What were the greatest events in history? Just the ones recorded in the Bible? How is it that there are so many people and events listed as "great," and yet biblical events are mostly relegated to unimportance, and even considered unhistorical?It must be remembered that from a practical perspective, we always view history as a series of events that leads up to US. That is why "Western Civ" is so important. It is a view of history leads us to us. And since we see ourselves as on top of the world, then the "great" events in history are the ones that bring up to prominence.
Like Winston Churchill pointed out, history is written by the victors. (Or actually, I think someone asked him how they could ensure that historians after the war did not judge him too harshly for bombing large civilian populations, starting firestorms in major cities and he tersely replied, "History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.")
Many great battles have been fought by military geniuses who were African and Asian. But since we in the west are on top (generally speaking), the only people and events that are really great to us are the ones that got us here (on top). Remember that because we will have cause to come back to it.
Alexander is called "the Great." From the standpoint of western civilization, one of the greatest battles of history was the one he fought against Darius in 331 BC. The fate of the whole Persian Empire was at stake. The one who wins comes out on top and can make history kind to himself, for he will write it.
It was a great battle for other reasons. Alexander had less than 50,000 troops. Darius had probably five times as many. He was able to position a quarter million men in a line that strung two miles wide. The cavalry rode on the ends at right and left flank. In the middle were columns of 200 war chariots (you know, the ones like you saw in Gladiator; they have scythes sticking out the side, ready to make relish of the Macedonian military).
Alexander was to attack, yes, but there are ways of attack other than by charging. Alexander went for the psychological offensive. He was fast and mobile. Darius was fighting from a stationary position. The great Greek had to probe the line long enough to find a weak spot and exploit it so he could "capture the flag" before he was decimated (or capture the king, as the case may be). Watch how he worked it.
He started with an unconventional battle formation. All along the road from Macedon to modern-day Mosul (which Gaugamela is near), Darius thought he was leading Alexander into a trap. Now Alexander starts leading him. A new battle formation forced Darius to either think outside the box (because Alexander was marching over the sides), or else be confused and make a mistake.
Darius sees troops coming at him like a wedge. In the center is the Greek phalanx: 256 men (16 rows of 16), with 16-foot spears bristling out their front. The point of that wedge begins to press his center line.
But on the Persian right, where Darius' cavalry were located, there was a space of open land. Mounted men abhor a vacuum. So they galloped forward and engaged the Greeks.
Now, on the Persian left, Alexander and his cavalry begin to ride toward the end of the line. Hold it. That's not fair. I mean, even though the Persian front is two miles wide, Alexander and some horsemen are about to march right off the prepared field of battle, and try to ride around the Persian flank. Darius can't let that happen. But there is no umpire to call Alexander out of bounds, so Darius orders his cavalry on the left to stop Alexander and his men.
They trail him along the line. They both ride parallel. What the Persians cannot see is that Alexander, riding slowly, has light infantry moving with him on the other side, out of sight of the Persian soldiers. They are equipped with bows, smaller close-quarters spears, and slingshots designed not to do damage so much as harass and create confusion.
Game on. The Greek phalanx is pressing on the Persian center (behind which are Darius and his own guard, giving orders). So Darius sends out the chariots (remember, the ones with the blades fixed to their wheels).
But with Alexander, nothing is unanticipated. He has trained his men. When a chariot comes riding toward their phalanx of 256 men, the center rows move away, creating a three-sided box. And since horses don't like to run into long sharp spears (no matter what the charioteer tells them), they rode right into the center of the box. The box then becomes a killing zone. The horses are gutted by the spears of the men in the last few rows at the back. And the men on the sides of the box kill the charioteers at will. So much for 200 war chariots.
Darius surveys the battlefield and what does he see. Right flank? Cavalry engaged with the Greeks. Center? A phalanx pressing heavily against his troops, who have been wearied by standing at attention all night long (and they have shorter spears and heavier shields than the Greeks). Perhaps I forgot to mention that. Persians didn't like to fight on a day that they had not offered a morning sacrifice. So, since Darius was not certain that Alexander might not make a night anyway, he ordered his men to stand in formation all night long, (having made their sacrifices the previous day, so that they would not be attacked by Alexander while they were in mid-ritual).
Left flank? His line is stretched out. And just the moment that it wears thin enough, Alexander senses this, and makes a swift and ruthless attack to checkmate the Persian king.
It didn't matter he had a quarter million troops, five times that of Alexander. He had been given space on the right flank and his cavalry attacked, but was now pinned down. The bronze spears of the Greeks were weighing heavily on the chest of his two-mile wide formation. And now, ignorant of the light infantry shadowing the cavalry on the left, his other wing is pinned down while Alexander and his best men come rushing straight for him. What could he do? He turned tail And of course, that became the cue for the rest of the Persian contingent to turn tail as well.
Interesting Theo-Factoid
In ancient times God spoke to his people through night visions, and later to his prophets through dreams and visions. He did not speak as directly to the Gentiles, but he did speak. The way that he spoke was through the heavens (Matt 2), hence the cultivation of a tribe of scholars called the magi in Persia. They were able to see which way the astronomical wind was blowing, and so understood the negative portents for Darius in this battle. Of course, their careful observation also led them to Jesus when he was born.
And so now, remember what we said about the "great" events of history being those that got us on top? Well, the wheel is still turning! Those on bottom may yet be on top. The end of all things is the battle of Armageddon. And who is the winner there? Not the West. Not Europe. Not Asia. But Jesus, who rescues his people and makes them the head and not the tail of all the nations. How will history be (re)written then? Perhaps the status of Bible stories that explain how God's people get to their final destination will take on a whole new greatness.
