Roman Antiquities

Alexander and his generals, in the Louvre Museum and in the Bible

Alexander and his generals
  Portrait of Alexander the Great Known as Hermes Azara Ma 436 Richelieu room 17
The inscription engraved on this hermes (pillar where the upper part is sculpted in the form of a head) identifies with certainty Alexander [the Great], son of Philip, [King of] Macedon. The leonine hairstyle with locks that curl over the forehead is particularly recognisable.

 Alexander the Great in Louvre Museum

With regard to Alexander's unified kingdom, the Bible predicted that it would be broken up and divided, “though not to his own descendants” (Daniel 11:4, 5 NASB). After his death in 323 BCE, Alexander IV, his legitimate son, and Heracles, his illegitimate son, were murdered and his empire divided between his four generals.

The Battle of Arbela     INV 2895  
Sully 2nd floor Le Brun room 32
Le Brun depicted the moment when, the upper hand having been gained by the Macedonians, Darius prepares to flee on a monumental chariot. Behind Alexander,
the soothsayer Aristandre points out the eagle flying above
the prince to the soldiers
and predicts victory.
The reign of the Persian Emperor Darius III came to a sudden end in 331 when he suffered a terrible setback before Alexander the Great at Gaugamela, close to Nineveh. AR59  This defeat was to mark the decline of Medo-Persian global power, symbolised by the section in silver of the image seen in a dream by Nebuchadnezzar. - Daniel 2:32, 39.
Alexander Entering Babylon inv 2898
Sully 2nd floor Le Brun room 32 
Alexander, standing in a chariot drawn by two elephants, makes
his triumphant entry into Babylon;
in the background can be seen the terraces with their hanging gardens.

 Alexander Entering Babylon

Another of Daniel's prophetic visions was to materialise, the authenticity of the book being confirmed by Jesus Christ (Matthew 24:15). It concerned a “The shaggy goat (the kingdom of Greece) and the large horn that between his eyes (which) is the first king. ” (Daniel 8:5, 20-21). It is said that “as soon as he was mighty, the large horn was broken; and in its place there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven.” - Daniel 8:8, New American Standard Bible


 Seleucus I Nicator

Seleucus I Nicator     MND 2272
Sully Caryatids room 17
One of Alexander the Great’s four generals, who upon his sudden death in 323 BCE received Mesopotamia and Syria. The identification of this portrait as Seleucus is based on the comparison of coins showing the sovereign in which he appeared heavily helmeted.
First ‘ King of the North’. The Seleucid dynasty that he founded remained in power in Syria until 64 BCE and opposed that of Ptolemy Lagides or ‘King of the South’, in relation to the geographical position of the country occupied by the people of Daniel. - Daniel 11:4, 5.


  Ptolemy I Soter

Ptolemy I Soter     MR 457
Denon Ground floor Sphinx Court room 31
One of Alexander the Great’s four generals, who upon his death received Egypt and Palestine. This sculpted portrait was able to be identified by comparing it with coins stamped with his head. First ‘King of the South’ (Daniel 11:4, 5), the Ptolemaic dynasty that he founded ruled Egypt until its fall before Octavius, the young nephew of Julius Caesar in 20 BCE
It was in this province, henceforth Roman, that Mary and Joseph fled with the baby Jesus to escape the murderous decree of Herod; they left again after his death, so that the declaration of Hosea was accomplished: “I called my Son out of Egypt.” - Matthew 2:14, 15 New Living Translation This remarkable story written some 200 years prior to the events confirms once more that “no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.” 2 Peter 1:20-21 NLT