Department of Humanities
Permanent link for this collection
Browse
Browsing Department of Humanities by Subject "Alexander"
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Nebuchadnezzar's Siege of Tyre in Jerome's Commentary on Ezekiel(2016) Garstad, BenjaminIn order to elucidate the prophecies of Ezekiel, especially those against Egypt in Book 29, Jerome reconstructed the siege of Tyre by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. He seems to have done this not so much on the basis of the predictions recorded in the Bible (to say nothing of accurate records), as by comparison with accounts of Alexander the Great's siege of the same city more than two hundred years later. Jerome seems particularly dependent on the account of Alexander's siege of Tyre given by Quintus Curtius Rufus. The following investigation broadens our understanding of the authors known and used by Jerome, the uses to which he put his historical reading, and the methods of his Biblical exegesis, especially historical reconstruction.Item Rome in the Alexander Romance(2015) Garstad, BenjaminAccording to The Alexander Romance, the great Macedonian conqueror went to and received the submission of the city and its people, who provided troops and funds in support of his campaign against the Persians. This is, of course, one of the countless details in the Romance tradition which does not merely deviate from reliable history but runs counter to it. This corruption of the historical record might be of no interest to those who are chiefly concerned with the career of Alexander, but it is worth the attention of those who are concerned with his legacy. The inclusion of the Romans in Alexander's empire seems to have its basis in a number of rhetorical and historical traditions: reports of Roman diplomatic contacts with Alexander, rumors about Alexander's plans for the future, the invasion of Italy by Alexander Molossus at the same time as his nephew's expedition to Asia, and Roman counterfactual speculation about what would have happened if Alexander had made war on Rome. These are worth noting as the constituents of historical data in some late antique compositions. The passages which make Rome part of Alexander's domain also tell us something of how their authors wished Rome to be seen in relation to Alexander, the goals he pursued, and the ideals he represented.