An Egyptian city established by Alexander the Great in 331 BC. Alexandria was the capital city of Egypt through the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Next to Rome, Alexandria was the most important city in the ancient world. Alexander built the city at the western edge of the Nile River delta on a peninsula between the mainland of Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea.
Its harbor was protected by the island of Pharos. Pharos was the site of a huge lighthouse (the Pharos of Alexandria). It was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Pharos was shaped like the top of the English letter “T.” The stem of the “T” was a long, narrow structure built out from the peninsula into the water. This structure (a mole) protected the ancient harbor, which lay on both sides of the “T.”
Alexander built the city to provide a military base, harbor facilities, and trading center. With these resources, he could control Egypt and the East. The city was laid out in a grid pattern, with two tree-lined streets, about 200 feet (61 meters) wide, that intersected in the middle. It was divided into three districts. Jews lived in the northeast. Egyptians lived in the west. Greeks lived to the south.
Alexandria was famous in ancient times for its architecture. It was known for the lighthouse, the Museum, the mausoleum of Alexander, the Serapeum, and commercial buildings. The Museum was the greatest library and learning center of the Hellenistic age. One of Alexander's generals, Ptolemy, built the mausoleum (a large tomb) of Alexander. The Serapeum was a temple to the Greek god Pan. According to the geographer Strabo, the Serapeum was shaped like a pine cone (round like an egg with a point at the top).
Archaeological evidence of these structures of the ancient city is rare. An earthquake damaged the lighthouse in AD 796. It was destroyed some 500 years later. Only one scroll holder and a statue have been found from the Museum.
Alexandria played a key role in the history of the Greco-Roman world. Alexander the Great died in 323 BC. After his death, Egypt fell to Ptolemy, whose family ruled until Cleopatra. After Alexander destroyed the city of Tyre, Alexandria became the center of trade between the Greek world and the East, as well as central Egypt. Julius Caesar’s romance with Cleopatra led to the end of Ptolemy's family rule.
The Museum in Alexandria was not like museums today. It was actually a university and library. The Museum was founded by Ptolemy Philadelphus. It made Alexandria the most important place for learning in the Greek world. The Museum focused on studying grammar, analyzing literature, and preserving important texts. Before it was partly destroyed by Egyptians and Julius Caesar’s forces in 47 BC, it reportedly had 700,000 written works, including carefully edited texts of the Greek classics (popular Greek writings). In the late Hellenistic and Roman periods, the Museum started focusing on the new sciences. An example of this new scientific focus was a great lighthouse they built. It could be seen by the clever use of mirrors 20 miles (32 kilometers) at sea.
From its beginning, Alexandria had a large Jewish population. With the support of the Ptolemies, Jewish scholars produced the Greek translation of the Old Testament known as the Septuagint. Ethnic tension in the city grew as the Jewish populace increased and prospered. In AD 42, the tension erupted into riots by the Greeks and the expulsion of Jews from the gentile sections into which they had spread. Jewish commercial success, particularly in the wheat trade, led to intensified hostility towards Jewish people.
There are only a few references to Alexandria in Scripture:
Stephen, who became the first Christian martyr, debated with “Alexandrians" in Jerusalem concerning Jesus as the Messiah (Acts 6:9). Some translations identify the Alexandrians as "Jews from Alexandria."
Apollos, who was a native of Alexandria (Acts 18:24), was described as “an eloquent man, well versed in the scriptures.”
The apostle Paul made his sea journey to Rome aboard two Alexandrian ships (Acts 27:6; 28:11).
The earliest emphasis in biblical studies at Alexandria was Gnostic. This emphasis began under a teacher named Basilides and continued under his son Isidore.
Later, an allegorizing school developed. The allegorical method tried to find spiritual truths in every detail of the Bible, even in parts that might seem unimportant at first glance. It had regular support from wealthy supporters and an organized curriculum. Clement and Origen are the names most often associated with this school. The teaching emphasized three levels of meaning in the Scriptures: historical, ethical, and spiritual.
Arianism was a belief in early Christianity that was later considered heresy by the church. It was developed in Alexandria, an important city in ancient Egypt, by a man named Arius, presbyter of Alexandria. This school of thought said that Christ was not eternal. Arianism argued that since Christ was begotten he therefore had a beginning.
The chief opponent of Arianism was Athanasius, who was also from Alexandria. Athanasius played a crucial role in defending the early church's understanding of who Jesus is and how he relates to God the Father. It was primarily through Athenasius's efforts that this wrong teaching lost its power and influence in the fourth century, and the Symbol of Nicaea (a statement of Christian belief) was confirmed at the Council of Constantinople in AD 381.