The Silent 400 Years, the Intertestamental Period
Biblical History Records that there were no writing prophets during the years between Malachi and Matthew
God Prepares the Way
for His Son
The Incarnation of the Word of Life (1 John 1:1 KJV)
“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.”
god was not silent during those years- he was preparing the way for his son
The magnificent structure of God’s plan paved the way for Yeshua Ha’Mashiach (Messiah Jesus). Historical literature and important historicity tell the story of God’s grand design to unite both Gentile and Jew as adopted Children of God.
Even though God’s prophetic Word was silent, the silent 400 hears were filled with incredible political, religious and socio-economic changes; so dynamic that the Judaism of Jesus was not the Judaism of the Old Testament.
The last King of Israel, Zedekiah (597-586 B.C.E.) setup the forerunners of the Sadducees and Pharisees. Clearly, the silent 400 years were not blank pages.
HISTORY OF THE INTERTESTAMENTAL PERIOD OF THE BIBLE
The Second Temple Period lasted from the reconstruction of the Template until it was destroyed in 70 C.E. – approximate 600 years. The intertestamental period began about 200 years after the Temple was rebuilt. During the 400 silent years, Judaism followed Mosaic Law as they lived under the Abrahamic Covenant – with dramatic changes or additions to Mosaic Law (later lessons will focus on the changes).
Judeans find a new race of people in their homeland
Judeans, whom Cyrus the Great allowed to return to their homeland, found a large population of Gentiles who had colonized it. They were Assyrians and others who intermarried with the Jews (the remnant) who remained (were not taken as captives by the Assyrians). The offspring of those who intermarried were call Samaritans.
When the Judeans returned to rebuild the Temple in about 520 B.C.E., the Samaritans, identifying with the Judeans, offered to help in the endeavor.
Even so, there was great disparity between the Judeans and the Samaritans. The Samaritans used only five books of the Moses and had built their own temple. Following their rejection by the Judeans, the Samaritans set up their own cult center at Mt. Gerizim, near Schechem, modern Nablus.
WARS, CAPTIVITY AND COLONIZATION, REVOLT AND IDOLATRY
Northern Israel and Judah, from the 9th Century B.C.E. onward, Assyria propelled the Middle East into chaos. As a result, God’s chosen found themselves living in vassal state and eventually colonized and depopulated (Israelites relocated to Iran and Babylon).
ASSYRIA-CONTROL OF TRADE (900+ B.C.E.)
As the Egyptian kingdom began to crumble, the struggle to control the Near East trade route erupted. The Assyrian people were engaged in long-distance trade, importing tin from Central Asia and textiles from Babylonia. They traded for silver in Anatolia and its vassal kingdom of Urartu (Armenian highlands) became a roadblock to the mines of Anatolia (Turkey) and to rich farmlands and thriving livestock.
Their goal was to secure buffer states and to control all of the major trade arteries of the Levant (current Cyprus and a stretch of land bordering the Mediterranean. King Ashurnasirpal II found little resistance as he invaded neighboring countries. He successfully enlarged his territory to the Persian Gulf-taking all of Babylonia. Northern Israel and Judah became vassal states that paid a huge tax for Assyria and deported local populations to quell future revolts: Thereby gaining control of Israel’s fertile farmlands. They did not breakup families and clans (tribes) and allowed them to continue their practice of faith, rebuild their businesses and farm the land.
536-332 B.C.E. – BABYLON CRUMBLES TO PERSIA
This event saw the conquest of Babylon by the Achaemenid Empire under Cyrus the Great and marked the end of the Neo-Babylonian Empire and the Jews were allowed to return to their homeland as vassal states that paid tribute to Persia. Many Jews remained in Babylon because their homeland was in poor condition and required a lot of work to recover. They had fully established themselves as successful members of Babylon and to relocate would mean loss of income, status and the comforts they enjoyed in Babylon. Of those who remained, Mordecai and Esther (Uncle and Niece) stayed because Mordecai had a prosperous business i.e., Book of Esther. A large number of Jews remained in Iraq (Bagdad) for almost 2,500 years (586 B.C.E. to 1800s C.E.) until they were persecuted by the Muslims who were in control.
King Cyrus issued the decree to rebuild the Jerusalem Temple. (Ezra 1:1-4, 6:1-5). The Cyrus Cylinder, and archeological artifact, an ancient clay cylinder (Akkadian cuneiform script) details how Cyrus took the city of Babylon. It describes how King Cyrus allowed the conquered nations, of which Israel was one, to return to their homeland. The language of the Cyrus Cylinder is very similar to the language recorded in the Bible.
During the rebuilding of the Temple, the social restoration of the Jewish people was in question regarding whether a Judean was defined by religious affiliation or national terms. These debates were primarily centered around the issue of “half breeds” that lived in their homelands (Samaritans). This rift between Samaritans and Judeans were revealed during the time of Jesus when he speaks with the Woman at the Well.
EZRA 1:2 (NIV)
“ ‘The Lord is the God of heaven. He has given me all the kingdoms on earth. He has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. 3 Any of his people among you may go up to Jerusalem and build the Lord’s temple. He is the God of Israel. He is the God who is in Jerusalem. And may their God be with them. 4 The people still left alive in every place must bring gifts to the people going. They must provide silver and gold to the people going up to Jerusalem. The people must bring goods and livestock. They should also bring any offerings they choose to. All those gifts will be for God’s temple in Jerusalem.’ ”
SECOND TEMPLE PERIOD
The Second Temple Period lasted from the reconstruction of the Template until it was destroyed in 70 C.E. (332-63 B.C.E. and is known as the Hellenistic Period.