Traditionally, it is considered to cover roughly four hundred years, spanning the ministry of malachi. Roman historians, and many of the apocrypha books assyrian captivity of the northern kingdom 721 bc or 722 bce. Biblical literature intertestamental literature britannica. This period is also referred to as 400 silent years. The period between the old testament and the new testament is one of the most overlooked eras of biblical history. While the bible doesnt record what happened during the centuries between the end of malachi and the beginning of matthew, we are given many predictive prophecies in the old testament that were fulfilled during this time. Many of the deuterocanonical or anagignoskomena books, accepted as scripture by. What other book in history has ever received a comparable verdict among thinking men. The events of the intertestamental period set the stage for christ and had a profound impact on the jewish people. A little of the history of gamla is in order, since it is not a city mentioned in the bible.
When this historical period began, the jews were being greatly oppressed. The herods emerge as significant people in intertestamental history and an awareness of their origins and activity helps to shed light on references to them in the gospels. A chapter on the intertestamental period has been added. New testament survey intertestamental history 1 4 the ministries of haggai and zechariah occurred during his reign. Alexander the great, one of historys most dynamic and aggressive military leaders began the grecian period by taking control of palestine when he defeated the persians at the battle of arbela in 331 b. Our prayer is that charting the bible chronologically will enable. Introduction to the intertestamental period by raymond f. Reference works the intertestamental period, also called the second temple period, is the time between the writing of the last old testament book and the beginning of the events described in the new testament. A vast amount of jewish literature written in the intertestamental period mainly 2nd and 1st centuries bce and from the 1st and 2nd centuries ce was preserved, for the most part, through various christian churches.
The notes in blue are a commentary on the effect of hellenization on the jewish people. However, much took place over this span of 400 years. Modern historical criticism has projected some of the canonical books of the bible far into this postexilic period. Download this pdf version of the libguide for convenient printing or personal reference. Matthew, they pass not only from the old to the new testament, a fact of which they are well aware, but they also pass over a number of centuries, a truth to which most readers give little thought. Timeline with notes on judaism 400165 bc by rusty russell. Numerous linemaps, charts, and diagrams help to clarity details.
Books in circulation intertestamental history libguides. Babylon in 536 bc, yet it continued on into the early years of the intertestamental period 397336 bc. He offers a survey of the various writings from this period, including the apocrypha, which was always. The intertestamental period refers to the history of the land of israel in the 400 years between the old testament and the new testament. The intertestamental period is the protestant term and deuterocanonical period is the catholic and orthodox christian term for the gap of time between the period covered by the hebrew bible and the period covered by the christian new testament. There was, thus, great anxiety as the religious syncretism and cultural changes going on during this time. When one finishes reading the old testament book of malachi, the next book in order is the. He was prodded by phanes who wanted revenge on amasis herodotus, the history, 3. The sad truth may be that the palestinians, lebanese, syrians and people in the northern region and. Antiochus iii defeated egypt and replaced the proegyptian high priest with a politicianpriest named jason. Dec 09, 2015 intertestamental period the bible from 30,000 feet skip heitzig flight int01 duration.
The sad truth may be that the palestinians, lebanese, syrians. This revision by david obrien, which brings a survey of israels history up to date, is certain to add to its value and continue its popularity. Intertestamental period and new testament background page 1. We have just finished up the old testament sessions, two andahalf hours through the whole old testament. Jan 02, 2020 the sadducees, who wielded power through the sanhedrin, rejected all but the mosaic books of the old testament. Intertestamental definition of intertestamental by. Intertestamental period project gutenberg selfpublishing. Traditionally, it is considered to cover roughly four hundred years, spanning the ministry of malachi c. As people finish the last book of the old testament, they realize when turning to the new testament that there is a gap of time not addressed by the books in most. Intertestamental period 400 silent years study to shew. During that era, aristotle developed his system of thought and logic that are still with us today, and his most famous student, alexander the. The law itself and the prophecies and the rest of the books have no small difference when spoken in the original language.
It also covers the apocrypha, and adds a few general articles and a bible dictionary. The blue letter bible ministry and the blb institute hold to the historical, conservative christian faith, which includes a firm belief in the inerrancy of scripture. Intertestamental period the bible from 30,000 feet skip heitzig flight int01 duration. In this first lesson of the intertestamental period, dan. This was a period of about 400 years and is also known by some as the 400 years of silence. Apart from the more general histories of israel, several volumes dealing with the history and religion of the intertestamental period have appeared in recent years.
Intertestamental period and new testament background page 2 from 320 to 198 b. Books in circulation intertestamental history libguides at bob. The intertestamental period is the protestant term and deuterocanonical period is the catholic. The intertestamental period denotes the history of postexilic judaism from the time of the book of malachi to the destruction of the temple in jerusalem in 70 ad. Intertestamental definition is of, relating to, or forming the period of two centuries between the composition of the last book of the old testament and the first book of the new testament. He and his successors generally proved to be benevolent dictators, as the old testament books referenced above indicate. The intertestamental period, or the time between the testaments, occurred between the end of the writing of malachi in the old testament and the beginning of the events described in matthew in the new testament. In what ways does a knowledge of intertestamental history.
Although accurate portrayals of history, this work is not regarded as scripture because there is no prophetic inspiration. The returning jews had lost heart and had become more concerned about their own homes than they were about the house. Essenes history of ancient israel and judah pharisees sadducees zealots. They refused to believe in resurrection and were generally shadows of the greeks, whom they greatly admired. Detailed intertestamental timeline with notes on judaism. Alexandrian production of most of the books for jews and by jews 2. The intertestamental period is the term protestants use whereas the deuterocanonical period is the term catholics and orthodox christians use. The rebuilding of the temple languished during the time immediately after the giving of the decrees by cyrus. So the first thing persia contributed to the people of israel was a foreign policy.
Biblical literature biblical literature intertestamental literature. Historys battleground intertestamental period wvbs. Such a realization enables us to fully participate in gods ongoing plan for history with great confidence. A part of this literature is today commonly called the apocrypha hidden. End is placed from 1 ce to the end of the first century ce. When readers of the bible turn its pages from chapter 4 of malachi to chapter 1 of the gospel according to st. Books in circulation the intertestamental period, also called the second temple period, is the time between the writing of the last old testament book and the beginning of the events described in the new testament. Called the intertestamental period, secular history provides many of these events and confirms the bibles validity. Introduction to the intertestamental period ebook pdf. Some of the deuterocannonical books were written during this period. The dating is approximate and follows certain events in palestine, rome, greece, persia, egypt, and china. The old testament closes with the book of malachi, written about 400 bc. Introduction to the intertestamental period ebook edition. Even though it is sometimes called the 400 years of silence opinions vary traditionally starts after the last hebrew prophets, usually nehemiah, who is dated to the late fifth century bce, or from about 445 on.
For 400 years there is no record of god having sent any word to be written down for future use. The intertestamental period and its significance upon. A sizable jewish community also grew in egypt, and a large jewish colony in alexandria was influential well past the time of christ cf. As you might guess, since volume 1 of the companion covered the old testament, this volume is a guide to the new testament. Cambyses, however, reading in the history books how rebellious the jews had been, refused to allow the rebuilding. Many jews had been transported to babylon early in the period. This period of time, known commonly as the intertestamental period covers four centuries and the changes and influences of the culture and people throughout the known. Apart from the more general histories of israel, several volumes dealing with the history and religion of the intertestamental period. This book is one of the very best i have read over the years on the history of the intertestamental period. Historical time chart historical with an emphasis on judaism 3 part series. Intertestamental, history and literature content disclaimer. Raymond surburg, longtime professor of the bible and the languages of the old testament, presents the history of the jewish people from persian times to the fall of jerusalem in a.
The jewish tanakh sometimes called the hebrew bible contains 24 books divided into three parts. The jewish commentaries on the bible, called the talmud, give credence to the thought that most of the jews never got back to palestine even by jesus. The time between the last writings of the old testament and the appearance of christ is known as the intertestamental or between the testaments period. Intertestamental period christianity knowledge base fandom. Detailed intertestamental timeline with notes on judaism by. It contains a wealth of accurate historical information that. It lasted from the prophet malachis time about 400 bc to the preaching of john the baptist about ad 25. All 15 ot books 0 old testament timelines 7 new testament timelines 9 nt books 0 homepage 0 basics 0 beyond the basics 0 timelines 0 timeline of salvation history chronology of. An extensive chronological chart provides an overall summary of names and. Different religious groups include different books in their biblical canons, in varying orders, and sometimes divide or combine books. Tis another nice reference book to have on my shelf.
As people finish the last book of the old testament they realize when turning to the new testament that there is a gap of time not addressed by the books in most english bibles. The books of daniel, ezra, nehemiah, esther, haggai, zechariah, and malachi furnish the record of the first one hundred years of the jews under persian rule. The notsosilent 400 years of intertestamental history. Thus kent hjp, 1899, following the lead of the wellhausenkuenen hypothesis, with all its later leaders, has charted the period between 600 bc, the date of the first captivity, to 160 bc, the beginning of the hasmonean period. What is the history of the intertestamental period. Lecture 6 the intertestamental period foundations home. In the 400 years between the last of the old testament books and the beginning of new. An understanding of the intertestamental periods history and politically charged climate will illustrate evidence of divine providence weaving through approximately fourhundred years of antiquity, culminating in an optimal environment for the expansion and fulfillment of the great commission. Four years after his fathers death, having settled his domestic problems, cambyses was ready to attack egypt in b. The rule of the herods began with antipater, governor of idumea in 67 b. The intertestamental period was a difficult time for orthodox jews.
After many failed attempts, the seleucids finally took control of palestine. In introduction to the intertestamental period, dr. These two terms describe the gap of time between the period covered by the hebrew bible and the period covered by the christian new testament essentially, it covers roughly four hundred years. The last old testament book was likely written around 400 bc. Alexander the great was determined to bring greek culture to every corner of his empire. Jason moved to transform jerusalem into a greek city. Contentsshow persian empire 539 bc333 bc, persian rule. The village seems to have begun as a selucid outpost in the 2nd century b. The jewish commentaries on the bible, called the talmud, give credence to the thought that most of the jews never got back to palestine even by jesus day.
It contains a wealth of accurate historical information that the gives the reader a true sense of the culture of the those times and gives clarity to the condition of society and culture that john the baptist and the lord jesus lived and ministered in. For two hundred years after the babylonian captivity, judea remained under persian rule. This early statement, of course, helps set an early date for the lxx. Between malachi and the appearance of john the baptist there is an interlude of about.
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