CIIAPTER XIX. 483 of Daniel ; particularly Chap. viii. 21. where the he-goat is interpreted to be the king of Grecia, who should conquer the Merles andPersians ; and Chap. xi. 3. He bid the Jews ask what they had to desire of him : And, according to their request he granted them the liberty of their own laws and religion, and a freedom from tribute or taxes every seventh year, because then they neither neither sowed nor reaped. 9. Q. Did Alexander succeed in his following wars, and bis attempts against the Persian empire, according to theJewish prophecy ? A. When he departed out of Judea and Palestine, he marched into Egypt, which speedily submitted to him : There he builded the city Alexandria, andpeopled it with several na- tions, among whom were many Jews, to whom he gave the same privileges as to his own Macedonians. The next spring he hastened to find out Darius Codomanus king of Persia, whom he had routed once before, and he now vanquished him in a. final decisive battle near Arbela, and became master of the Persian empire. 10. Q. How long did he reign after this battle? A. He went on and conquered India ; but in five years time he fell into such a riot and drunkenness, that put an end to his life; though anthers say he was poisoned. 11. Q. What became of the Jews after Alexander's death ? A. A little after the death of Alexander, four of his generals divided his empire, who were the four horns of the he-goat, nientionèd by the prophet Daniel, which grew up after breaking of the first horn ; Dan. viii. 22. and xi. 4. And the Jews fell under the dominion of Ptolemy, afterwards surnamed Soter, who had Egypt, Arabia, Ceele-Syria, and Palestine or the land of Israel for his share. Here it máy be observed, that as Ptolemy had Egypt, Palestine, &c. for his share, so Cassander liad Macedonia and Greece ; Lysimachus had Thrace and ßithynia, and some other provinces thereabout; Seleucus had Syria, and the northern and eastern provinces in Asia. 'l'hus was the empire of Alexander the great divided among his generals. í3ecT. III.-Of the Jewish affairs under Ptolemy Soler. Ptolemy Philadelphus, and Ptolemy Philopater, Kings of Egypt. Of the great Synagogue, the Jewish ¡radinons, their Mishnah and Talmud; and of the Septuagint Trans- lation of the Bible into Greek. 1. Question. How did Ptolemy, king of Egypt, deal with the Jews ? A. Ptolemy designed to make Alexandria, which was built by Alexander, in Egypt, his captital city, he persuaded a multitude of Jews to settle there, granting them the saine privileges as Alexander liad done before him : Whence it came tip pass, that Alexandria liad a great number of Jews still flock- ing to it.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=