400 Years of Silence?
From Malachi to Matthew
Tony Arsenal
About Me
• Born and raised in White Bear Lake Minn., a small suburb of Minneapolis
• Came to Faith in a Lutheran mega-church when I was 15 years old
• Active as a volunteer in various roles in a large youth ministry, as well as in a small
church plant with a youth ministry of about 15 students
• Studied Biblical and Theological Studies, with a minor in Koine Greek, at Bethel
University in Arden Hills Minn.
• Graduated from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in 2013 with Master
Degrees in Church History and Systematic Theology
• Married Ashley in 2012
What is History?
• History is the forensic science of compiling evidence in order to form a
hypothesis of the most probable course of events in the past
• History is a comparison of probability
• History can never prove its conclusions
• Argues with a purpose (usually)
• Is not free of bias
Why the Intertestemental Period is Important
• God’s story didn’t simply pause at the close of Malachi
• Although inspired Scripture didn’t continue, God was still working in his
people
• The events of the Intertestemental Period brought about the conditions
which God saw fit to initiate the culmination of Salvation History
• The New Testament can be understood without knowledge of the
Intertestamental Period, but it is richer and more wholistic with knowledge
of the Intertestamental Period
Why the Intertestemental Period is Important
The Empire Strikes Back
The Return of the Jedi
What is the Intertestamental Period?
• The Intertestamental Period is the period of History, specifically the history
of Israel, which occurs between writing of Malachi and the writing of the
New Testament (Sometimes to the Destruction of the Temple)
• Malachi – 433 BC or 424 BC
• Primary Era of NT Documents – AD 45 – 90
• Destruction of the Temple – AD 70
Timeline of Events
• Major Eras
• Persian Rule – 424 – 331 BC
• Alexander/Hellenism – 331 – 167 BC
• Alexander’s Reign – 331 -323 BC
• Ptolemaic Rule – 323 – 198 BC
• Syrian Rule – 198 – 167 BC
• Hasmonean Dynasty – 167 – 63 BC
• Roman Occupation – 63 BC – AD 70
• Major Concepts / Events
•
•
•
•
•
•
Hellenization
Ptolemaic / Selucid Tug of War
Desolation under Antiochus IV (167)
Maccabean Revolt
Roman Invasion and Occupation
Destruction of the Temple (AD 70)
So What?
• Remember, Historians argue with a purpose
• What specifically does knowing about the historical development during this
era give us?
• How should it shape our thoughts about the New Testament?
• Are there things that we are not familiar with that we ought to be?
• How has knowledge of this era already shaped us without us knowing?
The Major Players in the New Testament
•
•
•
•
•
Pharisees / Scribes
Saducees
Zealots / Siccari
Essenes
Rome / Herodians
Major Players - Pharisees
• Group likely developed in opposition to the combination of Kingly and Priestly roles in the
Hasmonean Dynasty. May be related to the Hasadim (Faithful Ones).
• Name probably means “separatists.” Likely meaning a separation of powers, not a separation
from society
• Get a bad wrap because of their interactions with Jesus
• Were opposed to Rome, but also opposed to violence
• Would rather seek holiness (personal and corporate) which they believed would be rewarded by
God
• Scribes were not all Pharisees, but were likely associated with them. Because they were so familiar
with the text (from copying it) they were seen as legal experts (sometimes called lawyers)
Major Players - Saducees
• Developed out of the group who supported the Hasmoneans because of their reversal of
Hellenization
•
•
•
•
Were likely the wealthy and influential members of the aristocracy
Descended from the Preistly family of the Zadokites
Centralized in Jerusalem and held the High Priesthood during the time of the New Testament
Held entire Old Testament to be God’s revelation, but only doctrine which was provable from
the Torah was binding
• Did not oppose Roman occupation
• Did not persist past 70 AD since their power was centralized in the Temple
Major Players – Zealots / Siccari
•
•
•
•
Referred to by some as the “Fourth Philosophy”
Believed that Rome must be overthrown by force
Committed terroristic acts of violence against both Jews and Gentiles
Formally organized in 6 AD under Judas of Galilee, but likely existed informally prior to
that
• It is likely that Judas Iscariot's surname is a reference to his membership in the Sicarri
• Peter’s action in the Garden and his origin in Galilee seems to indicate that he was at least
sympathetic to this movement, if not formally a member
• With Simon the Zealot, Peter, and Judas 1/4th of Jesus’ disciples held to this position
Major Players - Essenes
•
•
•
•
•
Apocalyptically oriented
Founded by an anonymous leader called the “Teacher of Righteousness”
Believed that the time was so wicked that withdrawal was the only option
Monastic Hermits who often lived in commune like communities
John the Baptist shares many parallels with Essenes, but does not fit neatly. It
is possible that he held views similar and may have interacted with them at
some point
Major Players – Rome / Herodians
•
•
•
•
•
Roman Occupation presented a major challenge for Jewish ideals during this period
Rome placed client kings in place which were not truly Roman, but were also not truly Jewish
This compromised rule was resented by most Jews, with the exception of the Saducees
The dynasty of client kings, starting with Herod the Great, was called the Herodians
Upon the death of Herod the Great, his kingdom was split between his 4 sons
• Herod Antipas over Galillee
• Herod Archelaus over Judea and Samaria
• Herod Archelaus was banished due to incompetence and cruelty, and was replaced by Roman
Procurates, the most famous of which was Pontius Pilate
Theological Development
• After the Exile, most returning Jews no longer spoke Hebrew
• Throughout the process of Hellenization, the dominant language shifted to Koine Greek
• This lead to a translation of the Old Testament into Greek, called the Septuagint or LXX (Named after the
70 or 72 translators)
• “The Scriptures” that the average first century Jew had access to was probably the LXX
•
Occasionally the LXX and the MS (Hebrew Translation) disagree, in cases where the Old Testament is quoted and the LXX
and MS disagree, the LXX is the version being quoted by NT Authors
• The Protestant Old Testament is based on the MS books, which contains less books than the LXX
•
The Roman Catholic Old Testament (as well as what the majority of Eastern Orthodoxy) recognizes the full LXX cannon
• It is likely that figures like Paul, Peter, and the other NT authors believed that some books were Scripture
which we do not consider to be Scripture
Theological Developments
• Judaism became increasingly more militant and over time began to conceive of its coming
•
•
•
•
savior as a military conquer
Although this idea is not absent from the Old Testament, it is primarily developed in Extra
Canonical Documents
This accounts for the seemingly universal understanding during the time of Jesus that
Messiah would be a military hero
Many, if not most, Jews believed that Messiah would be a recapitulation of the events of the
Maccabean Revolt
Jewish prejudice against Gentiles increased dramatically due to the repeated Gentile
occupations
Psalms of Solomon 17:21-24
Behold, O Lord, and rise up for them their king, the son of David,
At the appointed time which, O God, you did choose,
That he may reign over Israel, your servant.
And gird him with strength, that he may shatter unrighteous rulers,
And may cleanse Jerusalem from the Gentiles that trampled her down in destruction
Wisely and righteously let him expel sinners from the inheritance,
And destroy the sinner’s pride as a potter’s vessel,
With a rod of iron may he break in pieces all their resources.
Let him destroy the lawless Gentiles by the word of his mouth.
Theological Developments
• Judaism began to become less and less about God’s current reign with and over his people,
•
•
•
•
and more and more about a future reign of God in a restored creation
This theme is prevalent throughout the Old Testament, but God’s presence with his people
in the Promised Land was always primary
Judaism began to develop into a more apocalyptic/eschatological religion
• apokalypsis / ἀποκάλυψις – uncovering or revelation
• eschatos / ἔσχατος – last or final
Angelology and Demonology began to become more prominent,
The literary genre of Apocalypse developed as the primary way to speak of the end of this
world and the inauguration of the eternal kingdom of God
Apocalyptic Literature
The First Book of Enoch
•
And the horse shall walk up to the breast in the blood of sinners,
And the chariot shall be submerged to its height. – 100:3
•
And I observed the heavenly tablets, and read everything which
was written (thereon) and understood everything, and read the
book of all the deeds of mankind, and of all the children of flesh
that shall be upon the earth to the remotest generations. (81:2)
And in those days shall the earth also give back that which has
been entrusted to it, And Sheol also shall give back that which it
has received, And hell shall give back that which it owes. (51:1)
And wait ye indeed till sin has passed away, for their names shall
be blotted out of the book of life and out of the holy books, and
their seed shall be destroyed for ever, and their spirits shall be
slain, and they shall cry and make lamentation in a place that is a
chaotic wilderness, and in the fire shall they burn; for there is no
earth there. (108:3)
John’s Apocalypse
•
And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed
from the winepress, as high as a horse's bridle, for 1,600 stadia. –
14:20
•
And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne,
and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which
is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written
in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave
up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead
who were in them, and they were judged, each one of
them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and
Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death,
the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone's name was not found written in
the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. - 20:12-15
For Further Study
• Blomberg, Craig L. (2009), Jesus and the Gospels: An Introduction and Survey (2nd
ed.), Nashville: B & H Academic
• Wright, N. T. (1992), The New Testament and the People of God, Minneapolis:
Fortress Press
• Wright, N. T. (1996), Jesus and the Victory of God, Minneapolis: Fortress Press
• Flavius Josephus (2006), Whiston, William, trans., Jewish Antiquities, London:
Wordsworth Editions
Bibliography
• "The Time Between the Testaments", ESV Study Bible, Crossway Bibles, 2008, pp. 1783–
1785
• "Intertestamental Events Timeline", ESV Study Bible, Crossway Bibles, 2008, pp. 1788–1789
• "Jewish Groups at the Time of the New Testament", ESV Study Bible, Crossway Bibles,
2008, pp. 1799–1800
• Blomberg, Craig L. (2009), Jesus and the Gospels: An Introduction and Survey (2nd ed.), Nashville:
B & H Academic
• Wright, N. T. (1992), The New Testament and the People of God, Minneapolis: Fortress Press
Questions?
Tony.Arsenal@ReformedArsenal.com
www.reformedarsenal.com