Alexandria

In the Bible

Alexandria is mentioned four times in Acts.

• Acts 6:9: "Alexandrians" belonging to the synagogue of the Libertines (Freedmen) in Jerusalem dispute with Stephen, together with people from Cyrene, Cilicia, and Asia. Interpreters differ on whether the verse refers to a single synagogue or to several.
• Acts 18:24: Apollos is introduced as a Jew "born at Alexandria." He was eloquent and "mighty in the scriptures," yet knew only the baptism of John. Priscilla and Aquila "expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly" (Acts 18:26).
• Acts 27:6; 28:11: When Paul was taken as a prisoner to Rome, he sailed on Alexandrian ships. The ship in 28:11 is described as having the figurehead ("sign") of "Castor and Pollux" (the Dioscuri).

Background

The city was founded by Alexander the Great in the late fourth century BC and was named after him. It later became the capital of the Ptolemaic dynasty. Renowned for its great library and its lighthouse, it was a center of Hellenistic learning. The city was also home to a large Jewish community. The Jewish philosopher Philo, a contemporary of Jesus, was active there. Tradition also holds that the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, was produced there.

In the Roman period, Egypt was an important source of grain for Rome. For this reason, scholars often identify the ship on which Paul sailed as a grain ship. Support for this view comes from Acts 27:38, where those on board cast the wheat into the sea.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

The city does not appear in the original text of the Old Testament. However, the Greek Old Testament widely read by the church in the New Testament era is associated with it. Alexandria is therefore significant as a setting that links Greek-speaking Hellenistic Jews with the early church. Apollos ministered in Corinth, and he is named alongside Paul in 1 Corinthians.

Interpretations and Issues

• Apollos's background: Some interpreters connect Apollos's eloquence and mastery of the Scriptures with the scholarly tradition of Alexandria, but the text does not state this directly. The suggestion by Martin Luther and others that Apollos wrote Hebrews is likewise only a hypothesis.
• Extrabiblical tradition: The account that Mark founded the church in Alexandria is a tradition reported by the church historian Eusebius and others. It does not appear in the biblical text.
• Church history: The city produced theologians such as Origen. It was also where the controversy between Arius and Athanasius over Arianism began, a dispute that led to the Council of Nicaea.
• Manuscript debate: Egyptian New Testament manuscripts such as Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus are classified as the "Alexandrian text-type." Many modern translations give these manuscripts significant weight. By contrast, advocates of the exclusive use of the King James Bible argue that these manuscripts are unreliable. For details, see the article Bible translation controversy.