The ‘Oath’ of Alexander the Great (Opus, 324 BC)
We live in troubled times, and very often our tolerance and understanding are tested. In such times, history can provide us with ideas of humanity that echo until today. The passage below is translated from ancient Greek and is the oath of Alexander the Great to his subjects almost two and a half millenia ago.
“It is my wish, now that wars are coming to an end, that you should all be happy in peace. From now on, let all mortals live as one people, in fellowship, for the good of all.
See the whole world as your homeland, with laws common to all, where the best will go govern of their race. Unlike the narrow-minded, I make no distinction between Greeks and barbarians. The origin of citizens, or the race into which they were born, is of no concern to me. I have only one criterion by which to distinguish their virtue.
For me, any good foreigner is a Greek and any bad Greek is worse than a
barbarian.If disputes ever occur among you, you will not resort to weapons
but will solve them in peace. If need be, I shall arbitrate between you.
See God not as an autocratic despot, but as the common father of all and
thus your conduct will be like the lives of brothers within the same family.
I, on my part, see you all as equal, whether you are white or dark skinned,
and I should like you not simply to be subjects of my commonwealth, but
members of it, partners of it. To the best of my ability, I shall strive
to do what I have promised. Keep as the symbol of love this oath which we
have taken tonight with our libations”.
Plutarch, in: Morals. About the Virtue or Fortune of Alexander the Great
Submitted by Dimitrios Kavoulakos