The term Alexandrians refers to the inhabitants of Alexandria, the magnificent Mediterranean metropolis founded in Egypt by Alexander the Great in 331 BC. In the New Testament context, the designation applies both to the broader Greek-speaking population of the city and, more specifically, to the substantial Hellenistic Jewish community that flourished there during the Second Temple period. Renowned as a preeminent centre of learning, trade, and philosophy in the ancient Greco-Roman world, Alexandria exercised a profound influence upon biblical history. It served as the birthplace of the Septuagint—the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures—and produced influential early Christian figures such as Apollos. Furthermore, Alexandrian Jewish groups maintained an active, organized presence in Jerusalem, where they engaged in significant theological debates during the earliest days of the apostolic church.

Introduction

Alexandria was situated on the northern coast of Egypt, positioned strategically between Lake Mareotis and the Mediterranean Sea. Following its establishment by Alexander the Great, the city rapidly developed into the capital of Ptolemaic Egypt and one of the ancient world's primary economic and intellectual capitals. Its famed Library and Mouseion attracted scholars, philosophers, and scientists from across the known world, creating a vibrant environment of cross-cultural intellectual exchange.

For the Jewish diaspora, Alexandria was arguably the most vital city outside the land of Israel. Ptolemy I Soter and subsequent rulers encouraged Jewish settlement, granting Jews civil privileges and legal autonomy. By the first century AD, Jews occupied two of the city's five municipal districts, forming a flourishing population estimated in the hundreds of thousands. While remaining deeply committed to their ancestral faith, these Alexandrian Jews adopted the Greek language, adapted to Hellenistic civic life, and engaged with Greek philosophical thought. This unique synthesis shaped their religious literature, their interaction with Jerusalem, and ultimately their involvement in the expansion of the early Christian faith.

Historical and Cultural Background

To understand the Alexandrians mentioned in the New Testament, one must consider the historical developments of the Ptolemaic and Roman eras. Under the Ptolemaic dynasty (305–30 BC), Alexandria grew into a cosmopolitan melting pot comprising Greeks, native Egyptians, Jews, and merchants from across Asia Minor and Rome. The city's design was famed for its grand architecture, including the Pharos lighthouse—one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World—and broad grid-patterned avenues.

The Jewish community in Alexandria enjoyed a recognized legal status as a politeuma, a self-governing ethnic corporation within the city. They were led by their own council of elders (sanhedrin) and a chief magistrate known as the ethnarch or alabarch. Despite occasional tensions and violent anti-Jewish riots—such as the severe outbreak in AD 38 during the reign of Caligula—the Alexandrian Jews maintained immense financial influence, intellectual prominence, and religious devotion.

Culturally, Alexandrian Judaism produced remarkable literary works that sought to explain biblical faith to the Greco-Roman world. The primary figure of this intellectual tradition was Philo of Alexandria (c. 20 BC – AD 50), a contemporary of Jesus and Paul. Philo utilized Greek allegorical methods to demonstrate that the Mosaic Law harmonized with the highest ideals of Greek philosophy, particularly Platonism and Stoicism. This intellectual milieu fostered a distinct form of Jewish scholarship that prioritised deep allegorical and textual analysis of the Scriptures.

The Septuagint: Alexandria's Biblical Gift

The greatest contribution of the Alexandrian Jewish community to sacred history was the translation of the Hebrew Bible into Koine Greek, a text known as the Septuagint (often abbreviated as LXX). According to the historical account preserved in the Letter of Aristeas, King Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285–246 BC) commissioned seventy-two Jewish scholars to translate the Torah into Greek for inclusion in the Royal Library of Alexandria.

While the translation process unfolded gradually over the third and second centuries BC to include the Prophets and Writings, the resulting Greek Old Testament served crucial functions:

  • Linguistic Accessibility: It allowed Greek-speaking diaspora Jews who no longer understood fluent Hebrew to read, study, and hear the Word of God in their daily language.
  • Missionary Tool: It exposed interested Gentiles (God-fearers) to Israel's monotheism and ethical law.
  • Textual Foundation for the Early Church: The Septuagint became the standard Old Testament text used by the New Testament writers, the apostles, and the early Christian Church as the gospel spread across the Roman Empire.

Without the Alexandrian translation of the Scriptures, the rapid dissemination of the gospel throughout the Hellenistic world would have faced far greater linguistic barriers.

The Synagogue of the Alexandrians in Jerusalem

Despite their residence in Egypt, Alexandrian Jews maintained strong devotional ties to Jerusalem and the Temple. Wealthy Alexandrian families sent generous gifts to the Temple, including the magnificent bronze doors donated by Nicanor of Alexandria. Thousands of Alexandrian Jews made regular pilgrimages to Jerusalem for the major annual feasts.

To accommodate their permanent residents, students, and pilgrims in Judea, diaspora communities established regional synagogues within Jerusalem. Acts 6:9 records the existence of such a community: