Among the most formidable arguments for the Divine Inspiration of The Scriptures is the truth that there is a four hundred period which elapsed between the last Prophetic voice of The Old Testament, Malachi, and the appearance upon the world stage of Jesus, The Christ, as had been foretold by Moses and The Prophets. This time period is sometimes referred to as “the silent years”. Some have mistakenly held that during this period, God was not actively involved with the advancing of The Scriptures in the affairs of men. They would equate silence with inactivity on the part of God Himself.
To do this is to ignore the many events which were Divinely brought into play in preparation for the giving of The New Testament Scriptures. Yes, my friend there was in fact a flurry of activity during this time period which can be seen to be directly connected to the joining of the events of both The Old and New Testaments. The question naturally arises concerning what these things are and how they achieved their designed purpose of bringing together the voices of the Prophets and The Apostles.
Let us begin with the understanding that the compilation of The Old Testament Scriptures into a recognized, and finalized, body of work had completed the Hebrew Canon of Scripture. There was no other recognized writing which was to be added to the thirty-nine books which we possess today. As we enter the intertestamental period, or the silent years if you prefer, keep this in mind. God’s revelation as it was needed up to that point was complete.
Politically there were certain very important changes which occurred during this time. As we step into this timeline the Persian Empire was the dominant force throughout the world. During this time the Jews enjoyed relative peace and for the most part lack of persecution of the sort which they had previously experienced. It is believed that during this time the Synagogue System of gathering for worship had already been firmly established.
The concept of gathering in small groups at a designated house for the purpose of worship was begun on an informal basis during the captivity under the Babylonians. The fear of losing their connection to The Law of Moses and of losing their Hebrew language which was vital to their continued existence as a distinct cultural people drove the Jews to begin this. By the time of Persian rule this would have been an established custom. So, when Alexander the Great appeared this was already in place.
With the rapid conquests of the world kingdoms by him came a massive shift from the many languages and custom of the kingdoms of the world as they began to be replaced over a short time by the employment of the language and customs of The Greeks. This led to a common language being in use around the known civilized world of that day. For the first time in world history since the Tower of Babel confused the languages of the world, Jews, Egyptians, Libyans, Indians, and all the others could communicate in one tongue.
Accordingly, there came about a concern for the preservation of the ability of the Jewish people who were scattered abroad, which did not have the education that had been common among Jewish households of the pre captivity period, to be able to read The Law and The Prophets.
Many of these did not speak Hebrew as their predominate language, but rather had adopted Greek in their households. To address this vital concern seventy of the most learned scholars of the Jews undertook to translate The Old Testament into the common language of Greek. These gathered in the city of Alexandrea Egypt and worked for seventy days which resulted in the first translation of Hebrew Bible, which was written in Greek, known as The Septuagint.
In addition to these developments there were certain political shifts which brought about the creation of identifiable parties which would figure prominently in the events that would be recorded in The New Testament writings. It was during this period that the two most predominant parties of the Jews were born. These two parties were, The Pharisees and The Sadducees.
The Pharisee party adhered to the following tenants.
- All Jewish people were to be held to account for strict adherence to The Law of Moses.
- In addition to The Written Law, Oral Tradition was also handed down and was to be followed as strictly as The Written Law.
- There was a Divine action which they recognized as Providence or Fate in man’s affairs.
- The resurrection from the dead as well as other miracles were realities of life.
The Sadducees held rigidly to the following concepts.
- Rejection of fate or any type of preordained future.
- God’s inability to commit or even think anything that was evil.
- The impossibility of any miraculous event, especially resurrection from the dead.
- Man is possessed of the free will to choose good or evil within himself.
- The soul of man is not immortal and there is no afterlife nor any rewards or punishment after death.
- It is virtuous for one to contend and debate with all philosophers of any type.
Of note during this period was also the rise of a Jewish sect called the Essenes. These men joined together in a strict life of seeking spiritual purity through the study of the Torah. These were men dedicated to what would be akin to a monastic lifestyle.
The society of Khirbet Qumran which was located on the south shore of The Dead Sea is believed to have been founded by them. In the search for spiritual purity which they engaged upon they also turned unto diligent study of, and commentary upon, the writings of the Old Testament Prophets. It is believed that they were the ones who produced the famed Dead Sea Scrolls.
Another group of diligent copyists of The Old Testament Scriptures which emerged during this intertestamental period was the Scribes. It was these men who were responsible for precise copying of the written Old Testament Canon. They became recognized as authorities upon matters concerning the Law of Moses. Due to this they are also referred to as The Lawyers by the time of Jesus Christ. You will read much concerning these men in The New Testament writings.
Yet another noteworthy development in the realm of politics was the rise of the Hasmonaeans who ruled Palestine as Kings and High Priests at the same time. These rulers arose to fill a void of both Kings and Priests which came about due to the aftermath of the Maccabean revolt against foreign rule.
It was the rise of this group of men, the Hasmonaeans, which ultimately paved the way for the appointment of non-Jewish appointed “kings” to rule over Palestine. Herod The Great, whom we read about in The New Testament, was such an appointment. It was he who ordered the slaughter of the innocents around Bethlehem. This he did out of fear that a true king who was descended from the lineage of David would stir the Jews to rebel and overthrow his usurpation of office in favor of crowning a true king.
When considering these things which arose between the Testaments it is of some importance to speak of that ruling body known as The Sanhedrin. We read much of them when we read The New Testament. These were highly instrumental in the illegal trial and execution of Jesus Christ. This was a unique entity. They had their roots in the Old Testament due to the choosing of seventy men out of the congregation of all Israel to help Moses adjudicate law in Israel as they wandered in the desert.
Over time this body of men became more and more powerful until they became the law when civil or ceremonial matters were to be enforced. Also called The Council in The New Testament, this body was composed of intellectually elite men from both the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Their presiding officer was The High Priest.
All of Israel feared them due to their power to pronouncement punishment upon any man who broke the law as they defined it to be. It is vital to note that although their power was formidable, they had no authority to execute a prisoner under Roman Rule and therefore were bound to seek Roman Governmental approval before undertaking such an affair.
While they could try a man and pronounce him guilty, and deserving of death, it took Rome to carry out their given sentence. It was for this reason that the Sanhedrin chose to accuse Jesus of sedition against Rome before Pilot rather than the charge of blasphemy for which they sought to kill Him.
While there are many other developments which occurred between the writing of The Old and New Testaments which might be of value to know, these are noted here in an effort to bring a further clarification to those who study the Scriptures as a whole. These constitute the glue which holds together both sets of writings in a way. As you study The Scriptures, I trust that having knowledge of these things will cause you to be better able to understand what is set before you!
Please click the link below to return to the main page.