke his two horns; and there was no power in the ram to stand before him; but he cast him down to the ground and stamped upon him, and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand: therefore the he-goat waxed very great, and when he was strong the great horn was broken, and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven" (&nbsp;Daniel 8:5-8). </p> <p> The "he-goat" answers to the "leopard" (&nbsp;Daniel 7:6) whose "wings" similarly marked the winged rapidity of the Greek conquest of Persia. In 331 B.C. Alexander finally defeated Darius, and in 330 burned Persepolis, the Persian capital. None, not even the million composing the Persian hosts, could deliver the ram, Persia, out of his hand. But "when he was strong, the great horn [[Alexander]] was broken." The Graeco-Macedonian empire was in full strength at Alexander's death by fever, the result of drunken excesses, at Babylon. At the time it seemed least likely to fall it was "broken." Alexander's natural brother, [[Philip]] Aridaeus, and his two sons Alexander AEgus and Hercules, in 15 months were murdered; "and for it ''The He-Goat'' came up four notable ones, toward the four winds of heaven": [[Seleucus]] in the E. obtained Syria, Babylonia, Mede-Persia; [[Cassander]] in the W. Macedon, Thessaly, Greece; [[Ptolemy]] in the S. Egypt, Cyprus, etc.; [[Lysimachus]] in the N. Thrace, Cappadocia, and the northern regions of Asia Minor. </p> <p> The" leopard" is smaller than the "lion" (&nbsp;Daniel 7:4; &nbsp;Daniel 7:6); swift (&nbsp;Habakkuk 1:8), cruel (&nbsp;Isaiah 11:6), springing suddenly on its prey (&nbsp;Hosea 13:7). So Alexander, king of a small kingdom, overcame Darius at the head of an empire extending from the AEgean sea to the Indies, and in 12 years attained the rule from the Adriatic to the Ganges. Hence the leopard has four wings, whereas the lion (Babylon) had but two. The "spots" imply the variety of nations incorporated, perhaps also the variability of Alexander's own character, by turns mild and cruel, temperate and drunken and licentious. "Dominion was given to it" by God, not by Alexander's own might; for how unlikely it was that 30,000 men should overthrow hundreds of thousands. [[Josephus]] (Ant. 11:8, section 5) says that Alexander meeting the high priest [[Jaddua]] (&nbsp;Nehemiah 12:11-22) said that at Dium in [[Macedonia]] he had a divine vision so habited, inviting him to Asia and promising him success. </p> <p> Jaddua met him at Gapha (Mizpeh) at the head of a procession of priests and citizens in white. Alexander at the sight of the linen arrayed priests, and the high priest in blue and gold with the miter and gold plate on his head bearing Jehovah's name, adored it, and embraced him; and having been shown Daniel's prophecies concerning him, he sacrificed to God in the court of the temple, and granted the Jews liberty to live according to their own laws, and freedom from tribute in the sabbatical years. The story is doubted, from its not being alluded to in secular histories: Arrian, Plutarch, Diodorus, Curtius. But their silence may be accounted for, as they notoriously despised the Jews. The main fact is strongly probable. It accords with Alexander's character of believing himself divinely chosen for the great mission of Greece to the civilized world, to join the east and west in a union of equality, with [[Babylon]] as the capital. </p> <p> "Many kings of the East met him wearing (linen) fillets" (Justin). Jews were in his army. Jews were a strong element in the population of that city which he founded and which still bears his name, Alexandria. The remission of tribute every sabbatical year existed in later times, and the story best explains the privilege. When [[Aristotle]] urged him to treat the Greeks as freemen and the Orientals as slaves, he declared that "his mission from God was to be the more fit together and reconciler of the whole world in its several parts." Arrian says: "Alexander was like no other man, and could not have been given to the world without the special interposition of God." </p> <p> He was the providential instrument of breaking down the barrier wall between kingdom and kingdom, of bringing the contemplative east and the energetic west into mutually beneficial contact. The Greek language, that most perfect medium of human thought, became widely diffused, so that a Greek version of the Old [[Testament]] was needed and made (the Septuagint) for the Greek speaking Jews at [[Alexandria]] and elsewhere in a succeeding generation; and the fittest lingual vehicle for imparting the New Testament to mankind soon came to be the language generally known by the cultivated of every land. [[Commerce]] followed the breaking down of national exclusiveness, and everywhere the Jews had their synagogues for prayer and reading of the Old Testament in the leading cities. preparing the way and the place for the proclamation of the gospel, which rests on the Old Testament, to the Jews first, and then to the Gentiles. </p> <p> '''2.''' Son of Simon of [[Cyrene]] (&nbsp;Mark 15:21). He and his brother [[Rufus]] are spoken of as well known in the [[Christian]] church. </p> <p> '''3.''' A kinsman of [[Annas]] the high priest (&nbsp;Acts 4:6); supposed the same as Alexander the alabarch (governor of the Jews) at Alexandria, brother of Philo-Judaeus, an ancient friend of the emperor Claudius. </p> <p> '''4.''' A Jew whom the Jews put forward during Demetrius' riot at [[Ephesus]] to plead their cause before the mob who suspected that the Jews were joined with the [[Christians]] in seeking to overthrow Diana's worship (&nbsp;Acts 19:33). Calvin thought him a convert to [[Christianity]] from Judaism, whom the Jews would have sacrificed as a victim to the fury of the rabble. </p> <p> '''5.''' The coppersmith at Ephesus who did Paul much evil. Paul had previously "delivered him to Satan" (the lord of all outside the church) (&nbsp;1 Corinthians 5:5; &nbsp;2 Corinthians 12:7), i.e. excommunicated, because he withstood the apostle, and made shipwreck of faith and of good conscience, and even blasphemed, with Hymenaeus. The excommunication often brought with it temporal judgment, as sickness, to bring the excommunicated to repentance (&nbsp;1 Timothy 1:20; &nbsp;2 Timothy 4:14-15). </p>

<li> A coppersmith who, with Hymenaeus and others, promulgated certain heresies regarding the resurrection (&nbsp;1 Timothy 1:19; &nbsp;2 Timothy 4:14 ), and made shipwreck of faith and of a good conscience. Paul excommunicated him (&nbsp;1 Timothy 1:20; Compare &nbsp;1 Corinthians 5:5 ). <div> <p> '''Copyright Statement''' These dictionary topics are from M.G. Easton [[M.A., DD]]  Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, published by [[Thomas]] Nelson, 1897. Public Domain. </p> <p> '''Bibliography Information''' Easton, Matthew George. Entry for 'Alexander'. Easton's Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/ebd/a/alexander.html. 1897. </p> </div> </li>

<p> [[Alexander]] ( ''Ăl-Egz-Ăn'Der'' ), ''Strong Man,'' or ''Helper Of Men.'' 1. The son of Simon. &nbsp;Mark 15:21. 2. A member of the council. &nbsp;Acts 4:6. 3. A Jew of Ephesus. &nbsp;Acts 19:34. 4. A coppersmith, and an apostate from Christianity. &nbsp;1 Timothy 1:19-20; &nbsp;2 Timothy 4:14. </p>

<p> ''''' al ''''' - ''''' eg ''''' - ''''' zan´dẽr ''''' ( Ἀλέξανδρος , <i> ''''' Aléxandros ''''' </i> , literal meaning "defender of men." This word occurs five times in the New Testament, &nbsp;Mark 15:21; &nbsp;Acts 4:6; &nbsp;Acts 19:33; &nbsp;1 Timothy 1:19 , &nbsp;1 Timothy 1:20; &nbsp;2 Timothy 4:14 ): It is not certain whether the third, fourth and fifth of these passages refer to the same man. </p> 1. A S on of Simon of Cyrene <p> The first of these Alexanders is referred to in the passage in Mk, where he is said to have been one of the sons of Simon of Cyrene, the man who carried the cross of Christ. Alexander therefore may have been a North African by birth. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record the fact, with varying detail, that Simon happened to be passing at the time when Christ was being led out of the city, to be crucified on Calvary. Mark alone tells that Simon was the father of Alexander and Rufus. From this statement of the evangelist, it is apparent that at the time the Second Gospel was written, Alexander and Rufus were Christians, and that they were well known in the Christian community. Mark takes it for granted that the first readers of his Gospel will at once understand whom he means. </p> <p> There is no other mention of Alexander in the New Testament, but it is usually thought that his brother Rufus is the person mentioned by Paul in &nbsp;Romans 16:13 , "Salute Rufus the chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine." If this identification is correct, then it follows, not only that the sons of Simon were Christians, but that his wife also was a Christian, and that they had all continued faithful to Christ for many years. It would also follow that the households were among the intimate friends of Paul, so much so that the mother of the family is affectionately addressed by him as "Rufus' mother and mine." The meaning of this is, that in time past this lady had treated Paul with the tender care which a mother feels and shows to her own son. </p> <p> This mention of Rufus and his mother is in the list of names of Christians resident in Rome. Lightfoot ( <i> Comm. on Phil </i> , 176) writes: "There seems no reason to doubt the tradition that Mk wrote especially for the Romans; and if so, it is worth remarking that he alone of the evangelists describes Simon of Cyrene, as 'the father of Alexander and Rufus.' A person of this name therefore (Rufus) seems to have held a prominent place among the Roman Christians; and thus there is at least fair ground for identifying the Rufus of Paul with the Rufus of Mark. The inscriptions exhibit several members of the household (of the emperor) bearing the names Rufus and Alexander, but this fact is of no value where both names are so common." </p> <p> To sum up, Alexander was probably by birth a North African Jew; he became a Christian, and was a well-known member of the church, probably the church in Rome. His chief claim to recollection is that he was a son of the man who carried the cross of the [[Saviour]] of the world. </p> 2. A R elative of Annas <p> The second Alexander, referred to in &nbsp;Acts 4:6 , was a relative of Annas the Jewish high priest. He is mentioned by Lk, as having been present as a member of the Sanhedrin, before which Peter and John were brought to be examined, for what they had done in the cure of the lame man at the gate of the temple. Nothing more is known of this Alexander than is here given by Luke. It has been conjectured that he may have been the Alexander who was a brother of Philo, and who was also the alabarch or magistrate of the city of Alexandria. But this conjecture is unsupported by any evidence at all. </p> 3. Alexander and the [[Riot]] at Ephesus <p> The third Alexander is mentioned in &nbsp;Acts 19:33 : "And some of the multitude instructed Alexander, the Jews putting him forward. And Alexander beckoned with the hand, and would have made defense unto the people. But when they perceived that he was a Jew, all with one voice," etc., the Revised Version, margin. In the matter of the riot in Ephesus the whole responsibility rested with [[Demetrius]] the silversmith. In his anger against the Christians generally, but specially against Paul, because of his successful preaching of the gospel, he called together a meeting of the craftsmen; the trade of the manufacture of idols was in jeopardy. From this meeting there arose the riot, in which the whole city was in commotion. The Jews were wholly innocent in the matter: they had done nothing to cause any disturbance. But the riot had taken place, and no one could tell what would happen. Modern anti-Semitism, in [[Russia]] and other European countries, gives an idea of an excited mob stirred on by hatred of the Jews. [[Instantly]] recognizing that the fury of the Ephesian people might expend itself in violence and bloodshed, and that in that fury they would be the sufferers, the Jews "put forward" Alexander, so that by his skill as a speaker he might clear them, either of having instigated the riot, or of being in complicity with Paul. "A certain Alexander was put forward by the Jews to address the mob; but this merely increased the clamor and confusion. There was no clear idea among the rioters what they wanted: an anti-Jewish and an anti-Christian demonstration were mixed up, and probably Alexander's retention was to turn the general feeling away from the Jews. It is possible that he was the worker in bronze, who afterward did Paul much harm" (Ramsay, <i> St. Paul the Traveler </i> , etc., 279). </p> 4. Alexander an Ephesian [[Heretic]] <p> The fourth of the New Testament Alexanders is one of two heretical teachers at Ephesus - the other being Hymeneus: see article under the word - against whom Paul warns Timothy in &nbsp;1 Timothy 1:19 , &nbsp;1 Timothy 1:20 . The teaching of [[Hymeneus]] and Alexander was to the effect that Christian morality was not required - antinomianism. They put away - "thrust from them," the Revised Version (British and American) - faith and a good conscience; they willfully abandoned the great central facts regarding Christ, and so they "made shipwreck concerning the faith." </p> 5. His [[Heresy]] Incipient [[Gnosticism]] <p> In &nbsp;2 Timothy 2:17 , &nbsp;2 Timothy 2:18 , Hymeneus is associated with Philetus, and further details are there given regarding their false teaching. What they taught is described by Paul as "profane babblings," as leading to more ungodliness, and as eating "as doth a gangrene." Their heresy consisted in saying that the resurrection was past already, and it had been so far successful, that it had overthrown the faith of some. The doctrine of these three heretical teachers, Hymeneus, Alexander and Philetus, was accordingly one of the early forms of Gnosticism. It held that matter was originally and essentially evil; that for this reason the body was not an essential part of human nature; that the only resurrection was that of each man as he awoke from the death of sin to a righteous life; that thus in the case of everyone who has repented of sin, "the resurrection was past already," and that the body did not participate in the blessedness of the future life, but that salvation consisted in the soul's complete deliverance from all contact with a material world and a material body. </p> <p> So pernicious were these teachings of incipient Gnosticism in the Christian church, that they quickly spread, eating like a gangrene. The denial of the future resurrection of the body involved also the dental of the bodily resurrection of Christ, and even the fact of the incarnation. The way in which therefore the apostle dealt with those who taught such deadly error, was that he resorted to the same extreme measures as he had employed in the case of the immoral person at Corinth; he delivered Hymeneus and Alexander to Satan, that they might learn not to blaspheme. Compare &nbsp;1 Corinthians 5:5 . </p> 6. Alexander the [[Coppersmith]] <p> The fifth and last occurrence of the name Alexander is in &nbsp;2 Timothy 4:14 , &nbsp;2 Timothy 4:15 , "Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord will render to him according to his works: of whom do thou also beware (the King James Version "of whom be thou ware also"); for he greatly withstood our words." This Alexander was a worker in copper or iron, a smith. It is quite uncertain whether Alexander number 5 should be identified with Alexander number 4, and even with Alexander number 3. In regard to this, it should be remembered that all three of these Alexanders were resident in Ephesus; and it is specially to be noticed that the fourth and the fifth of that name resided in that city at much the same time; the interval between Paul's references to these two being not more than a year or two, as not more than that time elapsed between his writing 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy. It is therefore quite possible these two Alexanders may be one and the same person. </p> <p> In any case, what is stud of this last Alexander is that he had shown the evil which was in him by doing many evil deeds to the apostle, evidently on the occasion of a recent visit paid by Paul to Ephesus. These evil deeds had taken the form of personally opposing the apostle's preaching. The personal antagonism of Alexander manifested itself by his greatly withstanding the proclamation of the gospel by Paul. As Timothy was now in Ephesus, in charge of the church there, he is strongly cautioned by the apostle to be on his guard against this opponent. </p>

<p> the name of a large number of saints in the early martyrologies: </p> <p> '''(1)''' [[Martyr]] under Decius, commemorated Jan. 30; </p> <p> '''(2)''' commemorated Feb. 9; </p> <p> '''(3)''' son of Claudius, martyr at Ostia, Feb. 18; </p> <p> '''(4)''' bishop of Alexandria, Feb. 26 and April 10; </p> <p> '''(5)''' of Thessalonica, Feb. 27; </p> <p> '''(6)''' of Africa, March 5; </p> <p> '''(7)''' of Nicomedia, March 6; </p> <p> '''(8)''' with Gaius, March 10; </p> <p> '''(9)''' bishop of Jerusalem, martyr, March 18, (See Alexander Of Cappadocia); </p> <p> '''(10)''' martyr at [[Caesarea]] in Palestine, March 28, March 27; </p> <p> '''(11)''' saint, April 24, April 21; </p> <p> '''(12)''' the pope [[Alexander I]]  said to have been martyred at Rome under [[Trajan]] (or Hadrian), May 3; he is named in the [[Gregorian]] Canon; </p> <p> '''(13)''' martyr at Bergamo, Aug. 26, </p> <p> '''(14)''' bishop and confessor, Aug. 28; </p> <p> '''(15)''' "in Sablinis," Sept. 9; </p> <p> '''(16)''' commemorated Sept. 10; </p> <p> '''(17)''' "in Capua," Oct. 15; </p> <p> '''(18)''' Armenian patriarch, Nov. 7, April 17, and Aug; 11; '''(19)''' bishop and martyr, Nov. 26; '''(20)''' martyr at Alexandria, translated Dec. 12. </p>