Did Jesus know about Alexander the Great?

[@leaomarinho5023]

I think Alexander must've been for 1st century people the same as Napoleon is to us, someone with a profound impact on the current political landscape, like what countries exist, alliances, etc.

[@elvisv500]

Good reference

[@PolishBehemoth]

his conquered territories hardly lasted. When he died at the age of 32 all of this holdings fell apart and so did his empire! Not a lasting piece of history at all!

[@kingsoftheeast]

@@PolishBehemoth His Empire fell apart, but that doesn't mean it didn't leave a lasting influence. Most notably, the hellenistic culture now present in those vast territories remained influencial for a long time whithin the fragments of his empire. Similarly, none of the states/alliances Napoleon rearranged continued to exist for long, yet he is still a household name.

[@moseyburns1614]

I remember a documentary following coalition soldiers (I think American) during the middle days of the war in Afghanistan, one young soldier learned the local language and was able to communicate and build a rapport with the locals, they took to calling him Iskandar after their word for Alexander the Great. If these Pashtun tribesmen without much in the way of formal education have some cultural memory of Alexander the Great, I figure it's believable that Jesus would have known, he was a Rabbi and religious scholar and I imagine he would have been historically literate.

[@arnoldjohnson3317]

There is nothing to indicate Jesus was literate and more to indicate he was illiterate.

[@tosgem]

@@arnoldjohnson3317 huh? Half of what he said only makes sense if you know his references to the Torah. How could someone speaking Aramaic (a Greek influenced dialect of the language) three hundred years after it was introduced know nothing about the man that introduced it?

[@arnoldjohnson3317]

@J you said he was a rabbi and carpenter, he has manuscripts of what said and yet you say nothing to indicate he was literate. The guy below thinks Aramaic is a Greek language.

[@bradymisencik4073]

@Arnold Johnson considering how often Jesus quoted the old testament scripture. And encouraged people to do the same I don't think he was illiterate. There are also plenty of non-Christian/Jewish accounts of Jesus and his character. Plenty of roman scribes and even Pontius Pilate (the Roman Governor of occupied Isreal)

[@bradymisencik4073]

Wrote about their experiences with Jesus*

[@Rosegoldshawwty]

Easily my favorite historian KZbinr, your consistency and your content just fits my vibe.

[@Ennio444]

I think it's the Historia Augusta which suggests that whenever Emperors speak to the crowds, there are (if official or improptu, it's not clear) "repeaters", people who hear the speech and voice it outwards. This is also attested in the Middle Ages (in trials, in proclamations, etc) and in the Napoleonic military.

[@keouine]

I was thinking one could would have centuries of solutions or methods right up to the 20th century.

[@Alexrider02]

If you cut these into individual videos, each question would make a PERFECT KZbin Short. Might get more engagement for the new channel if you try that route!

[@leiladekwatro3147]

Please dont. I cant put into words how much I hate YT shorts.

[@Alexrider02]

@@leiladekwatro3147 Okay, you can't put it into words, but can you be specific about what your dislike, or is it just a general, irrational hatred of short-form content? And should your hatred outweigh the fact that KZbin's algorithms currently favor Shorts, and it would thus make this new channel more likely to succeed?

[@LuiKang043]

@@leiladekwatro3147good. It will attract people who are NOT here, which clearly isn't you. 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@cooldude05940]

@@leiladekwatro3147 its literally just a shorter format on a different channel u dont have to watch it dawg

[@Sharru]

@@Alexrider02 What makes a channel more likely to succeed doesn't equate to the best format for teaching. This is a history channel, not a channel that teaches you the best way to make a PBJ. I don't like shorts because if I'm trying to learn about something I want to learn about it extensively and I want to see the sources people are using and check to see if there are any engaging conversations in the comments. Shorts can grab your attention but most of the information you view is forgotten because you move to the next short so quickly. If you're using shorts to advertise your longer videos then I think that makes sense but if you're making a bunch of shorts about history you're just making it harder for people to retain information and find the information they're looking for. That being said, I'm not even a fan of this video because it's click bait for an interesting topic that he talks about for 2 and a half minutes. 👎

[@hglundahl]

9:59 And the first book of Maccabees starts with the earliest written account of Alexander's carreere that is still there left to us, I'd say about 200 years before Arrian. And Our Lord mentions various Seleucids and Ptolemies at least indirectly. Luke 22:25. Everyone of the ones (more than just one or two) who have the byname Euergetes.

[@Krommer1000]

Not only do ancient amphitheaters not have hand railings, people who are height or steep incline sensitive would be shocked to know just how truly careful you need to be when navigating some of these ancient public spaces. It can feel quite precarious at times.

[@bendover9813]

People wouldn’t have exactly judged you for being cautious, either. Nowadays, you’ll get weird looks and maybe even a mean word if you have trouble with an escalator lol.

[@Venefica]

I prefer to save the money, hassle, and fear for my life. It's much more fun to wander around scratching, "Veni Vidi Venenavi," on walls when people are not watching. Though as a youth, there's less fear for life in general I suppose. Kids, don't be a Vandal like I was; now that I'm a Goth life is much easier and less stressful.

[@medwayhospitalprotest]

I went to the amphitheatre in El Djem, Tunisia, which is quite well preserved. Of course in Tunisia there are not really many safety barriers, its up to you to look out for yourself. This place is also in the middle of nowhere, now. It really wasn't hard to get around. I would guess different places where better or worse. Only 100 years ago the first football grounds in the UK were just as dangerous if not more so, there were plenty of crowd crushes and fires. In some of the photos men are sitting on rooves. The crowd is so numerous, its a sea of flat caps.

[@jenhenderson4136]

This is a great video, love the casual format! It's like having a friend who knows all about ancient Rome and just getting to ask them questions ^.^ looking forward to more :)

[@hollyingraham3980]

Q#4: Look at the largest capacity theatres before electronic amplification arrived in the 1920's. This is how many people could be addressed. Public speaking was an important part of upper class education in the Classical world. This included proper voice projection, as actors were still taught in the 1980's (don't know about today). It's not just yelling. One is taught to project a stage whisper to be understood in the nosebleed seats. Q#6: Alexander the Great was part of popular Jewish culture in the time of Jesus. You didn't have to be educated or know Greek or koine. Unlike his successors, he was viewed as a protector of Jewish culture. Now, it was a part of onomastics that Jews of the time named babies after relatives or else those who had been notable benefactors. Remember the scene about the naming of John/Yochannon (later the Baptist), where the guests want to know why his parents are giving him a name that isn't used in his family, and are weirded out by that. Yet at the time the name Alexander/Alexandros was popular among Jews as a benefactor's name. So, yes, any Jew not abysmally dim knew to some extant about Alexander the Great.

[@Pryan5577]

This might be the best channel on this website.

[@jonsampiro]

The later Hasmoneans were heavily Hellenized, with Alexander, Alexandra, Aristobulus, Cleopatra, Ptolemy, and other Alexandrian names among their members. Herod the Great named his sons with the Hasmonean princess Mariam Alexander and Aristobulus and one of their daughters Olympias (after Alexader's mother). Herod's parents, Antipater and Cypros, both from noble families in what is now Jordan, had Macedonian names, implyong the sphere of Alexandrian influence. Herod also had sons with the Macedonian names Philip, Archelaus, and Antipas. Even an illiterate person in Nazareth would certainly have known the names of the king and senior members of the Royal household and by extension uprobably at very least that these non-Hebrew names were Greek in origin. More importantly perhaps was Alexandria. Jesus is said to have set to have spent part of his childhood in Egypt, which probably would have meant Alexandria, which in addition to being named for Alexander had a huge Jewish population. A Jewish boy in 1st century Alexandria would have have seen statues and temples dedicated to Alexander as well as his tomb and those of the Ptolemies. Jesus's apostles included a Philip and a Bartholomew, whose name was likely "bar Ptolemaios/son of Ptolemy, Indicating two Hellenized families among the apostles. While they perhaps could not give you a detailed biography of Alexander, it would be almost inconceivable for 1st century Jews not to have known who Alexander was as his shadow has still loomed large over their own culture and world and his name would have been heard daily In a reference to living or dead Judeans who bore it or the magnificent city that bore his name whose very large Jewish community contained many who made pilgrimage to Jerusalem at passover and intermarried frequently with Judean cousins.

[@bigscarysteve]

It is a Jewish tradition to name the third son in a family "Alexander" in gratitude for the fact that Alexander the Great did not destroy the Jewish Temple.

[@hariszark7396]

All the names you mentioned as "Macedonian" are common Greek names. And this is natural because Macedonians were Greeks, having Greek names, Greek Gods, Greek ancestors, Greek culture (although "Greek culture" had many differences among the Greek City-States but also many similarities).

[@justicethedoggo3648]

Alexander had no kids , many say he did after his death but no one can prove if it was really his . Roxana was probably banging other dudes lmao

[@BunsBooks]

On the last question I just wanna give some Eastern Orthodox fun facts. For us the answer is most likely/yes and, according to holy tradition, early Christian’s were known to make pilgrimages to Alexander’s tomb to pray. Not asking for intercessions, they did not see him as a saint, but he was a model for how one can achieve so much and literally conquer the world, becoming nearly deified, yet still die a dishonorable death and lose everything. Christian pilgrims went to his tomb to meditate on how without God/Christ (the one who conquered death by death), ones achievements in this life are ultimately nothing. From the Orthodox funeral service: “Riches do not remain; glory does not accompany one to the other world; for when death strikes, it obliterates them all”

[@evillyn7895]

I did not realize how much I wanted an answer to a question I had not asked. Thanks, Garret!

[@tallmikbcroft6937]

You have fantastic pacing/timing and timber in your speaking voice. Very easy to listen to you and I particularly enjoy the subject matter. Frickin awesome!

[@ElizabethDMadison]

It tells about Alexander the Great right at the very beginning of the First Book of Maccabees, very much a current book in the 1st century that told the story behind the Maccabean revolt and Hannukkah, a feast which Jesus is shown celebrating in the Gospels. The first and second books of Maccabees were used in the Bible by most early Christians and still today by Catholic and Orthodox Christians. I read that passage only the other day as part of the Office of Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours so it is fresh in my mind, it tells about Alexander the Macedonian's conquests and how when he was dying he divided the conquered territories among his generals. Toldinstone claims the Books of Maccabees were from Alexandria but the first one (that mentions Alexander) is known to have had a Hebrew original so more likely it was composed in Judea where the events happened.

[@mistermerlin8917]

Thanks Elizabeth, I have heard that Alexander has the distinction of being the only person mentioned in all three of the Holy Books, ie, the Old Testament, New Testament and the Holy Koran. In other words, he made quite an impression on the world.

[@colleennobbs7218]

Alexander the Great is mentioned by Daniel in his prophecy given in Daniel 11. The Book of Maccabees is not a Canonical Book. Daniel is a solid reference point. Agreed upon by all!

[@ElizabethDMadison]

@@colleennobbs7218 It's part of the Septuagint and no one denies that the Book of Maccabbees existed at the time of Jesus! Martin Luther rejected some of the books in the Old Testament a few hundred years ago. I'm a Catholic so we continue to use all the books. But that difference is irrelevant to the fact the Book of Maccabees is ancient literature that shows Jews were very aware of Alexander before Jesus' time. Even protestant scholars use it for that type of historical reference reason. And that was the issue.

[@colleennobbs7218]

The Book of Maccabees is not in the Jewish Old Testament.

[@ElizabethDMadison]

@@colleennobbs7218 At the time of Jesus they didn't have a really fixed canon in Hebrew. They had separate scrolls of various books, for instance we hear in the Gospel of Jesus picking up the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah in the Synagogue and reading the prophecy that He fulfills. They clearly did include the Book of Maccabees in the Septuagint, which was the Greek edition of the Jewish Bible created in the 2nd c BC and was the Old Testament used by the first Christians. Early Christianity was overwhelmingly Greek speaking for a few hundred years. A few were Aramaic speaking but there actually wasn't an Aramaic simple translation of the Old Testament in very early times, only commentary paraphrase versions made by Jewish rabbis (the "targumim"). So the Greek Septuagint edition was essential to early Christians having access to the Old Testament. In about the 9th c AD the Hebrew Scriptures were standardized by rabbinic authorities as what is today called the "Masoretic Text". I do not believe 9th century rabbis should be regarded as having authority for setting canon for Christians, instead of what books the earliest Christians used as their canon. I personally do see early Christian leaders as the best source for what the Christian Bible is. In the past it was sometimes claimed that the books Martin Luther removed hadn't existed in Hebrew, and only Hebrew texts belonged in the Old Testament. That's a strange criterion, but it wasn't true, we've found the ancient Hebrew originals of some of those books at Qumran, Masada etc. The truth is that Martin Luther had ideological reasons for wanting to remove some books of the Old Testament, and he would have removed the Book of James from the New Testament too, if other protestants hadn't stood up to him. The "problem" with that book of course is that it contradicts one of Luther's ideas: "faith without works is dead." In our time, blessedly, we have come to a lot of essential agreement on "faith and works", see a document called the Catholic-Lutheran Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification. So, good thing protestants didn't hastily reject the Book of James.

[@aaronperry5138]

Well, not only that, but Jesus would've known the book of Daniel and the fulfillment of his prophesies, which included not only that Greece would conquer Persia and become the dominant empire of the region, but that their great leader would die, and his kingdom would be split into four parts, one of which, yes, was the Seleucid element which the Maccabees encountered.

[@joseph6270]

your voice is so soothing to listen to and makes all of this information so easy to digest. It's cool that even your unscripted inflections are like that too :)

[@JoeyC777]

Thanks for the consistently interesting subjects and engaging presentation. Listening to you I feel like I am taking a weekend trip to the ancient world.

[@medwayhospitalprotest]

Interesting. I'm 50 now but when I was at school, I did Classics for A Level. I grew up in the Midlands of the UK and went to a state comprehensive. Then my father got a job in the South, and my exam results were good enough to get into a Girl's Grammar School. Still a state school, but the best pupils. Part way through, I decided I'd had it with Biology and switched to Classics. Our teacher was a Mrs Foster, who clearly loved the subject and had no trouble imparting to us her love of it. I still own a copy of Cicero's letters because of her.

[@mrdanforth3744]

Benjamin Franklin did a calculation of how big a crowd an official could address. One day when he was listening to a public speaker he moved back and back until he reached the limit of where he could hear clearly. Then he calculated how many people could stand in a circle that big. He concluded that a speaker could harangue a crowd of up to 10,000 people.

[@Enzo012]

Near to the east In a part of ancient Greece In an ancient land called Macedonia Was born a son To Philip of Macedon The legend, his name was Alexander At the age of nineteen He became the Macedon King And he swore to free all of Asia Minor By the Aegean Sea In 334 B.C He utterly beat the armies of Persia

[@NickHuffTenor]

LOVE this....... It's fun to see you be extemporaneous and your personality come through more!

[@hoominwifquats]

This is a lovely conversation, please continue!

[@tigerhunter8878]

I like your clear way of speaking! Very comforting for the listener especially for non scripted.

[@davidhughes6853]

I like this “magazine” format. I often view your videos late at night and, well, the spirit is willing… Thank you.

[@joecesa1013]

I've loved your wit and manner sharing your knowledge. Answering these questions is great--really diverse ideas viewers have that I never thought of. Imagine what other questions are out there. Thanks again, looking forward to more.

[@uptown3636]

Just found this channel. You're amazing! Can't wait to see more--subscribed. Also, not shocked to learn that the Romans were a bit ableist in their amphitheater design. "No OSHA in the Colosseum" cracked me up.

[@HankBukowski]

Just found your channel. I'm in. Thanks.

[@pedenharley6266]

Many thanks for this Q&A!

[@mieliav]

there is a jewish tradition that alexander TG made some kind gestures towards jewish religious freedom (in palestina if I remember rightly) and that a delegation was sent to him, to thank him and promise to name their sons after him. I know lots of jews called alexander, whatever the truth of the story. thanks for the interesting talk!

[@benschnapp2748]

I completely agree with Zansi’s comment of breaking each of these questions up.

[@wellthatagedwell2716]

Interesting fact: The 19t century historian Theodore Ayrault Dodge in his book on Hannibal mentioned that Alexander was aware of the Romans. He just didn’t care about them because he, (Alexander), didn’t feel the Romans was worthy of his attention because they fought against oponents he deemed unworthy

[@klapsigaarenbasgitaar1931]

Interesting, what was his source?

[@wellthatagedwell2716]

@@klapsigaarenbasgitaar1931 I Am do mot remember. I do believe the late professor Dodge mentioned it in passing but I cannot remember the detail I am afraid.

[@klapsigaarenbasgitaar1931]

@@wellthatagedwell2716 For sure he would have showed up on the Italian peninsula sooner or later if he hadn't died so young.

[@Notchlings]

Simply one of the best channels on KZbin

[@kennethtan6403]

Thank you and Much Love from the Philippines.

[@enriquesanchez2001]

GARRETT ♥ You make history spring alive for me! Thank you for your dedication to this craft! 🙏

[@larsrons7937]

Very interesting compilation of footnotes, i'll watch the next ones too for sure as well as your other new "Scenic Routes to the Past" channel. Both look very interesting, the "Alaska copper" topic too. Having been parted from your book "Naked Statues, Fat Gladiators, and War Elephants" since last Christmas when I got it for present, tonight I'll be united with it and can't wait to start reading it.

[@fenzelian]

Nazareth is also only 40 miles or so from Tyre - it seems unlikely anybody even vaguely familiar with Tyre wouldn’t know about Alexander the Great, since Tyre has such weird geography because of him. (The city is on an island connected to the mainland by a causeway he had built when he besieged it). But that’s a guess.

[@strategery101]

Nazareth had some good songs too

[@Benjaminwolf]

Very enjoyable. Well spoken!

[@gregcampwriter]

So was there a hand gesture that distinguished between peace maker and cheese maker?

[@Patriot1789]

Lead apparently lends a sweet flavor to the water. Your explanation of the limestone in the water system is interesting.BTW in Herculaneum “what they were doing” was to unfortunately live near an active volcano! Great questions too.

[@garrettmaddrill5931]

Your videos are great, I've loved Greek and roman history for as long as I can remember, and your videos help me keep learning. plus we have the same first name :)

[@stepps511]

Your knowledge is astounding! I'm hooked!

[@jcrosenkreuz5213]

Also, as Jesus knew the Torah front to back, he likely heard the common exegesis that Alexander was the conquering king from the book of Daniel. That king was horned, Alexander gave himself horns on his coins, etc.

[@JoshMably]

Not to mention the destruction of Tyre, as prophesized in Ezekiel 26:14 and carried out by Alexander the Great.

[@juliopaveif]

You answered my question!!! Amazing! Thank you so much

[@juliopaveif]

I've always struggled so much to understand that and I did search but never found anything reasonably loud that they could use! Thank you so much!

[@josephturner7569]

The City of Ankh Morpork has Guilds. Possibly modelled on Rome. The Patrician (Emperor) manages the Guilds. They manage society. The City Watch (vigiles) work around them.

[@mikerichards5610]

Great Q and A!

[@SHAd0Eheart]

Lead water pipes soon develop a layer of scale making them much less dangerous.

[@LeCharles07]

I have a question, if you don't mind breaking the fourth wall a bit. Do you know all of this off the top of your head or do you have to look some of this up? The KZbinr Drachinifel (possibility for a collaboration if you feel like talking about an ancient naval battle) will sometimes do research into questions for his Q&As and I was wondering if all of this was in your head already. I love the content, btw. Thank you for doing what you do.

[@toldinstonefootnotes]

Pretty much off the top of my head, for better or worse, though I took a few minutes to organize my thoughts before starting.

[@joebombero1]

I watch Drachinifel also! Interesting. I wonder if there is a spillover demographic.

[@speederscout]

@@toldinstonefootnotes Garrett, I can't tell you how much I appreciate your content. Thank you so much for your work.

[@patrickbarrett5650]

Unbelievable … you have found a niche. People have questions which archaeologists would never consider. Don’t forget that Roman Pewter contained lead and acidic wine would react with it. Excellent content. 👏🏻

[@yisroelackerman]

Isn't the guy in the video a "Barrett" too?

[@mikeFolco]

more content from you will always be welcomed.

[@flyingisaac2186]

Excellent Q & A again Dr Ryan. One thought regarding lead. Areas where lead was mined and smelted and cast into ingots, like parts of Roman Britain or the Balkans, would have suffered far more from the ill effects of lead in terms of stunted growth and damage to mental faculties. I wonder myself if the urban violence seen in places like Alexandria was perhaps a result of a high degree of lead smelting? People may have been angrier and more suggestable as a result of lead ingested via fumes. Romans used the highly ductile lead for so many things, so there would've had to have been a substantial amount of lead smelting in any large urban area or large estates which would be self sufficient for many things. Maybe.

[@RicardoAGuitar]

One thing that bothers me about the premise of your question is the implication that if not for the lead smelting, there would be little to no violence. Violence is inherent to the human animal, and it is something that every society, every culture has had to account for. It's possible that lead smelting might have exacerbated violence, but in any case it's only a single factor

[@flyingisaac2186]

@@RicardoAGuitar What I am saying is that the fumes from lead smelting in certain places, particularly dense urban areas could well have increased levels of violence alongside other well effects like stunting childhood growth (Romano British skeletons were clearly shorter than those before and after). Now this has to be seen among other factors. Men and women can be pushed to violence. A very honour based culture would place greater value on a man responding aggressively to perceived slights to his honour, which at least aristocratic Rome was, militarism too, but lead fumes can have an extraordinary effect on mind and body. Major urban violence was a feature of the larger Roman cities. Crowds in hippodromes or public squares would engage in ritualised chanting of slogans and if the public man they engaged with, like a civil or military official or an emperor, displeased them they would riot. The use of lead in petrol is theorised as a factor in urban violence in the 60s and 70s. There are many, many factors that trigger violence, including cultural collision (Alexandria was a scene of it almost from the start), but lead smelting in a city or large villa estate (the late Roman ones were particularly self sufficient) was possibly a notable factor in outbreaks of violence.

[@user-if4nx2jn8r]

Congrats on expanding into new channels. Would farmers in Rome have eaten heartier breakfasts, since that was common practice in a lot of Europe(and later America) for farmers, or was this true of city-dwellers and rural Romans?

[@Basauri48970]

Not Toldinstone, but anyway: Roman breakfast used to be quite a light affair and not hearty by any means, just like Italian beakfast is today. They used to eat bread or flat pancakes made of a wheat like cereal called emmer, perhaps accompanied by whatever was at hand such as olives, dates etc. The poorest among them however would have had to do with a sort of porridge or a twice baked bread made of grain.

[@ozne_2358]

I remember lead being used in the city of Naples in Italy for drinking water pipes in old buildings at least in 70s and 80s.

[@masterstealth11]

Ready for this channel to blow up 🔥

[@craigfairweather3401]

Re: Jesus and Alexander: in the gospels Jesus refers to ‘kings of the earth’ being called ‘benefactors’ that is have honorific nicknames, so he is aware of some kings’ practices. ‘Alexander’ is mentioned as a name of a likely Jewish follower of Jesus in Mark (‘Simon, the father of Rufus and Alexander’) and was a very common name among Greek speaking Jews. Pls Herod the Great had an obsession with the Macedonian royal house: naming sons Philip, Alexander, and one or more of his wives were named Cleopatra.

[@megenberg8]

another sparkling comment on today's board - thanks! so good, so good!!

[@rundbaum]

this is Awe-some!! way better than tv . . .

[@hankjustice9136]

Thank you for all your videos and book. Fantastic work.

[@Lucas-qk8lc]

These Q and A are so interesting

[@mikekenney8362]

I love the concept you’re pursuing. Real perception requires hard data

[@zannbruce]

Show pictures of amphitheaters, aqueducts, etc! Would improve engagement!😊

[@scottyoung4226]

This is the first thing I have ever seen from you. It was fantastic! Thank you. I have subscribed, and hope to see more of your work. I'll also look for your other channel.

[@scottyoung4226]

Correction: I just went to subscribe to your other channel, and I've apparently watched a whole bunch of your videos. Either way, thank you!

[@maxcasteel2141]

This is great! Definitely subscribing

[@parkslog8975]

What an enjoyable video!! I’m definitely going to check out your podcast. Looking forward to more content in the future!!

[@classicgameplay10]

He certainly did because of the rabbinic literature. Also Josrphus talks about him as well.

[@kevinbergin9971]

Josrphus was born in 37 AD.

[@classicgameplay10]

@@kevinbergin9971 But he talks about Alexander, so if he had sources talking about him, why wouldnt Jesus have it ?

[@timmyg44]

@@classicgameplay10 Because Josephus was an upper crust Jew with an impeccable education?

[@antoniovaccaro2160]

My guess is that in 30 AD anyone living in Levante would have heard about Alexandria the biggest city in Egypt, namen after --- Alexander. Who would have known about Alexandria without knowing about Alexander...

[@marcpavey7752]

i thoroughly enjoyed this. excellent format.

[@EyeLean5280]

Agree with your conclusion regarding Jesus and Alexander.

[@eutropius2699]

Great video, subscribed 🇺🇸😄👍

[@isaacturnercreativeideas]

love this please continue! nice to come home from the conservatory and wind down to these videos

[@mikev4621]

Moving water can absorb solubles from the interior of pipes . Also, lead acetate was added to wine to make it sweet- lead acetate tastes sweet.

[@citadel9611]

Nice channel. I had fun learning some interesting bits about the Roman society.

[@PhD777]

Outstanding episode!

[@canadiankewldude]

Thank you, very informative.

[@tecumsehcristero]

Jesus mainly got in trouble for what he did on what we now call palm Sunday. He was reenacting Judas Macabeus' entry into Jerusalem after Defeating on of Antiochus Epiphanies generals and Antiochus was either one of or a descendant of Alexander the great's generals

[@benjaminhammel2520]

As a Jew who's somewhat versed it Talmud, I thought that last question was quite interesting. I know for certain of at least a few references to an אלכסנדרוס מוקדון "Aleksandros Mokedon" mentioned in the Talmud, although I'm uncertain as to how far the Talmud was in terms of compilation during the Roman period. The texts would likely have been very accessible anyways as there were plenty of Rabbis around back then.

[@bertplank8011]

The Talmud refers to Jesus as a magician and the son of a common woman....who should be boiled in ",hot excrement".....luckily most Christians are unaware of the hatred of Christianity by jews of this period.

[@ownpetard8379]

The Jews at that time were immersed in a Greek world, which in spite of the Seleucids (Hanukkah story), they were very happy to be part of. With the Hanukkah story practiced by Jews - including Jesus - it is obvious that Jews were aware of how the Seleucids came to be in their land - via Alexander's conquest of the region - and thus any Jew would know of Alexander. Synagogue is a Greek word. Sanhedrin is an Aramaic word based on a Greek word for council. Jews read the Jewish Scriptures in Greek via the Septuagint (and they did into the 3rd century CE/AD). The Septuagint was complete by 180 BC/BCE. The Hebrew Scriptures had been severely fragmented by the Seleucids desecrations. (Whole story of how the rabbis tried to pull together a best version of Scriptures in Hebrew around 190 CE and later. Wasn't done until the 11th century CE.) Greek world in Palestine: There is a recovered sign in Greek (and only in Greek) thought to be used at a certain point in front of the Temple warning Gentiles from going any further. Christianity ultimately spread so quickly due to the Hebrew religion being available to them via the Septuagint. And it is why there were Jewish converts from the pagan Greeks among Jesus' followers. Can go on and on. Academic studies conclude that Jesus knew Greek. He gave stories that link to the Septuagint. So, he read and spoke Greek, and would have known the Greek world based on Alexander's legacy.

[@benjaminhammel2520]

@@bertplank8011 It is still unknown if this statement in the talmud was in reference to Jesus. It literally could have been a man of the same name(an incredibly common one) with a mother who was a common woman.

[@benjaminhammel2520]

@@bertplank8011 Plus I don't see what this has to do with what I said

[@bigscarysteve]

@@ownpetard8379 The Jews were happy to be part of the Greek world? That's only a half-truth. Some of the Jews wanted to take part in the Hellenistic way of life and adopted Greek manners. Others, such as the Zealots, were bitterly opposed to it and waged an ongoing, low-level guerilla war against it. The sign in the Temple you reference was only in Greek because it was addressed to Gentiles--not Jews. Your claim that the Hebrew scriptures were fragmented and not pieced back together for centuries is absolute nonsense.

[@grindsaur]

Great questions, and equally good answers.

[@_hench__5251]

Love to see your channel expanding. Was Roman medicine more advanced than in the Middle Ages before the renaissance?

[@jamestarrou3685]

thank you for your content!

[@David-tk6nj]

Alexander's first language was Macedonian though, Greek was spoken as a second language by him. But I do understand you are talking about the sources like books which were largely in Greek which was the lingua franca in those times beside the emergence of Latin.

[@NikolaGruevski666]

Yeah he spoke Serbian lololol

[@David-tk6nj]

@@NikolaGruevski666 well Serbian is Illyrian so it’s close.

[@Moredread25]

I like this rapid fire answer format.

[@MicaFarrierRheayan]

I simply loving these topics or sameness questions! It really enticing to know about some individuals whom sharing the same timelines

[@brandonneely9982]

Great video dude, keep'em coming.

[@dylanreynolds4334]

I absolutely love your channel, now channels!! Your passion for the content you discuss and share is amazing. 1000x better than most other channels out there! I am excited to see more of these footnote episodes in the future!

[@rakeshmohan6278]

This channel and Maiorianus are my two favourite Roman history channels.

[@reeyees50]

People in the western hemisphere ate small breakfast up until the early 19th Century. In colombia around 1830, people will eat hot cocoa for breakfast and nothing more. Some had arepa (corn meal tortilla) and rich people will eat pork in their breakfast meal

[@williamgifford83]

Thanks for offering this. Good stuff. One point: I’d been taught not to use the phrase “THE hoi polloi”, which would mean “THE the people”, or “THE the many”. FWIW. Thanks again.

[@RicardoAGuitar]

I've heard that too. I think it's reasonable to use the "wrong" form, ie "the hoi polloi" because "hoi" is not an English article. Similarly, whenever the NBA has a Hispanic heritage game, one or both of the jerseys will include a Spanish article on the jersey that doesn't exist on the standard jersey. "Los Spurs", "El Heat", "Los Suns". Whereas the standard jersey says "Spurs", "Heat", or "Suns", if translated literally the special jersey reads "The Spurs", "The Heat", "The Suns" One wonders why they wouldn't translate the mascot name as well, but that's for the NBA to answer, not me.

[@shaolinotter]

amazing that roman’s knew about cats kryptonite, the tilted fence!

[@J.O.A.T.s]

Looks like a success..👏🏻👏🏻 Good for you thanks for the great entertainment

[@ariebrons7976]

Dear dr Ryan, (On the matter of making one heared amidst a crowd) The Talmud talks about Chuzpit, the loud speaker. A man who's job it was to repeat evereything sayed. Could one find work as a loud speaker in Rome too?

[@jannarkiewicz633]

Always informative

[@ok-kk3ic]

This is the type of content I’m here for.

[@Magik1369]

Jesus did not know about Alexander for the same reason that Philo of Alexandria and no other contemporaneous historians or writers mention Jesus; because Jesus was not an actual historical figure. We do know that Mithraism was the state religion of Rome and pre-dates Christianity. Mithras was also said to be born on Dec 25th to a virgin. There are many other commonalities. When one considers that the Bible was compiled under Constantine at the Nicean Council in 325 AD, where the Christian Creed was also developed, and that syncretism was widely used by conquering states to control the people, it looks more than likely like Jesus was a mythological figure like Apollo and Zeus.

[@ralfschultz5347]

About 40 years ago, there was a report on German TV about Alexander and also a bit about his father Philippos. The Historian-Linguist described shortly father and son, extensively their army adding: "Of course you cannot defeat such an army by simply looking at it as the Persians believed. But the secret of Alexander's success was some thing else. The Makedonians loved their king, that boy with the enigmatic eyes, who was a soldier at 14, general at 18, king at 20 and ruler of half of Asia at 28." The lady added: "We here in the West learn about Alexander in school, in the history lessons. Over there in the East, however, when it is winter and the children sit in front of the kamin around their mother, she tells them about Iskander, the legendary king and all the good things he, his soldiers and all the scientists from Greece brought to them. And the eyes of the girls shine and they want to grow up and spend a night with him so they can bear to the world Heroes like him. And the eyes of the boys shine and they want to grow up to be soldiers in his Army. And the mother adds: "One day he will come back, yes he will". The above describes who knew and who not knew about Alexander. One word to Jesus. We have no evidence that a person as described existed. It is a matter of faith. At the time Octavianus and Tiberius ruled Rome, hundreds of beggars were going around in the part of the world the Romans called Palaistina. If he and John the Baptist existed they were just two of those beggars. When Octavianus ruled Rome there were 10 cities in Palaistina founded and inhabited by Greeks, known colectivey as Dekapolis. Meaning "ten cities". Names to me unknown today, except one, Nikopolis meaning "city of the victorious". A word more about the "roman" amphitheater for the creater of this work. There is no roman amphitheater. The theater was established by the Greeks as an abstract idea of art, all implementations people have been given to it over the millennia. Atheana and Aphrodyte greeting you!

[@ginojaco]

When I have seen acoustics in the ancient theatres being demonstrated, it has not been done with the seats filled. People absorb sound, apart from any noise they themselves make, so it seems unlikely that the acoustics would be as good as is often claimed.

[@RajuDas-qu1li]

Today my question is: Was Alexander the great defeated in India? The reason for me asking this is that the Indian employed giant war elephants manned by expert spear-throwers, who were very skillful and experienced. This war in India was a never before experience for Alexander the great who had hoped to conquer this country fully but had to return leaving the task incomplete. Unlike the previous wars in Egypt and elsewhere, Alexander met great challenges by the Indian kings This was beyond the expectation of the Alexander the great. What he saw completely baffled him. Those sights of enormous mountain-like elephants with riders who had very very long spears. It filled the heart of some Roman officers with awe. Now some Indian historians say that Alexander could not compete this great challenge and was defeated ultimately. Was this a myth by the contemporary Indian historians of today? Have a great day! Thank you!

[@Whurlpuul]

Incredible questions, even more incredibly answered.

[@bennyskim]

I read somewhere that if wine was eaten with bread (as with breakfast), it was mixed with 2:1 water:wine or 3:1 water:wine, or part sea water and part wine with the salt and minerals making it more of a food. Anyone who has ever home brewed wine knows how difficult it is with a wild starter to get much beyond 10% ABV. According to many sources, Roman wine was much stronger than today's, as high as 20% ABV, which could be possible with enough time, the right yeast, and sweet enough grapes, but I wonder if the average household back then, brewing their own, had more like 1-4% ABV watered down wine with breakfast, and maybe 10-12% ABV for their "normal" wine. Also when you home brew it's so much fresher and better, it's significantly more drinkable in the day time than what you think of typically when you think of red wine, more juicy and sweet

[@bigscarysteve]

Mixing it with sea water? I don't think so. There's so much salt in sea water it's deadly.

[@brixshadow9594]

That was great!

[@colleennobbs7218]

Alexander The Great is prophesied in the Bible Daniel 11. Thank you for these videos. I certainly enjoy the historical time travel. I did purchase your book! Are you writing/authoring another? Thanks ❤

[@chemismokebender1362]

Whoa, a Thieves guild. That’s awesome. Now I want to play Skyrim.