Alexander at Jerusalem

Darius, as we have seen, fled after the disastrous battle of Issus. His terror was so great that he did not stop until he reached the other side of the Tigris River, where he still believed himself safe.

Instead of pursuing Darius immediately, Alexander first marched southward along the coast. He thought it wiser to capture all the cities near the sea before going farther inland, to ensure no enemies remained behind him.

Marching down through Syria and Phoenicia, Alexander took the cities of Damascus and Sidon, and finally came to Tyre, a prosperous commercial city built on an island a short distance from the shore.

The Tyrians would not open their gates and surrender, so Alexander prepared to besiege the city. As he had no fleet, he began to build a great causeway out to the island.

This was a very difficult task because the water was deep. While his men were building, they were greatly annoyed by showers of arrows, stones, and spears from the city walls and from the decks of Tyrian vessels.

A storm also broke the causeway to pieces once when it was nearly finished, and the army had to begin the work anew. The obstinate resistance of Tyre made Alexander so angry that he celebrated his final victory by crucifying a large number of the richest citizens.

After offering a sacrifice to Hercules on the flaming ruins of Tyre, Alexander went on toward Jerusalem. His plan was to punish the Jews because they had helped his enemies and had supplied the Tyrians with food.

The news of his coming filled the hearts of the Jews with terror, for they expected to be treated with the same frightful cruelty as the Tyrians. In their fear, they did not know whether to surrender or fight.

Finally, Jaddua, the high priest, had a vision in which an angel of the Lord appeared to him and told him what to do. In obedience to this divine command, he made the Levites put on their festal garments, and then, dressed in his priestly robes, he led them down the hill to meet the advancing conqueror.

When Alexander saw the beautiful procession, headed by such a dignified old man, he quickly got down from his horse, knelt before Jaddua, and worshiped the name written on his holy vestments.

His officers, astonished at this unusual humility, finally asked him why he did such honor to a foreign priest. Then Alexander told them of a vision he had had before leaving Macedon. In it, he had beheld Jaddua, who bade him come over to Asia without fear, as it was written that the Persians would be delivered into his hands.

Walking beside the aged Jaddua, Alexander entered the holy city of Jerusalem and the courts of the temple. Here he offered up a sacrifice to the Lord, and saw the Books of Daniel and Zechariah, in which his coming and conquests were all foretold.