From Man to God: Understanding Alexander the Great’s Divinity’

The issue of Alexander the Great’s divinity has produced an enormous literature. Modern scholars are divided in their view of how Alexander understood his divinity. A. B. Bosworth argued that Alexander really believed that he had a divine nature and so demanded divine honours. For E. Badian Alexander thought he was merely worthy of receiving isotheoi timai (‘honours equal to those of the gods’) but understood that he was not actually divine. This seminar will closely analyse the modern debate on Alexander’s divinity and carefully trace each step by which he came to demand divine honours. It will show how on this important question Badian got closer to the truth than Bosworth.

The podcast of this session is available in UQ eSpace