The four centuries between the close of the OT (Malachi) and the birth of Jesus, when the nation of Judea passed under the sovereignity of five different powers, the Persian, the Macedonian (Alexander the Great), the Greek (Ptolemy & Seleucid), the Jewish Hasmoneans (Maccabean), and the Roman (Herodian).
These four centuries saw some of the most dramatic and life-changing transformation in the history of the world and, especially, for the Jewish people. It is a period of history that is indispensable for any Christian seeking to understand the New Testament properly, since so much of what is reported in the NT and assumed by all the participants in the NT narrative, including especially Jesus, takes for granted an understanding of this history. Since it cannot be skipped over in a mere glossary, we have prepared full article on it.
Further Reading & Resources :
☰ F. F. Bruce, "The Period Between the Testament. I: Political Development," The Bible Student ns 20.1 (Jan 1949):9-15.
☰ F. F. Bruce, "The Period Between the Testament. II: Religious Development," The Bible Student ns 20.2 (Apr 1949): 59-64.
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