Soldier, Priest, and God, F. S. Naiden
Soldier, Priest, and God, F. S. Naiden
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.49

Soldier, Priest, and God
A Life of Alexander the Great

Author: F. S. Naiden

Narrator: Stephen Bel Davies

Unabridged: 12 hr 37 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 12/25/2018

Synopsis

Whatever we may think of Alexander—whether Great or only lucky, a civilizer or a sociopath—most people do not regard him as a religious leader. And yet religion permeated all aspects of his career. When he used religion astutely, he and his army prospered. In Egypt, he performed the ceremonies needed to be pharaoh, and thus became a god as well as a priest. Babylon surrendered to him partly because he agreed to become a sacred king. When Alexander disregarded religion, he and his army suffered. In Iran, for instance, where he refused to be crowned and even destroyed a shrine, resistance against him mounted. In India, he killed Buddhists, Jains, and Hindus by the hundreds of thousands until his officers, men he regarded as religious companions, rebelled against him and forced him to abandon his campaign of conquest. Although he never fully recovered from this last disappointment, he continued to perform his priestly duties in the rest of his empire. As far as we know, the last time he rose from his bed was to perform a sacrifice.

About F. S. Naiden

F.S. Naiden is Professor of History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the author of Ancient Supplication, and a former New York subway motorman.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Sylvie

A biography of Alexander the Great, done by thoroughly analyzing the existing resources and old writings, legends and stories told about this complex personality. It is a heavy book to read for a past time, you need to be really passionate about this historical figure otherwise you will get bored wi......more

Goodreads review by Amanda

I think this is a great, digestible narrative of Alexander’s life that puts emphasis on his skill with religious practice. I’ve had Naiden as a professor and he is a skilled lecturer. I think this skill translates well into this book, which has humorous asides.......more

Goodreads review by Scriptor Ignotus

I was intrigued by the premise of this biography, which purports to look at Alexander’s life through a religious lens and to imagine him as a great priest and religious innovator as well as one of the great military captains of history. It is fascinating to imagine the world of Alexander not only as......more

Goodreads review by Conner

This was my first book on Alexander the Great and I loved it. It was the perfect introduction for me to his life. I found it very interesting how Alexander was able to manipulate the religious beliefs of his men and conquered enemies to accomplish what he set out to do. Overall, this is a solid intr......more

Add to Cart
Add to Wish List