Moss on Alexander the Great

ASSESSMENT: Alexander the Great: Good for the Jews? (Candida Moss, The Daily Beast). With reference to the Huqoq mosaic that may show a scene of the legendary meeting of Alexander with Jewish leaders. Excerpt:

This happy scene, apocryphal though it may be, obscures a much more complicated and oppressive legacy. Alexander the Great’s conquest of the Persian Empire in 333 BCE may have ousted another occupying power, but life in Israel was relatively peaceful under the Persians. They enjoyed relative political autonomy and were encouraged to construct and develop their religious institutions.

The inauguration of the Hellenistic age brought Greek culture, language, art, architecture, theatre, athletics, education, religion, and politics to the region, and Alexander was and continues to be a beloved figure among many Jews. But he also brought increased foreign control and, later, more tyrannical administrations were able to capitalize on his particular brand of cultural colonialism.

Background here.