Download An Introduction to the Inter-Testament Period

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE INTER-TESTAMENT PERIOD
INTRODUCTION
A. OLD TESTAMENT HISTORY CLOSED WITH MALACHI (c. 430 B. C.)
1. A comparatively small number of Jews returned to
Palestine after their 70-year captivity period, which
ended with Cyrus' decree (538 B. C.) (Ezra 1:1-4).
2. In Malachi's time, Jews had been back in their land
approximately 100 years.
3. Old Testament Scripture concluded with God's promise to
send "Elijah the Prophet" to His people.
a. Malachi 3:1a:
"Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall
prepare the way before me:"
b. Malachi 4:5, 6:
"Behold,
I will send you Elijah the prophet before
the coming of the great and dreadful day of the
LORD:
And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the
children, and the heart of the children to their
fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a
curse."
B. NEW TESTAMENT HISTORY BEGINS APPROXIMATELY 7-6 B. C.
1. Gabriel's announcement of the conception and birth of
John the Baptist (Luke 1:5-17) occurred approximately
7 B. C.
2. John came in "the spirit and power of Elijah."
a. Luke 1:16, 17 (Gabriel's words to Zechariah):
"And
many of the children of Israel shall he turn
to the Lord their God.
And he shall go before him in the spirit and power
of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the
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children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the
just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
b. Compare to the words of God in Malachi (above).
3. Jesus identified John as the Elijah of Malachi:
"But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and
they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever
they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man
suffer of them.
Then the disciples understood that he spake unto
them of John the Baptist" (Mt 17:12, 13).
4.
The Lord Jesus was probably born around 6-5 B. C.
C. THERE'S A GAP OF TIME BETWEEN THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS
1. 420 years ± separate the end of Old Testament history
and the beginning of New Testament history.
2. This interval is called the Inter-Testament Period.
3. Some refer to this time as the "silent years." This is
because it seems there was no new voice of divine
prophecy from Malachi until John.
4. This helps us understand why the beginning of John's
ministry created such excitement among God's people.
God was once again publicly working with His people.
D. THE WORLD CHANGED DURING THE INTER-TESTAMENT PERIOD
1. Political changes occurred:
a. The Old Testament closes with the Jews under the
political control of the Persian Empire.
b. When New Testament history begins the Persians are
long gone, and the biblical world is under the
political control of Rome. In between the Persians
and the Romans, Greeks ruled the Jews.
2. Cultural changes occurred:
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a. The dominant culture of the New Testament biblical
world was Greek (Hellenism).
b. Greek language was the language of business and
commerce, and was spoken everywhere.
c. The lingua franca of the biblical world at the time
of the close of the Old Testament was Aramaic.
3. Religious/Political changes:
a. Pharisees and Sadducees are not part of Old
Testament history. In the New Testament, however,
they are an established part of the fabric of every
day life.
b. These groups developed during the Inter-Testament
Period.
4. An acquaintance with the Inter-Testament Period will
enable us to better understand the world of the New
Testament and the environment in which Jesus operated.
I. POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS OF THE INTER-TESTAMENT PERIOD
A. THE PERSIAN EMPIRE WAS CONQUERED BY THE GREEKS UNDER
ALEXANDER THE GREAT
1. The Old Testament closed with the biblical world under
the political control of the Persian (Medo-Persian)
Empire. This empire became the political master of the
biblical world around 538 B. C. when it conquered the
Babylonian Empire.
2. The destruction of the Persian power was a driving
ambition of Alexander the Great (356-323 B. C.).
a. He wanted to punish Persia for attacks it had made
on Greece in the 5th century.
b. Ahasuerus, who married Esther, was Xerxes I (the
Great). He invaded Greece in 480 B. C.
c. The Persians annihilated the Spartans under Leonidas
at Thermopylae. They marched on Athens and burned
it. The Greeks ultimately repelled the Persians at
the sea battle of Salamis and on land at Plataea.
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d. Alexander had a long memory, and was determined
to punish the Persians. By 330 B. C. he had
broken them.
3. This major political change was a fulfillment of a prophetic vision God gave to Daniel around 550 B. C.
a. Daniel 8:1-7:
"In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a
vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after
that which appeared unto me at the first.
And I saw in a vision; and it came to pass, when I
saw, that I was at Shushan in the palace, which is
in the province of Elam; and I saw in a vision, and
I was by the river of Ulai.
Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold,
there stood before the river a ram which had two
horns: and the two horns were high; but one was
higher than the other, and the higher came up last.
I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and
southward; so that no beasts might stand before him,
neither was there any that could deliver out of his
hand; but he did according to his will, and became
great.
And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came
from the west on the face of the whole earth, and
touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable
horn between his eyes.
And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I
had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him
in the fury of his power.
And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was
moved with choler against him, and smote the ram,
and brake his two horns: and there was no power in
the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to
the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none
that could deliver the ram out of his hand."
b. The prophetic significance is given in Vs. 20, 21:
"The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the
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kings of Media and Persia.
And the rough goat is the king [kingdom] of Grecia:
and the great horn that is between his eyes is the
first king [Alexander the Great]."
4. Thus, God revealed the Greek conquest of Persia 200
years before it occurred.
a. And note this, God named names!
b. Truly, God is able to call "those things which be
not as though they were" (Romans 4:17).
`
5. 100 years after the close of the Old Testament history,
the biblical world came under the political control and
influence of the Greeks.
B. ALEXANDER'S EMPIRE WAS DIVIDED AFTER HIS DEATH
1. Alexander died in Babylon at 33 years of age.
a. He was at the pinnacle of his power.
b. The Word of God foretold this in Daniel 8:8:
"Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he
was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it
came up four notable ones [conspicuous horns] toward
the four winds of heaven."
c. The interpretation follows in Vs. 22:
"Now that being broken [the great horn; the first
king of Grecia], whereas four stood up for it, four
kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not
in his power."
2. After his death, Alexander's empire was divided among
his top generals. The two men which concern us are
Ptolemy and Seleucus.
a. Ptolemy retained Egypt, Palestine and Phoenicia.
1) The base of operations was Egypt.
2) Cleopatra was a Ptolemy, a Greek.
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3) Ptolemy II (Philadelpus) organized the Library of
Alexandria, erected the Pharos Lighthouse (one of
the 7 wonders of the ancient world), and
commissioned the translation of the Hebrew Old
Testament into the Greek language. This
translation is known as the Septuagint, and was
the Bible translation used by the Jews in the
time of the Lord's ministry.
b. Seleucus came to control Mesopotamia and Syria.
3. During the 3rd century B. C. there was much war between
the Ptolemy and Seleucid kingdoms for control of
Palestine and Syria.
a. Palestine was the coveted land bridge between Asia
and Africa: it was commercially and militarily
important.
b. The Jews were often caught in the middle between the
warring armies, and they suffered.
c. Some detailed history is recorded in Daniel 11.
4. In 198 B. C. the Seleucid king, Antiochus the Great,
defeated the Ptolemies and took undisputed control of
Palestine.
5. The Jews remained under political control of Greeks.
C. ANTIOCHUS EPIPHANES (215-163 B. C.)
1. Antiochus IV (Epiphanes)became the leader of the Greek
Seleucid Dynasty around 175 B. C. This kingdom had
political control of Syria, Palestine and the Jews.
a. He was a passionate devotee of Hellenism.
b. A ruling ambition was to force Hellenism on all
his subjects, including and especially the Jews.
2. Antiochus Epiphanes was the antichrist of his time, and
a type of the final antichrist.
a. On his coins were inscribed Antiochus Basilanos
(Antiochus, king), Theos Epiphanēs (god manifest).
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(B. H. Carroll wrote of this man that "he was more
impressed by the way things seemed than the way
things were.")
b. Although the Word of God does not name him by name,
it foretold his rise and rule in Daniel 8:9-12.
3. Antiochus' declared war on Jehovah and the religion of
the Jews.
a. His policy toward the Jews was to force them to
abandon their religion and adopt Greek religion.
b. Examples of his policy and methods:
1) He desecrated the Temple by erecting an altar to
Jupiter Olympus on top of the brazen altar of
Jehovah. He sacrificed a sow and flung blood and
detritus all over the holy place.
2) Outlawed the Hebrew Scriptures.
3) Outlawed circumcision.
2 Jewish women defied his edict and had their
baby boys circumcised. Their babies were killed
and tied around their necks. The women were
then executed.
4) He required Jews to eat hog meat.
2 Maccabees relates a notable event concerning a
devout woman and her sons. They were commanded to
violate the laws, which they refused to do. The
oldest son was scalped, burning coals put on his
head and then murdered before his mother's eyes.
Each son was cruelly put to death. She never
yielded, and was also put to death.
D. THE MACCABEAN REBELLION
1. Antiochus' hellenization policy served to produce a
strong sense of nationalism and religious zeal among
religiously conservative Jews.
2. The Maccabean Rebellion:
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a. This began about 166 B. C. Jews in rural areas were
required, on pain of death, to make sacrifices to
Greek gods. At the village of Modien, an old man
named Mattathias refused and killed the representative of Antiochus. Jews loyal to God united in a
religious war against Greek rule. It was on!!
b. Under the military leadership of Judas Maccabeus,
one of old Mattathias' sons, Jerusalem came again
under the nominal control of the Jews. The Temple
was cleansed and rededicated in 164 B. C. This event
is commemorated in the Jewish Feast of Dedication,
known as Hanukkah, or the Festival of Lights.
3. The Jews ultimately achieved a nominal religious and
political freedom which lasted to 63 B. C. Though this
period (142-63 B. C.) is called by some "The Period of
Hebrew Independence," the Jews were never really fully
independent.
E. THE ROMANS BECAME POLITICAL MASTERS OF THE JEWS
1. This occurred in 63 B. C.
2. Much of the Jews' history during their time of nominal
freedom is marked by strife and civil war.
a. Conflicting parties fought for political control.
When the religious/political liberals held power,
they murdered — and sometimes massacred! – the
conservative Pharisees (The Hasmonean Jewish
ruler Alexander Janneus, a Sadducee, ordered the
crucifixion of 800 Pharisees.). When the
conservatives gained power they killed the liberals.
b. The high priesthood became a political office for
which men would bribe and murder.
3. Through the 3rd-1st centuries B. C., Rome had became
the political master of the Mediterranean world.
4. In 63 B. C. the Roman general, Pompey, intervened in a
civil strife among the Jewish leadership.
a. The Romans stayed and took over control.
b. Judea was made part of the Roman province of Syria.
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5. When Jesus was born, the Romans had been in control
in Palestine for close to 60 years.
6. Herod the Great was declared "king of the Jews" by the
Roman Senate in 37 B. C.
a. Herod was not a legitimate Jewish king; in fact, he
was not a Jew, but rather, an Idumean, a descendant
of Esau.
b. This is the Herod that ordered the slaughter of the
male children in the vicinity of Bethlehem, Mt 2:16.
He was always sensitive to his illegitimate status.
The question of the magi concerning the location of
"he that is born King of the Jews" was especially
troubling to Herod.
c. This man died a horrible death, April 1, 4 B. C.
7. Caesar Augustus (Octavian) became Emperor of Rome in 28
B. C. He died in 14 A. D.
a. It was he who ordered the census which put Mary at
Bethlehem for the Lord's birth, Lu 2:1. Augustus
was an unknowing participant in carrying out the
plan of God!
b. Proverbs 21:1:
"The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the
rivers of water; he turneth it whithersoever he
will."
8. Augustus began the period known as the Pax Romana,
the Roman Peace.
a. It lasted 28 B. C. to 180 A. D.
b. The Roman military power brought relative peace and
prosperity to their empire. Travel became easier and
safer. Such things facilitated the spread of the
Gospel and Christianity.
9. The timing of the birth of Jesus Christ was no
accident!
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a. God had been guiding human affairs to prepare the
right conditions for the timing of the incarnation
of the Redeemer!!
b. Galatians 4:4:
"But when the fullness of the time was come, God
sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the
law,"
II. CULTURAL DEVELOPMENTS OF THE INTER-TESTAMENT PERIOD
A. GREEK CULTURE BECAME THE DOMINANT CULTURE OF THE CIVILIZED
WORLD
1. It was the dream of Alexander to unite the world with
the Greek culture, Hellenism.
2. Alexander established many Greek colonies throughout
the territories he conquered.
3. This plan was highly successful.
a. The Greek culture became universally disseminated,
if not the dominant culture, of the biblical world.
b. The Greek language became the universal language of
business and commerce.
1) A high percentage of people, in addition to their
native language, spoke the Koine Greek. Even
among the Jews living in Palestine, Greek was a
commercial and economic necessity.
2) The New Testament was written in the Koine Greek.
(The Koine means the language common to people
everywhere.)
4. The Romans themselves were enamored of the Greek
culture and lifestyle. They adopted, assimilated and
disseminated it.
5. Western culture, ours, has its roots in the Greek
culture.
B. GREEK CULTURE WAS HUMANISTIC IN NATURE
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1. Hellenism emphasized such things as beauty, health,
fitness and intellectual achievement.
2. The culture appealed to the natural desire for comfort,
ease and luxury.
3. In the time of Jesus, Palestine was an island surrounded by Greek culture.
III. RELIGIOUS DEVELOPMENTS OF THE INTER-TESTAMENT PERIOD
A. VARIOUS RELIGIOUS/POLITICAL GROUPS FOUND IN THE NEW TESTAMENT DEVELOPED DURING THIS PERIOD
1. From the standpoint of the New Testament the most
important of these groups were the Pharisees and
Sadducees.
2. Pharisees are first mentioned by name by the historian
Josephus. According to him, they were already a distinct group by 145 B. C.
3. Josephus also mentions the Sadducees as a distinct
group by 145 B. C.
4. These groups developed and evolved as responses to
Hellenism.
B. ORIGIN & DEVELOPMENT OF THE PHARISEES
1. Religiously conservative Jews reacted strongly against
Hellenism. They viewed it as an influence which
corrupted morals, especially those of the young people,
and which threatened the spirit of true religion and
ultimately the Jews' national identity. For such,
Hellenism presented a national religious crisis and had
to be resisted.
2. The earliest resisters of Hellenism were the Hasidim,
"the pious ones." They were the religious conservatives
of their day and initially were strong supporters of
the Maccabean struggle against Greek rule. These people
were concerned about pleasing God.
3. The Pharisees appear to have developed out of the
Hasidim:
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"The word 'Pharisee' means 'separated ones.' Although
some have suggested that the separation was from the
common people, it is more probable that the Pharisees
were so named because of their zeal for the law which
involved separation from the influences of Hellenism.
In this sense they were the heirs of the Hasidim"
(Charles F. Pfeiffer, Between the Testaments; 1959,
p.112).
4. The Pharisees elevated "traditional" teachings, oral
Torah, above the written Word of God in authority. On
one occasion Jesus said to them, "Full well ye reject
the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own
tradition," Mk 7:9.
5. We should take care not to think too negatively about
the Pharisees. They were the religious conservatives of
their day. Many of them loved God. They just had some
things wrong.
6. "As is common when very zealous religious people find
their religious views to be unpopular, they often
implode into a cult with an ever-narrowing sphere of
influence. This condition generally evokes a persuasion
of holiness on the part of the adherents and
condemnation for all others who do not join the cult.
Such were the Pharisees in the time of Jesus Christ.
"Truly, if one were to encounter such a group today, he
would find mean-spirited, legalistic, and unhappy
people. Most people are not willing to join a movement
that demands such strict behavior and results in such
unpleasant experiences .... There would be nothing
positive in the religion to attract weary sinners;
indeed, weary sinners need not apply" (Dewayne Hoppert,
Discovering Acts, 2003, pp 22, 23).
7. It is believed there were about 6,000 Pharisees in
Jesus' day.
C. ORIGIN & DEVELOPMENT OF THE SADDUCEES
1. During the period of Greek rule in Palestine, some Jews
welcomed and embraced Hellenism. Mostly, these were of
the Jewish aristocratic class, which included the
priests. The ruling class benefited politically and
economically by accepting Hellenism.
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2. The Sadducees were the successors of the earlier
hellenistically-minded Jews. They were the "humanists"
of their day and place. Additionally, the Sadducean
party was closed; none but members of the High Priestly
family and aristocratic families of Jerusalem could be
Sadducees.
3. The primary concern of the Sadducees was not in being
pleasing to God, but politics and economics.
a. Pfeiffer wrote:
"The Sadducees were the party of the Jerusalem
aristocracy and the high priesthood. They had made
their peace with the political rulers and had
attained positions of wealth and influence. Temple
administration was their specific responsibility"
(p.115).
b. The Sadducees ran the scams at the Temple, in which
Roman money was exchanged for "holy" money and
sacrificial animals were sold, all at exorbitant
rates.
4. Sadducees rejected the "traditions" of the Pharisees
and accepted only the Pentateuch as authoritative.
Other differences between them and the Pharisees are
stated in Acts 23:8:
"For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection,
neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess
both."
5. In the Gospel records, the Sadducees seemed not to have
been too concerned with Jesus until just before His
death. Their problem with Jesus was more of an
economic nature than religious: they feared He would
upset the status quo.
6. There were other groups in Israel during the life of
the Lord; such as the Essenes, Herodians and the ultrapatriotic Zealots. A familiarization with these will
prove helpful.
J. Barger, 2015
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