Alexandra
TlIK
Alexandria, Eg^ypt
whom
JEWISH KNCVCLOPEDIA
the same cruel monarch had driven into exile.
who had
sulTered such misery under Alexander, now lieeanie not only a tolReestab- erated section of the communiiy, but lishment of actually the ruling; class. Alexandra the San- installed as high priest her eldest son. Ilyreanus II. a man wholly after the hedrin. heart of the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin was reorganized according to their wishes. This body had hitherto been, as it were, a "house of lords." the members of which belonged to the aristocnicy but it lost all significance when a powerful monarch wasat the helm. From this time it became a "supreme court" for the administration of justice and religious matters, the guidance of whieh was rightfully placed in the hands of the Pharisees, Thus, the reign of Alexandra marks a most imjiorlant epoch in the history of Jewish internal
The
Pharisees,
—
government. That the Pharisees, now that the control of affairs was in their liauds, did not treat the Sadducees any too gently is very probable; although the execution of Diogenes, by wliose advice King Alexander had 800 Pharisees nailed on the cross, sjieaks nither for their moderation than for their cruelty, inasmuch as the special reference to the execution of this reprobate shows that such acts of revenge must have been few. It was rather the evil conscience of the Sadducees that moved them to petition the queen for protection against the ruling parly. Alexandra, who desired to avoid all parly conflict, removed the Sadducees from Jerusalem, assigning certain fortified towns for their residence. Here, again, her shrewdness was displayed in so arranging that Ihe important fortresses of Ilyrcania.Alexandrion.and Machicrus were not entrusted to their somewhat uncertain keeping. Alexandra's sjigacity and tact succeeded in accomplishing what all the military genius of her husband had failed to effect; namely, to make Judea respected abroad. She increased the size of the army, and carefully provisioned tlu' numerous fortified places; so that neighboring Her Inter- monarehs were duly impressed by the nal and number of jirotected towns and castles External which boriiered the Palestinian fronPolicy. tier. Xor did she abstain from actual warfare; for she sent her son Arislobulus with an army to raise the siege of Damascus, then beleaguered by Ptolemy ]Meuneus. The expedition was without, result. The peril threatening Judea in the year 70 n.c, from the Armenian king Tigranes, in whose hands Syria then lay. fortunately passed over, as Alexandra's shrewd politics kept him away from Palestine. Onl}- the last days of her reign were tumultuous. Her son Arislobulus endeavored to seize the; government; and only her death saved her from the sorrow of being dethroned bv her own child.
Rabbinical legend
still
further magnifies the pros-
which Judea enjoved under Alexandra. The Haggadah (Ta'anit, 23'f;"Sifra, Hukkat, i. 110) relates that during her rule, as a reward for her piety, rain fell oidy onSabbath (Friday) nights; so that the working class suffered no loss of pay through the rain falling during their work-time. The fertility of the soil was so great that the grains of wheat grew as large as kidney-beans: oats as large as olives; and lieritv
lentils as large as gold denarii. The sages collected specimens of these grains and preserved them to sliow future generations the reward of obedience to
the
Law.
[The
See Ph.kisees, S.ujducees.
name " Shalom
BIBLIOGRAPIIV Josephua, Aitl. xlli. Kwald, lIMiirii »/ Inracl. n. J. I.
.'> :
Zion "' is variously modifled in rabbiniral liteniture: see Kraas. "Lehnworter." s.r.: it wcure also in inscriptions: see Lidzbarski, " Handbucli der Nord-Semitlschen Epigrapbik," 8.i, and art. Alphabet in this vol., p. 443.]
M
11, (I 13: v. :««-:im
9 18; idem, (irtu, rirscli.
Ifi,
Jtuletl. <-d.. III. IDtl. Ilt-iai; Hilzlc llrsrll.d. Vothfg («rnfMI. 4SS-1!«J; SiliQriT, (rVwd. I. ill. iSt-Ki Dcri'tilimirK. Ksstii tiur VlIiMoirf ct la (iantraphii' dr Pali'stinc^ pp. UKIll : Wellhausen, /. J. (1. pp. T.a. a4i>-a<'>: MaililiMi, diiw i,f Ihe Jcus, pp. 91, it.': Wlllrlch, Jutlaica: Fnrsrhinigni ziir lldknmh-judischcn OeschtcMc und LUUralur, lUOO, pp.
tl.
"<•'•«•
—
360
L. G.
ALEXANDRE, ALBERT at
llolicnielcl iin Ihe Main.
Chess player; born (Jermany, about 17()0;
died in London, Nov. Iti, 18.'j0. Jlost of his life was spent in Paris, where he was one of the most fre(luent habitues of the Cafe de la Kegeiice; but he returned for a short time to his native country in A mem18413, and aflerward paid a visit to Egypt. ber of the Fiench Chess School at llu' licight of its predominance, he was distinguished for his brilliant eombinalions and his skill in .solving problems, though not in the foremost rank as a player. Me I>ublished (1) "Encyclopedie des fichccs" (Paris, 1887) and (2) "Collection des Plus Beaux Problimes d'£checs," giving 2,120 examples (Paris, 1846).
BmLiOGRAPnv riiin.i.a.v.
Vapcn-aii,
Portrait In
I'nirnvcl ISH.
Diet.
ALEXANDRE, EDOXJARD 1S21; died. IWS.
Cnntempnj
Freni h organ Paris December lie learned his trade in the fac-
manifarluiiT and inventor; born 4,
(k.i
P<il</»ii'il<' f(ir
in
tory established by his father, Jacob Alexandre, at IvrV near Paris, aiid in 1844 received an interest in Father and son were the originators the" business. of the "piano-organ." the "piano-Liszt." and the
"organ-melodium." called also "Alexandre organ." In 1856 the firm of Alexandre was awarde<l the medal of honor at the Paris Exhibition for its (iopular instruments, which had contributed much to the sjiread of a taste for mu.sic throughout France. Edouard was created chevalier of the Legion of
Honor
in 1860.
Bibliography: rtiins,
Univcfuel
Vapereaii, Diet.
S.V.: Larousjie,
ALEXANDRI
Xoiivron Divl.
(-DRA,
ALEXANDER):
ile»
ConUmpo^
Ulustri:, s.v.
-DRAY,
-DROS,
There were jiidbably Iwoamoraim of this name, unaccompanied either by patronymic or cognomen and as both were Palestinforms of
both cultivated the field of the Haggadah, it is impossible to distinguish their respective teachings except in a few instjiuces. 1. Two Midrashim preserve the following anecdote: K. Jaunai was expounding the Law, when a trader was heard inviting the i)eople to buy an 'I"he people crowdedaboul thctradi'r, elixir of life. and even K. Jannai was curious to see such a medicament. The trader was invited to approach the rabbi and to exhibit his wares; but he told therabbi that neither he nor the like of him stood in any need Importuned, however, to exhibit the elixir, of it. the sujiposcd trader produced the Book of P.^alnis, and pointing toa passage therein (Ps, xxxiv. 12-14), he read aloud: " Whatman is he that desire! h life and loveth many days, that he may see good'? Keep tliv tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking Depart from evil, and do good seek peace "luile. and pursue it " (Lev. R. xvi. Tan., Jlezora', ed. Buians, atid
Elsewhere ('Ab. Zarali. 196) the same anecbut instead of R. Jannai's name, Putting that of the trader is given as R, Alexandri,
ber, 5).
dote
is related,
the several versions of the anecdote side by side, it is evident that Alexandri flourished in the first amoraic generation (third century), contemporaneously with R, Jannai, a junior contemporary of R, Ju-
dah
I,
In the
name
of this R, Alexandri, R, Joshua
b.
