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From Alexander to Jesus

Online ISBN:
9780520948174
Print ISBN:
9780520266360
Publisher:
University of California Press
Book

From Alexander to Jesus

Published online:
22 March 2012
Published in print:
28 October 2010
Online ISBN:
9780520948174
Print ISBN:
9780520266360
Publisher:
University of California Press

Abstract

Scholars have long recognized the relevance to Christianity of the many stories surrounding the life of Alexander the Great, who claimed to be the son of Zeus. But until now, no comprehensive effort has been made to connect the mythic life and career of Alexander to the stories about Jesus and to the earliest theology of the nascent Christian churches. This book delves into a wide range of primary texts in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew to trace Alexander as a mythological figure, from his relationship to his ancestor and rival, Herakles, to the idea of his divinity as the son of a god. In detail, the book illuminates both Alexander's links to Herakles and to two important and enduring ideas—that of divine sonship and that of reconciliation among peoples.

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