"Not
even to me it seems possible that without divine intervention
he turned out to be similar to no other human being".
Arrian completes his book, Alexander's Ascend with the previous
statement and evaluation.
Plutarch in his book Morals about Alexander's Fate
or Virtue refers that "Nations that never got to know Alexander
were as though they never saw the light of the sun". At another
place of the same book he says, "if one judges what Alexander
taught and what he did, it is verified that he was a philosopher".
The American producers, who aspire to make a film
about the life of Alexander the Great, should not ignore the two
quotations of the two well-known and respected philosophers. Due
to their influence and authority, but also, as former President
Clinton wrote, due to the supremacy and muscle that USA exercises
on a global level, Hollywood, must not be lured in casual scripts
and ignore Alexander's magnificence and the fact that he was born
human, lived as a superhuman and died as god. Alexander's accomplishment
and endeavors had a positive effect in the development of future
societies.
The mighty Romans were the first people to name Alexander
Great. They deified him and not only considered him a role model,
but also embraced his life, the arts and sciences that he spread
in the East. It was through the Romans that the Greek civilization
and culture were transferred and established in the West and thus
the western civilization was paved and it took roots in the western
world. Chateaubriand wrote, "if someone was compared to a
god that was Alexander". The preceding quotations are not
casual comments.
Alexander's speech at OPIS, otherwise known as Alexander's
Oath, in the presence of 9.000 Greek and Asian Officers, has become
the beacon of State leaders and international organizations in
their route toward the third millennium. The Oath at OPIS is well
known, but its messaged which originated in Macedonia has not
been emphasized enough. The message emanating from Alexander's
native land was not to conquer nations or to acquire riches, or
even to satisfy rivalry passions between nations, but to unite
all people with the bonds of peace, amalgamation and mutual communication.
As Plutarch notes, Alexander expressed such a wish
even before he initiated his expedition in the East, and the occasion
was during the time when he met Diogenes in Corinth. The famous
philosopher, Diogenis, when Alexander asked him what he would
like to have from the Macedonian King, answered that the only
thing he wished it was for Alexander to move so he does not obscure
the sun. Diogenes' reply did not anger Alexander and he said,
"If I did not have in mind to merge the barbarian nations
with Greece going through the Continent and bring civilization
to it, and after I come across the end of the world and the end
of the ocean, I will extend Macedonia and spread and convey to
all nations the Greek justice and peace, I wouldn't be contend
to be doing nothing, just using the power for corporal pleasures.
However, I would be envious of Diogenes' simplicity".
Indeed throughout his life he never acted out that
he would use his authority for pleasures. When he was leaving
Macedonia to undertake his expedition against the Persians, he
distributed his property and belongings. Alexander was asked what
would he keep for himself and his answer was that he only will
keep HOPE. Pseudocalisthenis informs us that when the Jews of
Jerusalem offered Alexander gold and silver, he refused to accept
them.
A few years ago our Ambassador to Islamabad, Pakistan's
capitol, told me that even today in Pakistani school students
are learning that when Alexander died, his remains were placed
in a coffin with his hands outside of the coffin. The crowd was
taking Alexander's remains around the city shouting, "Alexander
hands were clean when he was born and with clean hands he goes
to the other world".
Alexander's comments to Diogenes during their meeting
in Corinth, his policy during his expedition to the East, culminating
with the Oath at OPIS and the historic detail recorded by Diodoros
that "the enemies were required by the conqueror to be happy",
all attest to the fact that Alexander's ambition was to civilize
and not to conquer. The young king respected the Public Treasury
and he was a philanthropist. Panagiotis Kanellopoulos, a political
persona of Greece, wrote that Alexander severely penalized those
who abused the Public Treasury or ill-treated the citizens of
his Commonwealth.
Alexander never followed Aristotle's advice that he
should treat the Greeks differently than the non-Greeks. By respecting
the traditions of the people he conquered, eliminating discrimination
and prejudice between conquerors and conquered, the Great General
elevated the peoples he conquered from an economic, social and
political point of view to a higher echelon. And, that is the
reason why Alexander even today is being loved and respected by
a multitude of nations in the East and West and various legends
of different nationalities claim Alexander as their own. Montesquieu,
the great French political philosopher, wrote, "when Alexander
was gone, nations became orphans".
Voltaire, according to Pavlos Tzermias, wrote, "Alexander
changed Asia's, Greece's and Egypt's nature and gave the world
new direction". Alexander with his marriage to Roxane, Darius'
daughter, was the first one to revoke racial discrimination. He
reaffirmed his stance about inequity by assigning individuals
from within the peoples he conquered to assume responsible governing
positions in his Commonwealth.
Alexander's behavior toward Darius' family which he
had captured (his mother, wife and children), was admired by all
for the respect that he showed to the royal members. He did not
treat his opponent's family as a conqueror and mighty king would
treat his enslaved subjects. Darius' mother loved Alexander as
her own son because he treated her with respect and the purity
of his youth became evident to her. She refused to abandon him
when there was a plot and she did have the opportunity to escape.
When Alexander passed away, she went on a hunger fast for five
days and as Panagiotis Kanellopoulos wrote, she committed suicide.
"Darius, you have been conquered by an enemy
whose character is far superior of any other human…This enemy
is virtuous and brave". These were the comforting words to
Darius, offered by Stateiras' (wife of Darius) manservant who
had escaped, when he saw Darius lamenting after the news he received
about his wife's death while she was giving birth to their child.
Droyzen in his book The History of Alexander the Great
(of R.I.S. Apostolidis, provided by Trust Bank, p.301), wrote
that when Darius was informed that the Macedonian King showed
every respect toward his captive family and that the dead Stateira
was buried with all honors fit for a queen, he raised his arms
toward the sky saying, "If I return a conqueror I want to
be able to return Alexander's kindness during my family's misfortune,
and if we cease ruling may the gods intervene so no other than
Alexander should occupy the throne of Persia".
Alexander, by liberating various cities in the East
which were under bondage, abolished Oligarchy and established
Democracy. He founded cities, theaters, and gymnasiums, built
new roads, established common currency and promoted commerce among
nations. He mitigated the Greek Civilization in the East and extremely
influenced the Arab nations, and as Dennis Overbye of New York
Times wrote, the meeting of the two Civilizations, the Greek and
Arabian, became an important historic fact. The Arabs translated
the Greek literary works into Arabian, which subsequently were
passed to Europe during the 12th century AD through Latin, thus
establishing the basis of the European Renaissance.
Dr. Constantine Romanos, Assistant Professor of the
Philosophy Department of Aegean University, in his interesting
book The Hellenistic Islam, describes "the missing Hellenistic
legacy of Islam is the missing link of the History of Civilization".
As Dr. Romanos mentions, no research has been done in Greece about
this issue; the Former Metropolitan of Great Britain and Theiatira,
Methodios Fougias, carried out the only serious attempt that has
to be mentioned. Metropolitan Methodios' remarkable research combined
with the reopening of Alexandria's Library and the commenced reports
of various Egyptian scientists in regards to the great benefits
of the legendary Library of Alexandria, the works of hellenized
Islam philosophers in the Medieval period has gained interest
in an international level.
As D. Overbye from New York Times (Kathimerini 11/4/2001)
observed, the scientific work of the Arab philosophers, which
was the end result of the success of Alexander the Great, was
interrupted by the Crusades, the invasion of the Mongols and the
Ottomans. The latter imposed their presence for about five centuries
and during that period there was no academic scholarship at all
in the area. Overbye wrote that the Ottomans were not interested
in sciences and Dr. Romanos observed that they did not identify
with Islam.
• It is not by chance therefore, that Mohammed the
Prophet, in the Koran refers to the Double-horned King (Alexander)
as a prophet who has the ability to punish those who wrong others
and reward the individuals who carry out good deeds.
• Buddhists consider Alexander equal to God.
• Pakistani even today regard him their national hero.
• Jews throughout the centuries have been using the
name Alexander, which was the result of the Archpriest's decision
that "Alexander's name should remain in eternity". The
decision was taken because Alexander the Great exhibited great
respect toward the Archpriest and toward the Jewish tradition
of worship when the Great General visited Jerusalem.
• St. Nectarios in his book The Ecumenical Synods
writes, "Hellenism which was spread by Alexander, paved the
way for Christianity by Emperor Constantine the Great".
• Vasilios the Great does not by chance present Alexander
the Great as role model of self-discipline to young people.
Alexander is honored and will be honored forever by
the great religions of the world. Scripts therefore which blemish
his personality will be described as incomplete. Regardless of
what has been mentioned, common sense falsifies allegations about
Alexander's homosexuality or drinking habits. It would be impossible
for Alexander to lead his army in such successful military campaigns
that no one before and after him was and is able to achieve if
these attributes were true.
Mankind today needs a positive projection of Alexander's
deeds and work and this is an ardent aspiration of UN. This goal
could be satisfied by a film supported by true historic verity,
rather than untrue or profiteering scripts aiming to humiliate
Alexander whom the passing of time has indeed respected. This
could not only result in insulting nations that were conquered
by Alexander, but it would also offend the faithful of other great
religions.
Arrian in his book The Ascension of Alexander VII
mentions that according to Aristovoulos (historian who was accompanying
Alexander) the Macedonian King was diligent, fearless, brave and
respectful to gods, and he was also self-disciplined in his corporeal
pleasures. Arrian adds that it is not of great significance that
Alexander committed a few errors. He was the only King who was
remorseful about his mistakes and this has to do with his gentle
nature. According to Aristovoulos, the symposia, which Alexander
participated did not last long since Alexander did not drink much.
Plutarch, employing Alexander's journal as source,
in his book Parallel Lives (chap. 23) writes, "Also in wine
he was less self-indulgent than what he seemed and he was considered
that he remained such, because he was of the habit of staying
at the symposia a long time not drinking but talking". Plutarch
adds that he was also temperate in eating.
Film scripts which attempt to portray Alexander the
Great as homosexual are of poor taste and they lack seriousness.
Plutarch in his Morals - About the Fate and Virtue of Alexander
(p 333, chap. 12), states: "Let us bring up the deeds of
those who have generally been identified as philosophers and let
us compare their deeds with the deeds of Alexander. Alexander,
when Philoxenos, the supervisor of the coast, wrote to him that
he found in Ionia a very handsome boy, one that could be compared
to none other in beauty, and if Alexander wanted the boy he could
send the youth to him. The king replied to him in bitter, scolding
manner: "horrible man, have you known me up to now guilty
of such crimes? How dare you flatter me with such vile pleasures?"
Other points that could be brought up defending
Alexander about the homosexuality allegations that are circulating
lately are as thus: Alexander was married: a) to Roxane and they
had an heir, b) to Stateira, Darius' daughter and finally c) a
Queen of the East asked Alexander to father a child with her.
In this age of loss of direction and human dignity, we search
for great men to guide and inspire our youth and elevate the quality
of life. Falsification and degradation of the personalities and
statuses of long established History's heroes for political or
materialistic gains and minimization of their positive effectiveness,
is not only offensive to every civilized human being, but is also
a crime against humanity itself. In the case of Alexander the
Great, nothing undertaken by those who now wish to turn historical
facts around, in order to try and belittle him or tarnish his
fame with unfounded claims, can affect his grandeur and place
in History.
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