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Oliveira Martins’s Alexander the Great in O Helenismo e a civilização cristã

2024; Volume: 21; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1163/16456432-20040002

1645-6432

Henrique Modanez de Sant’Anna,

Cultural, Media, and Literary Studies

Abstract This article analyzes Joaquim Pedro de Oliveira Martins’s view of Alexander the Great as described in O helenismo e a civilização cristã (1878). I argue, first, that Oliveira Martins’s increasing interest in Hellenism’s contribution to the rise of Christianity is part of his attempt to make sense of his own time, and a consequence of his early revolutionary ideals. Second, I advance the debate about Oliveira Martins’s ancient sources, arguing that his use of Plutarch’s account alone in Chapter 6 (“Alexander’s empire”) is not arbitrary. In fact, it both reflects and supports his view on the Macedonian king as a revolutionary historical figure, whom he calls “Alexander the Messiah.”