25. "Alexander's South Wind", Ptolemy III Euergetes of Egypt

25.  -Daniel Chapter 11, Verse 5.

    "Alexander's South Wind",

      Ptolemy III Euergetes of Egypt, BC 246-221. 

The South of the Persian and Greek Empires of that time was Egypt. It is also classed as South of the "pivot" Palestine and South when Rome also ruled. The man that received the rulership from Alexander's deathbed named Ptolemy, was a general in that Greek army and he proved himself to be exceedingly "strong" from the word "go"! Where the other possessions of Alexander's great Empire was pulled here and there by many people; Ptolemy sank his nails into Egypt and held on for dear life from the start. When the fighting and ebb and flow of those turbulent years passed, the Ptolemaic rulers of Egypt stayed. Ptolemy was, as Daniel saw him a strong man, the possession of the Southland was his alone. Ptolemy was in constant power struggles at first after the death of Antipater in Greece in 319 BC he aligned himself with Antipater's son Cassander, against Polyperchon who had been left the regency of Greece instead. In 315 BC it was the case of one minute Ptolemy was "for" Antigonus who pursued his idea of unity of the empire, the next Antigonus left his son Demetrius to guard Phoenicia against Ptolemy. In 312 BC, Ptolemy defeated Demetrius at Gaza, thus, enabling Seleuces to recover Babylonia and an uneasy peace was agreed upon in 311 BC. Which meant at that time that Cassander remained general of Europe. Antigonus was general of all Asia. Lysimachus had control of Thrace and of course Ptolemy was general of his prize Egypt.

Ptolemy quickly made his brother Menelaus general of Cyprus. In 306 BC Antigonus took the title of King for himself and in 305 BC Ptolemy followed suit and called himself King of Egypt and so began the Ptolemaic dynasty. Its own tug-of-war of power, with its own princes of the South, were to follow relentlessly in Daniel's chapter 11.

We have Ptolemie's Greek dynasty of Egypt which ruled from 323 BC to 30 BC until Rome put its teeth and claws into that carcase and swallowed it. Ptolemy I, known as "Soter" (meaning saviour), was the "first" strong king of whom Daniel takes special note and it was from him that this Macedonian/Egyptian Kingdom bore its name. Ptolemy I, who first rose through the ranks to become a general in Alexanders army, he became satrap of Egypt with Libyan and Arabian regions after Alexander's death. He expanded his empire through policy alliances and marriage rather than war. After a war against Perdiccas in 322-321 his possessions were confirmed in Egypt and Cyrenaica. He also resisted an attack by Antigonus upon Egypt in 305-304 BC and then assumed the title of King and Saviour (Soter). The next line in Daniel 11: 5 "AND ONE OF HIS PRINCES"; Ptolemy Soter had a son Ptolemy II Philadelphus, who became King in 285 BC after his father's death. Some writers say he was co-regent with his father for a few years. This "prince" was noted in history for purging all his rivals to the throne around him; He banished his first wife Arsinoe, then married his sister. Unlike his father he was not successful in the strategies of war, so he achieved all his desires in life through negotiations and alliances. Yet! He was a farsighted King developing Egypt into a Hellenic culture of learning. He is largely noted for making the city of Alexandria a leader in the sciences and art, to which thousands of Israelites were attracted, and Greek became their native tongue and not Hebrew, about 250 BC even the Torah (first books of Moses) was translated into Greek. It was also under Ptolemy II Philadelphus, that the story of these books was translated from Hebrew to Greek, by 72 Jewish scholars. It was said, each of these scholars was isolated whilst translating them, each did so word for word without error between them and was to be called the "Septuagint" (meaning the 10).

Philadelphus reigned until 246 BC when Ptolemy III Euergetes came to the throne. It is to "this prince" for whom the second half of Daniel's verse 5 is all about, because, Egypt was at its peak of political power and internally stable and prosperous under Euergetes ruling from 246 BC-221 BC. He was the son of Ptolemy II Philadelphus, yet, not much is known in history of his youth, though he seems to have inherited his grandfathers, Ptolemy I Soter's, ability to command and avoid involvement in wars, that seemed to have plagued Macedonia and Syria especially. He made use of diplomatic policies for expansion. Daniel 11: 5 goes on to say of this prince. "AND HE (Ptolemy III Euergetes) SHALL BE STRONG ABOVE HIM, (Ptolemy I) AND HAVE DOMINION; (Or- lordship and supreme authority over his domain). HIS DOMINION SHALL BE A GREAT DOMINION". Many biblical scholars almost wash away these "exacting" prophecies for Alexander's generals within Daniel's prophecies such as this Ptolemaic house in question; By just summing up Daniel's chapter 11 quickly, with the words:- "The troublesome course of events that followed Alexander's empire in 2 parts, namely Egypt and Syria is traced down chapter 11 to verse 20.

(Whereas Daniel's story of Egypt finishes in Daniel 11:14). Scholars then go on to say from, Verse 20 to 36 Antiochus Epiphanes of Syria, the "little horn", occupies this part of the vision, which, unravelling prophecy correctly is a ludicrous statement of plain guesswork upon these verses, whereas these verses contain Roman, British and world history and "not" early Syrian history at all! The "House of Judah's" (Jews), attachment within the dominion of the Kingdom of the Ptolemies alone, lasted for more than 100 years. It was to change the whole face of Jewish life in Palestine and to those Jews who lived in Egypt.

When the Seleucids of Syria took over Palestine, the Hellenisation of the Jew continued.

The Ptolemaic dominion attacked the Jewish mind and tongue, in its thinking and speaking processes, changing all things into Greek.

The Seleucids attacked the Jewish body, when circumcision was no longer being practised by the young Jew, as he ran naked in Greek games outside the temple walls. Indeed, the tents of Shem (Of the Hebrew) opened wide to the sons of Japheth (Kittim-Greece), seen in Genesis 9:27. (From Shem came Eber and eventually it brought forth Abraham of the Hebrew).

Secular history says of Ptolemy III surnamed Euergetes, (meaning "the benefactor"), that his rule marks the highest point of Egyptian power under the Ptolemies. Which power extended Egyptian control of the Mediterranean Sea to the Hellespont in Asia Minor and the coast of Thrace. He subdued the peoples in Asia and went into Persian lands bringing back to Egypt the statues of Egyptian gods, that Cambyses II of Persia had taken in the 6th century. For this triumph were the people and priests of Egypt eternally grateful and called him "benefactor".

Ptolemy III Euergetes grandfather, named Soter, entered Jerusalem in Palestine when he was still a general of Alexander's army in 320 BC. That incorporation of the Kingdom of Judah into the Hellenic Ptolemies domain, meant more than just a change of government for them, it was to change Judah as a nation, more than any of the other marauding powers that had pulled them this way and that! So, when Daniel says of Ptolemy Euergetes that "his dominion will be a great dominion", one can see that from Thrace to Persia and South to Egypt, the power of his arm was mighty indeed! These first 3 Ptolemies were the strong men of this dynasty and from Euergetes ruling onwards that dynasty was to fall into decline and decay.

Egypt in the Nile valley was bordered by desert on the East, South and West. The only organised power who could strike Egypt was the old Greek colony of Cyrene in Africa. So, the first line of defence for Ptolemy I as a general, with a military eye and sense, was to secure Cyrene, which he did so in 322 BC. Egypt's vulnerability came from the North, making the Ptolemies turn to the sea and they made the city of Alexandria their base for an extensive naval fleet, which controlled the seas around the south/eastern Mediterranean and out to the Aegean Sea to Greece.

Ptolemy Philadelphus and Euergetes were concerned to protect Egypt and to establish its resources and acquire a foreign empire. The Ptolemies always regarded Palestine as vital to Egyptian security and time and time again went to war with Syria, always disputing this territory. The Ptolemies built numerous garrisons of soldiers, with traders, settlers of many kinds throughout Palestine, taking back to Egypt many Jewish slaves.

Even the Jewish upper classes became thoroughly Hellenised although, Jewish shepherds and farmers remained conservatively Jewish under the Mosaic Law. Under that "strong prince of great dominion" called Euergetes, of which Daniel speaks, there was an elaborate organisation started by Ptolemy Soter, then carried on under Ptolemy Philadelphus, which was to break down after Euergetes death in 221 BC.

The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus in his writings, gives us an idea of this organisation, when collecting Jewish taxes in Palestine. Ptolemy Euergetes looking with a kindly eye upon these people for many years, who was eventually to sign a peace treaty with the Jews in Palestine. It is this very thing, the history of the Jewish nation that Daniel and the Bible is more concerned about and "why" it picks out Ptolemy Euergetes more than his father Philadelphus!

It is the same reason why Cyrus II the Great; of Persia was chosen, because their "peace" decree helped Judah, with its "holy seed" to be kept alive in this tumultuous region of the world!

Ptolemy Euergetes proclaimed his weak debauched son, Ptolemy IV Philopater his successor, before he died in 221 BC; leaving Egypt at the peak of its power. We pass on now to the next verse of Daniel chapter 11.