We know Alexander the Great as the young king who astounded the entire civilized world of his time.
With his army, Alexander accomplished military feats which—to this day—stand out as daring, seemingly-impossible, and incredibly successful. He conquered the entire civilized world with the exception of China only in his brief, thirteen-year reign.
After his death, the empire he formed shattered immediately…yet the effects of that empire have permanently marked the course of history.
Alexander the Great Founding Alexandria by Placido Costanzi
His conquests brought the Jews—until then a mainly nomadic, isolated people—into contact with other races. The Jews were a tight bunch who alone worshiped the true God; now they brushed shoulders with Greeks, learned their language, even—to a certain degree—adopted some Greek culture.
Greek became the common language of Alexander’s empire, a characteristic which remained long after his successors divided the lands. This is why the New Testament was written entirely in Greek: the Apostles and evangelists wanted to spread the Faith everywhere, and the common language enabled them to do this.
Curious to dive deeper into Scripture—just like the early Christians did? My Daily Catholic Bible makes it super doable, with just 20 minutes a day. You’ll get daily readings from both the Old and New Testaments, so you’re not just reading—you’re journeying through the whole story of salvation, one day at a time.
