The episode that follows recalls one of the most curious passages of the Pseudo-Callisthenes, where Alexander arrived at the confines of the country of the dead, wishes to enter and plunge into the darkness which separates it from the land of the living.
He marvelled at the beauty of the garden, from which the four rivers flowed, which are the Pison, the Gihon, the Tigris, and the Euphrates; they drank the water and rejoiced, for they were sweet. Thereupon they perceived the thick darkness, and they said, "We cannot enter there."
Menander said, "Let us take the brood-mares, let us mount them, and let their foals be kept back, while we plunge into the darkness."
They marvelled, for it was very dark, and they could not see the faces of their comrades. Alexander said, "Come with me, thou Menander, as well as Selpharios and Diatrophe." The mounted four brood-mares, while their foals remained in the light, so that each heard the voice of the other and plunged into darkness.
But they heard a voice which said, "Alexander and Menander, as well as Selpharios and Diatrophe, consider yourselves happy to have penetrated thus far."
Alexander said, "I shall not consider myself happy until I find that which I seek." He pushed forward a little, and he stopped with his mare.
The voice said to him a second time, "Consider thyself happy, oh Alexander."
But Alexander would not stop; he looked beneath the feet of his horses, and he perceived some lights. Alexander said "Let us take these lights, for they are precious stones." Selpharios stretched out his hand and took four, Menander Three, Diatrophe Two; as to Alexander, He stretched out his left hand and filled it, and he took three stones with his right hand, and immediately his left hand became as his right hand, and when he went to war, from that hour, he fought with his two hands.
Alexander smelt a strong perfume, but the voice that reached the ears of Alexander for the third time, "Consider thyself satisfied, oh Alexander. When a horse hastens too much in running, he stumbles and falls." And the voice spoke again, "I ask thee, what dost thou desire?"
Alexander said, "Give me power over the entire earth, and let my foes submit to me."
The voice said to him, "Since thou has not asked for a long life, but merely power over the whole world, thou shall see it with thine eyes, and thou shall be its lord; but when the morning sheds it light then..."
The voice probably announced immediate death, but either by strategem or prayer Alexander succeeded in obtaining a prolongation of life, which he made use of to visit the Brachmanes in their country. A leaf which we posses contains a description of their costumes, manners, and customs; but the lines are all so damaged that no consecutive text can be constructed from it. All that can be made out shows that it deals with the country of the Homerites, with Kalanos, of which the name is changed to Kalynas, with India, the bed of leaves used by Gymnosphistes, and their nudity; but the connection between the scanty gleanings is not traceable. The last of the fragments we found belongs to the end of the work. It relates, in terms that forcibly recall those employed by the Pseudo-Callisthenes, the intrigues that preceeded the death of Alexander, and the method by which Antipater prepared and poured out the poison by which the hero died.
He calmed the rage of Olympias and its anger with Antipater, by sending Krateros into Macedonia and Thessaly. When Antipater knew of the wrath of Alexander-- for he learned it from the men who had been licensed for military service-- Antipater conspired to slay Alexander, in order that he might escape great tortures; for he had heard and he knew what Alexander intended against him, on account of his arrogancy and intrigues. Now Alexander sent for a troop of archers, who were in considerable numbers, to come to Babylon. Among them there was a son of Antipater, named Julios, who waited on Alexander.
Antipater prepared a fatal poison, of which no vase, either of bronze or of pottery, could endure the strength, but all fell to pieces as soon as it touched them. When thereupon he had prepared it, he put it in an iron receptacle and gave it to Casandra, his son, whom he sent as a page to Alexander. Now it had chanced a few days before, that Alexander had struck the servitor Julios on the head with a staff, while he was seated, for a reason that arose from a want of care; for this the young man was furious, and willingly declared himself ready to commit the crime.
He took with him Mesios the Thessalonian, a friend of Alexander, and one of the judges whom he had punished for prevarication, and they agreed between them to cause Alexander to drink the potion.
Epilogue (GameDaddy)
~ From the time Alexander is reputed to have visited the Garden of Eden shortly after conquering Babylon in 331 BC, until his death in Babylon in 323 BC eight short years elapsed. During that time during the Asian campaigns Ptolemy became one of his three leading generals. Ptolemy took Alexanders body by force, and fought his way through the other two greek generals armies in the desert, returning back to Egypt (Which Alexander had granted him after the successful campaign there in 333 BC), where he placed Alexanders remains on display in the tomb of Alexander in Alexandria, the city that Alexander founded. Alexander's remains remained on public display in the tomb of Alexander until about 440 A.D or so, some 770 years (777 years?)
Of the above account (a 13th century copy of the earlier Greek account), this was translated originally from Theban-Coptic manuscripts (probably from the library of Alexandria) and came into the possession of one Deir Amba Shenoudah, who in turn provided the manuscript copy of this account to Sir Gaston Maspero in Egypt in 1885.
Maspero subsequently published this as an addition to his collective 1882 work titled Les contes populaires de l'Egypte ancienne.
So Alexander visited the Garden of Eden, met an angel, and was granted his wish to rule the world. As soon as it was achieved however, he was then slain and not by the Cherubim that to this day guard the pathways to Eden and bar the demons from returning.