Reviews of two books on Hellenistic kingship

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: Alexander’s successors and the creation of Hellenistic kingship.

Holton, John. Alexander’s successors and the creation of Hellenistic kingship. London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2025. Pp. 232. ISBN 9781350399020.

Holton, John. Royal traditions and the consolidation of power by Alexander’s successors. London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2025. Pp. 232. ISBN 9781350399112.

Review by Caroline Kreutzer, University of Bamberg. caroline.kreutzer@uni-bamberg.de

In these two monographs, John Holton presents new approaches to the development and consolidation of the Hellenistic monarchies following Alexander the Great. Although the basic ideas of both books are not directly dependent on each other, they can be easily combined and complement each other by offering theory-based studies of the early phase of Hellenistic kingship.

[...]

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.

On manuscripts of the Alexander Romance

VARIANT READINGS: Manuscripts of the Alexander Romance (Brent Nongbri).

The Alexander Romance (or The Life of Alexander of Macedon or the Life and Acts of Alexander, or The History of Alexander the Great, King of the Macedonians…) survives in hundreds of manuscript copies in several languages. The Romance has also sometimes been classified as an “open text,” a fluid cluster of narratives that are similar enough to be recognized as versions of the “same” text but different enough to resist reconstruction of any single, fixed “authorial” text. It is thus quite difficult to make an exhaustive collection of manuscripts of the Romance both because of the number of manuscripts in different linguistic traditions and the uncertainty around the question of whether we actually have the transmission of the “same” text or a transformation into a different text.

Nevertheless, what follows is a small collection of links to some of the most important manuscripts connected to the earliest versions of the Romance.

[...]

For many PaleoJudaica posts on Alexander the Great and his connection with ancient Jewish traditions, notably in the Alexander Romance, start here and follow the links. For brief comments on its recensional history, see here. If you want to go down the manuscript and recesional rabbit hole, this Variant Readings post is for you.

And before I got around to posting this, Brent put up another post on the subject: Papyri Related to the Alexander Romance.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.

On the Ptolemaic Era in Egypt

THE WORLD IS FULL OF HISTORY: Alexander’s Legacy: The Ptolemaic Era of Greek Rule in Egypt (Nick Kampouris, Greek Reporter).

When Alexander the Great conquered Egypt in 332 BCE, he signaled the beginning of the era of Ptolemaic rule.

His general Ptolemy established the Ptolemaic dynasty that would govern the vast lands of Egypt for the next 300 years. The Ptolemies became the rulers over a complex fusion of Greek and Egyptian cultures.

[...]

A nice, brief overview of the Ptolemaic dynasty.

There are many PaleoJudaica posts on the Ptolemies, who are important for understanding various aspects of Second Temple Judaism, not least the Book of Daniel. Some notable posts are here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here, and follow the many links!

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.

Henderson: Defeat and Deliverance: Prefigurements of the Jewish Revolt ... (Brill)

NEW BOOK FROM BRILL:

Defeat and Deliverance: Prefigurements of the Jewish Revolt Against Rome in Josephus’ Depictions of Past Invasions of Jerusalem

Series:
Supplements to the Journal for the Study of Judaism, Volume: 220

Author: Jordan Henderson

This monograph examines Josephus’ depictions of foreign invasions of Jerusalem in his Antiquitates Judaicae. These include the invasions of Shishak, Sennacherib, Nebuchadnezzar, Alexander the Great, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, and Pompey the Great. In examining these narratives, the book approaches the Antiquitates Judaicae as an extended “prequel” or backstory to his earlier Bellum Judaicum, examining the ways in which these narratives foreshadow and invite comparisons with his prior account of the war with Rome. The book also explores these narratives within the literary context of the Antiquitates Judaicae as a whole and the ways Josephus’ perceived audience expectations may have influenced his depictions of these events.

Copyright Year: 2026

E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-74579-7
Publication: 29 Sep 2025
EUR €121.00

Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-74578-0
Publication: 02 Oct 2025
EUR €121.00

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.

Another review of Corpus inscriptionum Iudaeae/Palaestinae. Volume 5

ANCIENT JEW REVIEW: Corpus Inscriptionum Iudaeae/Palaestinae, Volume V: Galilaea and Northern Regions (D. Clint Burnett).

Corpus Inscriptionum Iudaeae/Palaestinae, Volume V: Galilaea and Northern Regions. 2 Parts. Edited by Walter Amerling, Hannah M. Cotton, Werner Eck, Avner Ecker, Johannes Heinrichs, Benjamin Isaac, Alla Kushnir-Stein, Jonathan Price, Peter Weiß, Ohad Abudraham, and Ada Yardeni. Berlin: De Gruyter, 2023.

... In short, this new volume, like all the others in the series, is indispensable for those who want to know more about the culture, cultic devotion, and ancient communities that once lived in this part of the Mediterranean World from the time of Alexander the Great to the Arab conquests.

I noted an earlier review of the book here.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.

A Sasanian seal from Jerusalem's “Second Persian Period”

THE TEMPLE MOUNT SIFTING PROJECT BLOG: FROM THE HEART OF JERUSALEM TO THE PEOPLE OF IRAN: A SASSANID TREASURE IN THE SOIL OF THE TEMPLE MOUNT.

While we often speak of the “Persian Period” in Jerusalem in the context of the mid-6th to mid-4th centuries BCE, from the return from the Babylonian exile under Cyrus, and the reconstruction of the city under Ezra and Nehemiah until the toppling of the Persian Achaemenid empire by Alexander the Great, it is exceptionally rare to find artifacts from Jerusalem’s “Second Persian Period,” the brief 14-year window of Sassanid rule between 614 and 628 CE. A few dramatic discoveries from this period include the Ophel menorah medallion, likely intended as an ornament for a Torah scroll, and the “House of Menorot”, where a Christian cross was plastered over to reclaim the space. We also have the tragic evidence of the conquest’s violence found in the Byzantine mass graves at Mamilla, a somber reminder of the 614 CE siege.

And now this Sasanian-era animal seal.

(Sassanian is an alternative spelling.)

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.

Review of Amitay, Alexander the Great in Jerusalem

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: Alexander the Great in Jerusalem: myth and history.

Ory Amitay, Alexander the Great in Jerusalem: myth and history. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2025. Pp. 220. ISBN 9780198929529.

Review by
Jodi Magness, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. magness@email.unc.edu

This book is only marginally concerned with whether Alexander the Great ever visited Jerusalem—an historical question that Ory Amitay ultimately leaves unanswered. Instead, it is mostly about stories describing a visit by Alexander to Jerusalem, which were composed at different times and in different places. Amitay examines four main versions of these stories ...

I have noted the book already here and here.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.

Real and fake Greco-Roman-era coins seized in East Jerusalem

APPREHENDED NUMISMATICS: Ancient Coins Linked to Alexander the Great’s Hellenistic World Seized in Israel (Nisha Zahid, Greek Reporter).

Inspectors in Israel have seized hundreds of ancient and forged coins hidden inside a balcony planter at a private home in East Jerusalem, authorities said this week.

The raid uncovered about 450 coins, including authentic ancient pieces and modern counterfeits. Authorities carried out the operation at the home of a resident suspected of involvement in the unlawful possession and trafficking of antiquities.

Coins span the Hasmonean, Herodian, and Roman periods

Experts examining the seized items said the cache included Hasmonean, Herodian, and Roman-era coins, spanning several centuries of ancient history in the region. Some of the coins were confirmed to be authentic antiquities, while others were identified as forgeries.

[...]

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.

A Persepolis conservation project

PERSEPOLIS WATCH: Persepolis launches new conservation program using advanced material and imaging technology (AM, Tehran Times). HT Rogue Classicism.

TEHRAN – Iranian restoration teams have launched a new conservation program at the UNESCO-designated Persepolis and the nearby Naqsh-e Rostam site using advanced imaging, special material, and stone-analysis technologies, officials said on Saturday.

The project is being carried out by Iranian researchers with scientific support from international institutions. According to authorities, the work involves laser scanning, 3D imaging, detailed structural analysis of stone surfaces and the use of environmentally friendly protective materials aimed at slowing erosion.

Persepolis, founded by Darius the Great around 518 BC, served as the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire (c. 550 – 330 BC). The terrace complex, about 60 km northeast of Shiraz, was largely destroyed by Alexander the Great in 330 BC. Its surviving palaces, stairways and cuneiform inscriptions are considered among the most significant archaeological remains of the ancient world.

[...]

For many PaleoJudaica posts on Persepolis, the ancient Achaemenid ceremonial capital city, see here and links.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.

Alexander the Great in Jerusalem?

THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST TODAY: Alexander the Great in Jerusalem (Ory Amitay).

But did Alexander the Great visit Jerusalem, or didn’t he? That is the single most frequently asked question when people hear the title of my new book, Alexander the Great in Jerusalem: Myth & History. It is encouraging in our day and age that people still care about facts. The truth of the matter is, however, that there is really no way to tell. After more than 20 years of studying the evidence, my answer to this basic question is a definite maybe.

That's a good answer.

Regarding the book:

Either way, a much more important question for me — indeed, it stands at the heart of my book — is not what happened when Alexander passed through the Levant, but rather what it was that generations of Judean storytellers intended when they made up stories about Alexander in Jerusalem that were clearly fictional. These fictions are themselves historical facts, and they each contain their storyteller’s assumptions and agenda. Methodologically, my point of attack lies with the alternative facts presented by each story. By considering these fictive factoids together with each story’s tendencies and attitudes, I attempt to offer a historical context for each of the four stories studied in the book.

I noted the publication of the book here. And for many PaleoJudaica posts on Alexander the Great and his connection with ancient Jewish traditions, follow the links from there.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.

Harrison, Kingship and Empire under the Achaemenids (Edinburgh University Press)

BIBLIOGRAPHIA IRANICA: Kingship and Empire under the Achaemenids, Alexander the Great and the Early Seleucids.

Notice of a new book: Harrison, Stephen. 2025. Kingship and Empire under the Achaemenids, Alexander the Great and the Early Seleucids. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

Follow the link for additional details.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.

On working out naked in Jason's Jerusaelm

CULTURAL CLASH: Jewish priests wrestling naked: How sports shook ancient Judean society. In Jerusalem before the Hasmonean Revolt, priests shocked their community by abandoning Temple duties to wrestle nude at the gymnasion; this vivid clash between Greek athleticism and Jewish tradition exposed deep cultural and religious fault lines (Shmuel Munitz, Ynet News).

“The gymnasion symbolized Jerusalem’s transformation into a Hellenistic city, with even priests engaging in a foreign culture,” said Dr. Haim Kaufman, an expert in Hebrew sports history who taught for years at the Levinsky-Wingate Academic Center. After Alexander the Great’s conquests, a wave of Hellenization swept through occupied territories, blending local and Greek cultures.

In the second century BCE, under the Seleucid Empire, founded by King Seleucus I, a Hellenized high priest named Jason (originally Yehoshua or Yeshua) spearheaded reforms, culminating in the establishment of a gymnasion in Jerusalem, infuriating traditional Jews.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.

Open-access titles from Project Muse

THE AWOL BLOG notes some open-access Brown Judaic Studies monographs, all reprinted in 2020 by Project Muse:

Ben Sira’s View of Women: A Literary Analysis (Warren C. Trenchard, 1982)

Sectarian Law in the Dead Sea Scrolls: Courts, Testimony and the Penal Code (Lawrence H. Schiffman, 1983)

Semites, Iranians, Greeks, and Romans: Studies in their Interactions (Jonathan Goldstein, 1990)

Some Jewish Women in Antiquity (Meir Bar-Ilan, 1998)

And for a bonus, here's another Project Muse reprint:

Rabbinic Judaism in the Making: The Halakhah from Ezra to Judah I (Alexander Guttmann, Wayne State University Press, 1970, rpt. 2018)

It is great to have these older volumes readily available again. But be aware that you may have to poke around a bit to find the original publication dates. They really should be listed at the top of the Project Muse page with the reprint date.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.

Hybrid Lecture: Alexander the Great in Jerusalem and the Origins of the Alexander Romance

UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOL:

Alexander the Great in Jerusalem and the Origins of the Alexander Romance

The ACE [Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology] department is thrilled to announce an Ancient History Seminar titled 'Alexander the Great in Jerusalem and the Origins of the Alexander Romance' delivered by Ory Amitay, (University of Haifa) on the 6 May 2025, Rendall Building, Lecture Theatre 7.

Tuesday 6 May 5pm (UK) | Rendall, Lecture Theatre 7 or online | Open to the public, and University of Liverpool staff and students
This is a hybrid event, we encourage in-person attendance which facilitates discussion. To join on zoom please click here.

Abstract

The topics presented in this talk come from a comprehensive study of the tradition concerning the meeting between Alexander the Great and the Judeans of Jerusalem. Historically, even if Alexander did visit Jerusalem, it was essentially a non-event, nothing to write home about. The historical void provided an opportunity for consecutive Judean storytellers to fill it with political myths of their own creation.

The overall purpose of these myths—so I argue in my new book Alexander the Great in Jerusalem: Myth and History (OUP, 2025) —was on the one hand to negotiate the installation of successive forms of foreign rule over Judea, and on the other to find room for these foreign rules within Judean sacred history. The earliest of these stories, scarcely discussed in previous scholarship, is preserved in the epsilon recension of the Alexander Romance (AR).

[...]

Follow the link for more details.

The abovementioned New Book just came out:

Alexander the Great in Jerusalem

Myth and History

Ory Amitay

£84.00

Hardback
Published: 18 April 2025 (Estimated)
220 Pages
234x156mm
ISBN: 9780198929529

Also Available As:
E-book

Description

Alexander the Great in Jerusalem: Myth and History discusses four different stories told in antiquity about the meeting between Alexander the Great and the Judeans of Jerusalem. In history, this meeting passed without noticeable events. Into the historical void stepped various Judean storytellers, who wrote not what was, but what could (or even should) have been.

The tradition as a whole deals with an issue that resurfaced time and again in ancient Judean history: conquest and regime installment by new foreign rulers. It does so by using Alexander as a cipher for a current Hellenistic and Roman foreign rule. The earliest version can be traced to the context of the Seleukid monarch Antiochos III "the Great", and postulates a Judean text from that time that has been hitherto unknown, and which survived in a Byzantine recension (epsilon) of the Alexander Romance. The second and third chapters turn to rabbinic sources, and deal with the Judean approaches and attitudes towards Roman occupation and rule, first at the advent of Pompey and then at the institution of Provincia ludaea at the expense of the Herodian dynasty. The final story is the most famous, previously considered the earliest, rather than the latest; that of Josephus.

Alexander the Great in Jerusalem demonstrates how the historical tradition consistently maintained the moral and sacral superiority of the Jerusalem temple and of Judaism, making Alexander either embrace monotheism or prostrate himself before the Judean high priest. This not only bolstered Judean self-confidence under conditions of military and political inferiority, but also brought the changing foreign rulers into the fold of Judean sacred history.

For many PaleoJudaica posts on Alexander the Great and his connection with ancient Jewish traditions, notably in the Alexander Romance, see here and links. There are lots of links there too to posts on books about Alexander and the Alexander tradition published in recent years

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.

Review of Ogden (ed.), The Cambridge companion to Alexander the Great

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: The Cambridge companion to Alexander the Great.

Daniel Ogden, The Cambridge companion to Alexander the Great. Cambridge companions to the ancient world. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2024. Pp. 612. ISBN 9781108840996.

Review by
K. R. Moore, Teesside University. K.R.Moore@tees.ac.uk

... It is worth emphasising that none of the burgeoning scholarship on Alexander the Great is redundant or excessive. All of it adds to our highly imperfect understanding of the Macedonian Conqueror and his legacy. And so it is with this preamble in mind that we now turn to the contents of this most recent Companion to join the marching ranks of its noble predecessors. ...

PaleoJudaica notes in particular these chapters:

28. The Alexander Romance, Christian Thrue Djurslev
29. Alexander in Jewish and Early Christian Literature, Aleksandra Klęczar

For many posts on Alexander the Great and his connection with ancient Jewish traditions, notably in the Alexander Romance, see here and links. For some other books on Alexander and the Alexander tradition published in recent years, see here, here, here, here, here, here (reprint of an old book), here, and here.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.

Review of Debié, Alexandre le Grand en syriaque

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: Alexandre le Grand en syriaque. Maître des lieux, des savoirs et des temps.

Muriel Debié, Alexandre le Grand en syriaque. Maître des lieux, des savoirs et des temps. Bibliothèque de l'Orient chrétien, 7. Paris: Les Belles Lettres, 2024. Pp. 656. ISBN 9782251454900.

Review by
Corinne Jouanno, Université de Caen-Normandie. corinne.jouanno@unicaen.fr

Dans ce gros volume de 656 pages, Muriel Debié présente un très riche dossier de témoignages sur Alexandre, comprenant à la fois des textes traduits du grec et de l’arabe et des écrits originaux en langue syriaque. L’ouvrage comporte trois parties, correspondant très exactement à ses trois sous-titres et à trois types de représentation d’Alexandre, en roi conquérant (“maître des lieu”), en souverain philosophe (“maître des savoirs”) et en figure-pivot dans la chronologie du monde (“maître des temps”).

[...]

For an English translation by Google Translate, see here.

For many posts on Alexander the Great and his connection with ancient Jewish traditions, notably in the Alexander Romance, see here and links (cf. here). For posts dealing specifically with the Alexander Romance, see here and links. For an English translation of the Syriac version, see here. For Josephus on Alexander and the Book of Daniel, see here.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.

Niehoff, Judentum und Hellenismus (Mohr Siebeck)

NEW BOOK FROM MOHR SIEBECK: Maren R. Niehoff. Judentum und Hellenismus. Herausgegeben von Birgit Weyel unter Mitarbeit von Florian Zacher. Übers. v. Daniel Schumann, Matthew Chaldekas. [Judaism and Hellenism.] 2024. 122 pages. Lucas-Preis 2022. 29,00 € including VAT hardcover ISBN 978-3-16-163536-6.

Published in German.
In this acceptance speech, Maren Niehoff provides an exemplary insight into her innovative studies on the relationship between Jewish and Hellenistic culture in antiquity. Using the reception of Alexander the Great in Greco-Roman, Jewish-Hellenistic and rabbinic literature, she paradigmatically demonstrates the interrelationships and negotiation processes between Judaism and Hellenism.

We are fortunate to have Prof. Niehoff visiting St. Andrews this week. She gave a fascinating lecture in the School of Divinity yesterday on Paul's and Philo's developing concepts of law.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.

PaleoJudaica's top ten for 2023

ONE LAST 2023 TOP TEN LIST

I used to give an annual list of top PaleoJudaica stories in my anniversary posts, but in recent years I have been too busy in March to get around to it. So ...

Below is my own list of PaleoJudaica's top ten stories/posts for 2023. My criterion is stories that I found most interesting. They are in no particular order.

• The Mount Ebal tablet was in the news a lot, either as an important inscription or a comparatively insignificant fishing weight. I am not persuaded that there is any writing on it. Start at Latest on the Mount Ebal curse tablet / fishing weight and follow the links back.

• The "Vesuvius Challenge" competition (for deciphering a carbonized Herculaneum scroll) has produced an early winner. Start at Profile of the Vesuvius Challenge prizewinner and follow the links.

• The Egyptian Book of the Dead was also in the news, not least with reports of two new manuscripts discovered at Saqqara. Follow the links from The Egyptian Book of the Dead at the Getty Museum. An ancient mummification workshop was also excavated in Saqqara this year. See the links.

• The Codex Sassoon, roughly the oldest nearly complete Hebrew Bible, was auctioned by Sotheby's in May: Oldest Hebrew Bible up for auction. I suggested that the owner should donate it to a museum in Israel. The new owner, former US Ambassador to Romania Alfred H. Moses, dutifully did so: Codex Sassoon sold for $38.1M, is going to Israel. Well done. For all the 2023 posts on the Codex, start at Codex Sassoon is in Israel and work back through the links.

• A tomb was excavated in Israel which may have been of a courtesan around the time of Alexander the Great. The headlines kept getting better and more unlikely: The courtesan story has jumped the shark.

• A very important announcement: News about the More Old Testament Pseudepigrapha Project. Cf here and here. Look for MOTP volume 2 by early in 2025. Watch here for updates in the meantime.

• My post about The Coronation of King Charles III is among the (all time) top five most-read PaleoJudaica posts. See also here.

• The initial authentication of the fake showpiece Darius ostracon was and remains a serious challenge to the credibility of lab tests for authenticating unprovenanced ancient artifacts. See Lessons from the fake Darius ostracon and follow the links.

• Yonatan Adler's book, The Origins of Judaism, with its late dating of those origins, received a good bit of attention this year. I have interacted with it and Adler's work in a few posts. See Adler on the origins of Judaism and Passover, Review of Adler, The Origins of Judaism and When did the Qumran sectarians observe the Day of Atonement?

• The report of the discovery of what appears to be an Old Bablyonian-era Amorite-Akkadian glossary made a splash early this year: An Amorite glossary from the time of Hammurapi? But the tablets are unprovenanced, which raises some concerns which I touched on in my post. See also here. As I noted in another 2023 post, we are seeing an increasing debate over how, if at all, scholars should deal with unprovenanced artifacts.

Bonus stories:

• Late-antique underworld portal excavated near Jerusalem? and More on that "underworld portal" cave.

• Tony Burke's SBL paper gave us The latest on Christian Apocrypha studies.

Have a good and safe New Year's Eve 2023!

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.

Tesei, The Syriac Legend of Alexander’s Gate (OUP)

BIBLIGRAPHIA IRANICA: The Syriac Legend of Alexander’s Gate.

Notice of a New Book: Tesei, Tommaso. 2023. The Syriac Legend of Alexander’s Gate. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Follow the link for description and link to the publisher's site. Cross-file under Syriac Watch.

UPDATE: More Alexander the Great! Just noticed. See previous post.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.

Alexander the God?

SACRED ARCHITECTURE: Ancient Temple Discovered in Iraq Dedicated to Alexander the Great (Tasos Kokkinidis, Greek Reporter).

Archaeologists uncovered signs that Alexander the Great was worshipped as a divine figure in an ancient temple in Iraq.

Scientists had been puzzled by the discovery of more recent Greek inscriptions at the ancient Sumerian temple of Girsu, in the modern-day town of Tello.

Now, British Museum archaeologists believe a Greek temple to Alexander the Great was founded on the site, possibly by Alexander himself.

[...]

Not directly relevant to ancient Judaism, but Alexander is an important figure in Jewish tradition and I like to keep track of what's going on with him.

The argument that Alexander was worshipped jointly with Zeus and (as his brother) Heracles/Ningursu, is plausible, but involves a good bit of inference. It does cohere with Egyptian traditions that deify him.

For many posts on Alexander the Great and his connection with ancient Jewish traditions, notably in the Alexander Romance, see here and links, plus (more or less) here and (sort of) here.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.