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Alexander the Great
Similar to no Other Human Being


By
Nicholas Martis

Former Minister of Macedonia and Thrace, President of Macedonian Hestia

Translated by Nina Gatzoulis
Supreme Secretary of the Pan-Macedonian Association USA


"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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